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Tech Firm's San Francisco Move Boosts Mayor Lee's Branding Push

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS/AP) -- San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee's effort to brand the city as the world's high-tech capital is getting a boost as cloud-computing company Riverbed Technology Inc. announced its new downtown headquarters.

The mayor said Monday the company's move to the renovated space could bring more than 600 new tech jobs to the city.

"This additional new space has a total of about 168,000 square feet that will allow Riverbed to grow," Lee said.

KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:

Riverbed plans to move into its new offices in the South of Market neighborhood in 2014. It has signed a 10-year lease to a five-story building at 680 Folsom Street.

CEO Jerry Kennelly describes Riverbed as an industrial strength network technology company; the kind that's more likely to be based in Silicon Valley.

However, he wanted to set up shop in San Francisco when the company started 10 years ago and his business commitment to the city hasn't wavered.

"We're starting our second decade here in the city and hopefully for a long time to come," he said.

Since his successful effort last year to persuade Twitter Inc. to stay in San Francisco, Lee has cultivated an image as a tech-friendly politician eager to present the city as a Silicon Valley alternative.

The city's 7.6-percent unemployment rate is below the national average, helped by its thriving tech scene.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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