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SAN ANTONIO – A year ago, the city’s newest creative firm Blue Clover opened its stylish offices at 454 Soledad with a packed open house. At that time, president and CEO José B. Sena stated his goal to “become a leading branding firm in San Antonio.” Fast forward one year later to the firm’s One Year Anniversary Celebration on November 9, 2004 and signs that Blue Clover has far exceeded Sena’s goals were abundant:

• the anniversary celebration was held at the posh Red Berry Mansion, a 12,000- square-foot mansion on an 86-acre estate

• Sena personally welcomed all guests when they entered the mansion

• a letter of welcome from the Mayor of San Antonio greeted the guests in the program, thanking Blue Clover for its assistance establishing a professional soccer team in San Antonio

• Mitsu Yamazaki, the vice president of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation was the master of ceremonies

• A.J. Rodriguez (president of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber) and Dr. Susan Blackwood (ED of the San Antonio Sports Foundation) congratulated Sena and his team in remarks at the party

• more than 275 guests attended, including dignitaries such as the Texas Representative Joaquin Castro; San Antonio city manager Rolando Bono; San Antonio city councilmen Chip Haass and Julian Castro; Adriana Cruz, Marketing Manager for Economic Development and Tourism; Robert Peche, the vice president of Economic Development for the Spurs; and Chamber officials

• representatives from many of Blue Clover clients attended, including the mayor, city manager and head of Economic Development for the City of Seguin; the vice president of Yates Construction Company (a $2 billion international construction company); Obra Homes (homebuilder with communities in the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio and Houston); executives from Falcon International Bank of Laredo and San Antonio; Terramark Communities (real estate developer and construction enterprise based in Houston); HollyHills Development (based out of California) and Woodcrafters (a national cabinet and furniture manufacturing company out of Weslaco)

• guests were greeted in the mansion by a display of Blue Clover accomplishments in the mansion, then proceeded outside for the party on the banks of a 12-acre lake with cuisine catered by the RK Group

• guests enjoyed music by Maishea Latin jazz band and Manuel Vargas y su Mariachi Sangre Mexicana

• in keeping with the philosophy of Blue Clover, a color guard from Texas Military Institute (Sena’s alma mater) began the short program, followed by the national anthem sung by Monica Gonzalez and an invocation by Father Don Vaugh from St. Margaret Episcopal Church

• the anniversary party was featured by Express-News columnist Edmund Tijerina

The anniversary celebration started with all the invited guests receiving a very modern, full-color interactive invitation with an oven dial and the wording “Something’s cooking…..” that unfolded to an oven door and unfolded again to display a fancy birthday cake inside the oven with—what else—a single burning candle, and the specifics of the party. The anniversary celebration ended with guests receiving a remembrance from the Blue Clover team: t-shirts in all sizes marked with a large light switch and the wording “Make the Switch,” packaged in striking, Blue Clover branded, octagon boxes.

FIRM HISTORY: Sena spent many years on the client side of the business and felt that there was a missing link between what creative firms were offering clients as far as traditional marketing and the Internet. In the fall of 2003, he, Juan Barrera and Chris Gilbert formed a partnership and put together an extraordinary team of three other full-time creative and management professionals (including general manager Ryan Kelly and Senior Art Director Rikky Möller) with extensive traditional and multicultural marketing and Web-based communication experience from all over the world to form the fast moving ON and OFF-LINE BRANDING™ firm -- fusing Internet and traditional marketing/media. It provides highly creative and strategic integrated marketing communications to help clients maximize their brand potential with synergy.

The Blue Clover staff has already grown to include nine employees and is doubling its office space in a historic downtown building. Under the partners’ tutelage, Blue Clover has seen remarkable growth in its first year of business. It has secured and retained more than 40 local and national clients within this time period. Other clients for Blue Clover besides those listed above as party guests include American CityVista, American Sunrise, Border Media Partners, City of San Antonio, Chip Haass for Council, Gillespie Ford, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, HOLTCAT, Indatech, Julian Castro for Mayor, Mobius Partners, Moffit Homes, Pet Medical Center, Prevention Resource Center, Texas Lacrosse, Traffic Sports, Ueta, Inc., University of Texas at San Antonio, Worldport Logistics, and Zen Bar.

Blue Clover’s roster doesn’t only consist of paying clients. Blue Clover was chosen by Traffic Sports to design the official branding elements of the event, which include programs, banners, flyers, newspaper ads and billboards for the first ever World Cup soccer qualifying event held in San Antonio in June, 2004. Blue Clover donated $6,500 of its services, which included the design of the official crest for the Dominica MLS team for this record-making event.

Other gratis work underwritten taken by the Blue Clover team includes creative work for the MLS game website and program design (Colorado Rapid vs. New York MetroStars); the American Advertising Federation-San Antonio website; American Marketing Association website; brand development and website for Young Executives Club of San Antonio; design work for the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas; design work for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of San Antonio; and creative services for JOVEN.

More information on Blue Clover is available at (210) 223-5409, www.blueclover.com or info@blueclover.com.