San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan has mailed out letters to
23 corporations, including two outside CA, telling them they can
still bid for naming rights to Candlestick Park, according to
today's SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. Although 3Com Corp., the Santa
Clara computer network manufacturer, proposed a four-year naming
rights deal, it contains an "interim lease" that provides the
city with a loophole to reopen bidding. 3Com currently has a
six-month, $500,000 deal for the duration of the '95 NFL season,
but the long-term proposal needs approval from the city's Board
of Supervisors in January. The city has been criticized by some
area execs who felt 3Com's proposal was not enough. 49ers
President Carmen Policy was "caught off guard" by Jordan's
letter. Policy believes "second-guessing" is causing the city to
see if they can get a better deal. Policy: "I don't think
there's anybody interested in that deal." The letter details the
city's need for a corporate sponsor to "offset the cost of
improving the stadium for Super Bowl XXXIII," and outlines the
terms sought -- but it "makes no official mention of 3Com's long-
term proposal already on the table." The list of companies which
received the letter includes: Intel, National Semiconductor,
Silicon Graphics, Levi Strauss, and Wells Fargo. 3Com
spokesperson David Abramson said they expect to close their long-
term deal and he noted they have the right to match any new bids
(Tsai & Witt, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 9/28).
WHAT IT MEANS: 3Com Marketing Manager Eric Sternberg said
the company, which sought national name ID from the deal, has
been featured in over 180 articles, received 40% more resumes,
and seen volume trading of stock increase "dramatically" (Michael
Hiestand, USA TODAY, 9/28).
