Eclipse Aviation Signs Citigate Cunningham as Jet Manufacturer's Agency of Record; Firm to Promote Roll Out of Revolutionary New Aircraft

Business Wire,  June 25, 2002  

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Business Editors

Eclipse Aviation -- a company driving technological and aeronautical breakthroughs to create a revolutionary new low-cost jet aircraft -- has selected Citigate Cunningham as its public relations agency-of-record. Citigate Cunningham, a subsidiary of London-based Incepta Group PLC, will provide strategic communication counsel, global media relations, special event programming and support, as well as positioning services.

"We are preparing to debut our company's first flight test aircraft, which will enable the emerging air-taxi industry to become a reality," said Vern Raburn, CEO and president of Eclipse Aviation. "We selected Citigate Cunningham because of the agency's impressive track record and deep experience building new, revolutionary markets that are inspired by paradigm-shifting products like the Eclipse jet." The Eclipse 500, first in the company's line of small, highly-efficient aircraft, is a twin-engine jet, with six-passenger capacity, and is projected to sell for $837,500 when commercial delivery begins in 2004.

The Eclipse Aviation account team will be led by Kathleen Bowden, a managing director at Citigate Cunningham and 15-year high-technology and consumer public relations veteran who has helped build leadership positions for such world-class brands as Motorola, Sears, Sun Microsystems, IBM and Eastman Kodak. Also playing a leading role on the account will be account director Robert Keosheyan, and members of the Citigate Cunningham Momentum Research and Consulting Group, headed by Jay Shutter. Agency founder and CEO Ms. Andy Cunningham, a long-time aviation enthusiast whose husband is a licensed pilot, also will serve a strategic role on the account. The Eclipse account will be serviced primarily out of the Citigate Cunningham Austin office with additional support from offices in Cambridge, Mass.

"During my 20 years in Silicon Valley, I have watched innovation and entrepreneurial vision power the growth of the high-tech industry. I started my company because I believed we could change the way the world viewed public relations, and I'm drawn to clients who are catalysts for change in their industries. Eclipse definitely fits into that `change the world' category. It's a beautiful example of how one company can take passion and the spirit of innovation and apply it to a market that has grown somewhat stagnant. Eclipse is doing something that will completely transform the future of aviation, and we're thrilled to be a part of it," said Cunningham.

About Eclipse

Eclipse Aviation is in the business of designing, certifying and producing modern, affordable jet aircraft that will revolutionize the transportation market. The company is applying revolutionary propulsion, manufacturing and electronics systems to produce aircraft that cost less than a third of today's small jet aircraft, will be significantly safer and easier to operate than those of today, and have the lowest cost of ownership ever achieved in a jet aircraft.

The goal of Eclipse is to bring the word "personal" into aviation, making it possible for commercial air passengers to move directly between cities on a quick, affordable and convenient basis. It will also allow pilot owners to enter the world of jet-powered aviation. Contact Eclipse at http://www.eclipseaviation.com.

The Eclipse story was recently chronicled in the best-selling and controversial book, Free Flight: From Airline Hell to a New Age of Travel, by James Fallows, national correspondent for The Atlantic Monthly. Contact Eclipse at www.eclipseaviation.com.

About Citigate Cunningham

Citigate Cunningham is a strategic communication firm that builds leadership positions for companies in dynamic markets. Citigate Cunningham's commitment to use communication strategies to advance business goals has set it apart, and built the agency's reputation as the premier player in the high-technology industry, one of the world's most dynamic markets. Driven by its respected Momentum Management(TM) approach to building leadership, the firm delivers unparalleled Strategic Public Relations, Positioning and Research services to leading companies worldwide.

In business since 1985, Citigate Cunningham is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Incepta Group plc and a technology cornerstone of the worldwide Citigate marketing team. To learn more, please visit, www.citigatecunningham.com.

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