HOW THE PARK BECAME A MONSTER Bay Area Consumer Electronics Manufacturer, Monster Cable (R), Renames San Francisco 49ers Stadium Who is Monster (R)? Monster (R) is an American business success story. Founded by native San Franciscan Noel Lee, Monster (R) is a San Francisco Bay Area icon and an inspiration for entrepreneurs worldwide. Every day in the town of Brisbane, just south of San Francisco, over seven hundred people get together at Monster Cable Products, Inc. with a vision to make a difference in the world of consumer electronics by building the highest quality electronic products and accessories for its customers. Started in a garage in 1978 with no money, Noel Lee had a vision and a passion for music and music reproduction. In search for new ways to make music playback sound better, he created his first speaker cable product in his small flat at 16th Avenue and Lake Street in San Francisco. With an uncompromising work ethic, innovative ideas, and a team of hard working "Monsters" at his side, Noel Lee, "The Head Monster," made Monster (R) one of the most famous brand names in consumer electronics. Monster (R) is the ideal company to represent San Francisco and the 49ers in the renaming of Candlestick Park. San Francisco is the melting pot of the West Coast, representing opportunity for American residents and immigrants. The son of immigrant parents who came to America looking to start a family, Noel Lee was conceived in China and born in San Francisco on Dec 25th, 1948. This was indeed a fortuitous day for the many people he would eventually employ in the 25-year history of creating Monster (R) products. Monster (R) ranks high amongst privately owned companies. Still 100 percent owned by its founder, Monster (R) is the largest employer in Brisbane, the largest minority owned company, and the largest privately owned manufacturer in both San Mateo and San Francisco Counties. As a technology based leader, Monster (R) is the largest privately-held US and international patent recipient in the San Francisco Bay Area. Perhaps the biggest synergy between Monster (R), the City of San Francisco and the 49ers is the company culture. "Monster" not only represents a famous brand, but a "Culture" that permeates the company. When we say I am a Monster it means be the best at what you do, be a winner and be number one. Thatıs what Monster (R) hopes to share with 49ers fans and players, as well as all of the citizens of the San Francisco Bay Area. Monster (R) greatly appreciates the opportunity to give back to the City that has provided support for the companyıs efforts throughout the years. With part of the funds going to the Recreation and Parks Department, the Monster (R) has found a way to help their fellow San Franciscans while sharing their slice of the American dream with the rest of the world. What does Monster (R) do? With the explosion of high-quality audio, video and home theater, Monster (R) specialty cables and power products are the preferred connection between electronic components for millions of consumers worldwide. Probably best known its Monster Cable (R) and Monster Power (R) products, Monster (R) makes over 4000 products under brand names including Monster Game (tm), Monster Performance Car (tm), Monster PowerCells (tm), Monster Music (tm), Monster Mobile (tm) and Monster Mints (tm). Monster (R) has a huge San Francisco Bay Area following, as it is one of Monsterıs most successful markets. If youıve bought an electronic product within the past 10 years, you probably already own a Monster Cable (R) and quite possibly a Monster PowerCenter (tm). Monster (R) products can be found in almost all retailers of consumer and professional electronics‹from local retailers including the Good Guys!, Fryıs Electronics, Andersenıs TV to large national chains such as Best Buy, Circuit City, RadioShack, Apple stores, CompUSA, Tweeter and Guitar Center. Even national mass-market retailers like Target and Sears proudly sell Monster (R) products as their "top of the line" range of consumer electronics products. With operations in Europe and Asia in over 100 countries, Monsterıs reach is worldwide. MONSTER (R) GOALS FOR THE NAMING OF MONSTER PARK (tm) 1 To give back to the City of San Francisco 2 To align two winning teams‹Monster (R) and the 49ers‹as two Bay Area entities striving to be number one, year in and year out 3 To develop relationships with other San Francisco Bay Area companies 4 To spread "Monster Attitude" and the ability for one to be the best at what they do 5 To provide a really cool name for the citizens of the San Francisco Bay Area and fans of the 49ers to rally around 6 To thank San Francisco Bay Area Monster (R) Fans for their enthusiasm and support 7 To recognize the achievements of minority businesses 8 To be associated with the great game of football and the NFL 9 To develop relationships with local and national press 10 To provide recognition for all of the Monster (R) brands FACTS ABOUT THE HEAD MONSTER, NOEL LEE 1 Avid music fan, especially jazz 2 Recognized in the business community: Awarded Northern California Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Ernst and Young, Distinguished Corporate Executive Award from the Asian Business League of San Francisco, and the Small Business Owner of the Year from the San Francisco Small Business Network 3 Loves cars and always drives the speed limit 4 Favorite instrument: Piano 5 Favorite movie: The Godfather 6 Favorite artist of all time: