Armanino McKenna and Publisher Vintage Foster Announce New Strategic Media Consulting Practice

Armanino McKenna LLP ( www.amllp.com ), the largest accounting and business consulting firm based in California, today announced that it has joined forces with publishing veteran Vintage Foster to form Armanino McKenna Foster (AMF), a media consulting firm offering strategic communications and media services to businesses in California and nationally.

Foster leads AMF, which operates as a division of Armanino McKenna. AMF offers strategic brand development, marketing, advertising, public relations, media relations, crisis management and expert content services to clients in all areas of media and communications. Foster will also lead a number of other non-media related services such as professional recruitment and workforce diversity consulting.

Andy Armanino, managing partner of Armanino McKenna, states that Foster's track record of success as publisher and chief executive of two weekly business newspapers in the Bay Area, coupled with Armanino McKenna's business expertise, will provide AMF clients with innovative and effective communications support.

"We are thrilled to have Vintage join our team because his drive and business sense epitomize the culture of our own firm," says Armanino. "Vintage is actually a brand unto himself, and this was a wonderful opportunity to marry two powerful brands that will compliment and leverage each other's strengths. The result is a synergy and a catalyst that will allow businesses to more fully leverage and develop their own brands."

Foster, who was publisher and CEO of the East Bay Business Times from September 1999 through November 2003 as well as of the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal from December 2003 until now, commented that AMF will allow him the freedom and breadth to work side-by-side with clients in the areas of business he loves the most -- and to move more fully into the marketplace rather than reporting on it.

"I'm very pleased to have this opportunity to work with Armanino McKenna, which is one of the most dynamic consulting firms in the nation," says Foster. "I've known Andy and the partners in the firm for a number of years and have admired their entrepreneurial spirit and effectiveness in bringing new ideas to market."

History of Turnarounds

Foster's business track record includes the dramatic reinvigoration of several media-oriented businesses. Most recently, he led the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal to renewed profitability and record growth throughout his tenure there. At the East Bay Business Times, he achieved record success -- for three of his four years at the company, it was the fastest growing business journal in the nation.

Before coming to the Bay Area, Foster held reporting and editing positions of increasing responsibility at The Charlotte Observer and the Detroit Free Press. As a journalist, he earned many honors including being named in 1995 as one of the industry's 20 brightest stars under the age of 40. While in Charlotte, Foster was also the youngest plant manager, at 24, of a major daily newspaper.

Since his arrival in the Bay Area, Foster has emerged as both a business and civic leader. He serves on a number of the Bay Area's most influential boards, including Joint Venture Silicon Valley, the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Community Foundation of Silicon Valley, Wells Fargo Bay Area Advisory Council and the KB Homes affordable housing committee.

In 2001, Foster founded the East Bay Leadership Foundation (EBLF) and continues to work with the Foundation, serving as chairman of the board. The EBLF provides scholarships and mentoring to students who are economically disadvantaged in the communities of Oakland, Pittsburg, Vallejo, Richmond and San Jose and is supported by many of the region's largest corporations and professional organizations.

For more information about AMF, contact Lori Colvin at Armanino McKenna at 925.790.2736 and via e-mail at lori.colvin@amllp.com .

About Armanino McKenna LLP

Armanino McKenna LLP ( www.amllp.com ), the largest accounting and business-consulting firm based in California is a top 50 firm nationally. In 2006, it was the second fastest growing firm in the nation by revenue. Armanino McKenna's Information Technology practice is among the largest in the Western United States. The firm's client base includes waste management, manufacturing, distribution, healthcare organizations, technology companies and educational institutions. In the past three years, the firm established a risk management practice serving public companies and focusing on issues related to accounting reform, as well as a robust valuation and corporate tax practice in Silicon Valley. Armanino McKenna employs 260 professionals and staff. It operates from its headquarters in San Ramon, as well as offices in San Francisco and San Jose in Northern California and recently opened an office in Irvine in Southern California.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=549414 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=549418