Tech talk to dominate at company's public-private conference - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

fugycyquwod.blogspot.com
It was that foresight that led to huge growtgh for what isnow e.Republic the chief executive officer's national media company. The Folsom-based established in 1984, continues to grow, with plans this year to buildx a video studio and hire as many as 10 What started out asa three-persoj marketing and communications company today is a multimillion-dollar research and event firm focused on informationh technology for the statee and local government and education The company employs more than 150; about 130 in Folso m and the rest acrosds the country. Executives expecft revenue between $25 million and $30 million this year, a 15 percent-pluw increase from last year.
The company's revenue has increased everhy yearsince 2001, chiegf financial officer Paul Harney said. The company'sz recent rapid growth can be attributed in part to the launchg of several newtradr magazines, including the bimonthly Publicf CIO in 2003; Converge, aimed at tech experta in K-12 education; and Emergency Management in 2006. The company'se publications are free to qualified subscribers. Revenued is generated by advertisers, such as and , eagee to reach the state and localgovernmenr market. It was 20 yeare ago when McKenna's company, then calle Graves McKenna and Wahlquist, decided to host the firstt Government Technology Conferencein Sacramento.
Leveragin contacts the company developed while reporting on informatiojn technology for its Sacramento Valley ComputeeNews magazine, the event attractecd almost 5,000 people and 250 companies. McKenn a took the profits and launched a national magazine calledGovernment Technology. Today, it' s one of the company's five trade magazines, and the Sacramento conferencs is one of three of the largest intergovernmenta conferences inthe nation, all hosted by Others are in Albany, N.Y., and Texas. GTC West in Sacramento, in its 20th is set for May 14-1i at the Sacramento Convention The event draws as manyas 15,000 people, said Patty Cota, directord of corporate communications. E.
Republic generates revenue from the free eventw through sponsorships for trade show booths and evening About halfof e.Republic's overall revenue comexs from the more than 100 events it produceas each year, company executivesa said. Companies targeting the public sectoer IT markethave -- through e.Republic events, magazines and the company'ds research and market advisory service -- a wide rang of ways to reach government buyeras who spend billions of dollars each year on California will spend $5.3 billiob this fiscal year on IT.
"I believwe our company created this market for state andlocaol government," said Don Pearson, executive vice president and groul publisher for Government A small number of large corporations, such as and , owne the market decades ago, McKennaa said. When Government Technologyu launched, businesses had a place to advertis e their products tothat market, he said. The first few issuesd of Government Technology had circulation of morethan Today, monthly circulation is estimated at E.Republic also produces custom magazines used as salese tools by tech firms such as Brad Dupuy, marketing program manage for H-P in Houston, said the corporatre giant works with e.
Republic to produce a quarterlyt H-P Solutions Magazine for statse and local IT employees. Dupuy said the 48-pagr magazine is read by mayors, city manager and IT professionals who are interested in how IT can be appliesto government. Case studies outline how government uses technologg to getmore done.