Miles Davis 7 Favorite local artist: Tower of Power 8 Lives in Las Vegas and the San Francisco Bay Area 9 All 26 family members live in the Bay Area 10 Number one son, Kevin Lee works in the business and heads up Monsterıs new line of home theater furniture and sound systems, M*Design (tm) 11 Favorite pastime: Hanging with his favorite music artists and going to concerts 12 Work ethic: 24/7; sleep when youıre dead 13 Drives his company crazy crafting new ideas and forging new frontiers 14 The son of proud Monster Mom Sarah Lee who still lives in the Richmond district REASONS WHY MONSTER (R), MONSTER PARK (tm) AND THE 49ERS IS A GREAT IDEA 1 Monster (R) is a San Francisco-based company founded by a native San Franciscan on 16th Avenue and Lake Street 2 Monster (R) has created thousands of jobs for San Francisco Bay Area citizens 3 Monster (R) is a minority owned business, which represents a majority of San Francisco businesses also minority owned 4 The Head Monster is an entrepreneur and owner of his own business, like thousands of other small businesses in San Francisco 5 Monster (R) represents small business, not corporate big business 6 "Monster Culture" and "Monster Attitude" fit that of the 49ers 7 Monster (R) has established leadership of being number one in their line of business for over 25 years 8 Monster (R) has a great reputation to represent San Francisco, as Monster products are known to be "best in class" in every category 9 Monster (R) is a brand that is known nationally as well as internationally 10 Monster (R) has done the impossible by maintaining market leadership for 25 years, just like the 49ers with five Superbowl championship wins 11 Monster (R) is headquartered in Brisbane, California, three miles from Monster Park (tm) 12 Monster (R) has represented the Bay Area as the winner of Ernst & Youngıs Northern California Entrepreneur of the Year, Distinguished Corporate Executive from the Asian Business League of San Francisco, Small Business Owner of the Year Award from the San Francisco Small Business Network, Supplier of the Year from The Evolution Group 13 There are several hundred thousand Monster (R) fans in the Bay Area and throughout the country who already own Monster (R) products such as Monster Cable (R) and Monster Power (R) in their homes and cars 14 Monster (R) can be found in nearly every consumer electronics retailer in the Bay Area including Good Guys!, Circuit City, Best Buy, RadioShack, Fryıs Electronics, Guitar Center, Target and Sears as well as specialty retailers like Andersenıs TV Read on to find out more about the Monster (R) brand, the Monsters, and their charismatic leader Noel Lee, The Head Monster. Embrace what it means to be a Monster and how the 49ers and Monster Park (tm) will inspire everyone to be the best. A S.F. BAY AREA SUCCESS STORY Monster Cable Products, Inc. was born in a garage in 1978, in a flat on 16th Avenue and Lake Street. With just a handful of loyal employees, Noel Lee bootstrapped the company that would be known throughout the consumer electronics and music industries twenty-five years later as the "best" in what they do. The title on Noel Leeıs business card reads, "The Head Monster", illustrating the companyıs "out-of-the-box" thinking and culture that has catapulted it to success. Growing up in the San Francisco educational system, the future Head Monster went to Roosevelt Middle School and George Washington High School. He began his college education at San Francisco City College, then went on to graduate from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California with an engineering degree. After graduation, Noel Lee started work as a laser fusion engineer at San Francisco Bay Areaıs Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. But his true passion was music and audio, so when his local band Asian Wood got a chance to go on world tour he quit his secure lab job and headed off to follow his dream of being a musician. Unfortunately, the band went bust and Noel Lee came home wondering what to do next. Fortunately for the San Francisco Bay Area, he followed another dream‹his love for audio. By experimenting with different types and methods of winding speaker wire, Noel Lee heard improvements in the sound from his loudspeakers. Though his engineer friends thought he was crazy, his ears proved him right. His first product, Monster Cable (R), was born and became a hit with professional musicians, recording engineers and music lovers alike. Building a better mousetrap was a part of The Head Monsterıs dream, as the 4000 Monster (R) products and 200 patents attest. Equally important was the task of crafting a company that would maintain its number one industry position for 25 years while gaining the respect of its customers, partners, competitors and loyal users of Monster (R) brand products. Named Northern California Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, Distinguished Corporate Executive from the Asian Business League of San Francisco, Small Business Owner of the Year by the San Francisco Small Business Network, and Supplier of the Year by The Evolution Group, Noel Lee has set his sights on sharing his passion for business excellence with the people of the San Francisco Bay Area and the rest of the country by forging an association with the only team to win five Superbowls, The 49ersı long history of passion and excellence is greatly respected throughout Monster (R), and no better synergy exists between any sports franchise and corporate sponsor. The 49ers have a most Monsterous attitude, as do the Monsters who root for them on Sundays. The 49ers faithful are by all measure, just as passionate about their team as any fans in the NFL. A MONSTEROUS IMPACT ON THE S.F. BAY AREA Besides being the largest employer in Brisbane, Monster (R) is also one of the top five largest minority owned companies in the Bay Area in both number of employees and revenue. The company is also one of the top 50 largest privately owned companies of any kind in the Bay Area in terms of revenue. Monster (R) actively recruits from San Franciscoıs welfare-to-work program, as well as internally hiring Monster (R) family members to promote a sense of community and security. Over 95 percent of Monsterıs 700+ employees live in the Bay Area and work at the Brisbane campus. Nearly 80 percent of the employees who work at the Brisbane campus live in San Francisco proper. Others live in the immediate vicinity, such as South San Francisco, Daly City and San Bruno. Monster (R) offers employee benefits to ease the commute. Monsterous Company Facts * Monster (R) occupies three buildings in Brisbane totaling 400,000 square feet, with more than 700 employees * The first Monster (R) employee is still working at the company 25 years later as head of payroll services * In addition to the corporate office, manufacturing center and distribution space in California, Monster (R) has offices near Las Vegas, Dublin, Amsterdam, Paris, London and Frankfurt, plus large distribution centers in Nevada and the Netherlands * Monster (R) products are sold in over 100 countries and 12,000 retail storefronts in North America including Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, The Good Guys, RadioShack, Tweeter, Ultimate Electronics, Sears, and Target. * Monster (R) products are used by top musicians, fondly known as Famous Monsters, all over the world over including: The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, BB King, Jennifer Lopez, Van Halen, Metallica, Bruce Springsteen, George Benson, Earth Wind & Fire, Matchbox 20, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Brittney Spears and many, many more * Many hit albums and movies are recorded in studios completely wired with Monster Cable (R) and powered by Monster Power (R) * Monster (R) also sponsors racing through the Racerıs Group and has won races at Daytona and LeMans * Each year Monster (R) brings music to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada‹past performances have included The Head Monsterıs favorite artists such as Boz Scaggs, Tower of Power, George Benson, James Brown, BB King, Ray Charles, Earth, Wind & Fire, Crosby, Stills & Nash and most recently, Carlos Santana and Kool & The Gang MONSTEROUS INNOVATION With more than 200 patents awarded and 30 more pending, Monster (R) is one of the top 25 patent holders of all Bay Area companies. Monster (R) also has over 300 trademarks. In addition, Monster (R) is now the exclusive manufacturer of cables carrying certification by local San Francisco Bay Area company THX Ltd. (formerly a division of Lucasfilm, Ltd.), and sits on the DVD-Audio forum headed by San Francisco company, Dolby Labs. ABOUT MONSTER (R) BRAND PRODUCTS Monster (R) is known to millions of audio, video, car, photo, computer, movie and music enthusiasts as the company that makes their electronics work better. Since the first Monster (R) cable was born 25 years ago, a following has been created with recording engineers and professional musician who mix and master many of todayıs biggest hits in studios completely wired with Monster Cable (R) and powered by Monster Power (R) (visit: www.MonsterCable.com/TwentyFive). Monster (R) products are now used in over 4,000 items including speakers, subwoofers, furniture, camera bags, cell phone headsets, rechargeable and single-use batteries, power line conditioners, voltage stabilizers, surge protectors and every kind of cable imaginable all with a single focus‹to help home theater, music and photography enthusiasts get all the performance they paid for. (tm) Explore the world of Monster (R) at www.MonsterCable.com and www.MDesignLife.com MORE FUN FACTS ABOUT MONSTER (R) * Bosnian, Spanish, Cambodian, Mandarin, Cantonese, English and Taglog are some of the many languages spoken at Monster (R) * For almost twenty years, every single Monster (R) product was made-to-order with not one piece of finished goods inventory sitting "in stock"; today Monster (R) has many assembly lines, but all products are still hand-soldered and hand packed * All Monster (R) conference rooms are named after legendary monsters (i.e. King Kong, Dracula, Chewbacca, etc.) * Monster (R) computer servers are also named after monsters (i.e. "HAL 9000" from 2001 a Space Odyssey, The Blob, etc.) * Monster (R) is thanked in the ending movie credits for Star Trek IV and in Michael Jacksonıs "History" album liner notes (plus many others) * The Head Monster has a 400 gallon aquarium in his office * Monsters at the Monster (R) campus drink the Bay Areaıs own Peetıs Coffee * Hamer Guitarsı "Artist Ultimate" series are internally wired with Monster Cable (R) * All new Monster employees are taught "Monster Mottos & Concepts" when hired, and that being a Monster is an attitude that means being the best at what you do * Monster (R) now makes "Spicy" and "Intensely Spicy" Monster Mints (tm); the formula was chosen by The Head Monster after discarding 50 "first attempts"