2008-03-17 23:34:08 -

www.usbank.com - U.S. Bank will present an economic forecast to more than 250 business clients as part of its annual customer appreciation event on Monday, March 17 at 4:30 p.m. at the City Club in San Francisco.

Lon Hatamiya and Tapan Munroe will provide a panel discussion of economic events impacting the San Francisco and California

business community. Hatamiya is the former secretary of the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency, the state's primary promoter of economic development, job creation and business retention. He is also a member of the U.S. Bank local advisory board in Sacramento. Munroe is president of Munroe Consulting Inc., an economic consulting firm engaged in research and consulting support for business and public sector clients. Formerly the chief economist for PG&E, Munroe is a widely published author and frequent commentator on regional and national news programs.

New this year, U.S. Bank will present the inaugural U.S. Bank Shared Values Partner Award and a significant cash contribution to the charitable trust of Rogers Family Co. & JBR, Inc. in San Leandro, Calif., for its compassion in taking care of families in Mexican, Central American and African communities where their partner coffee growers and suppliers live and work.

"Their Coffee Family Community Aid projects are simply amazing," said Michael Walker, president of U.S. Bank in northern California. "The Rogers family has reinvested in these communities by building schools, teaching sustainable farming practices, providing health care and much more. In the past, the only option these farmers had was to sell to brokers who paid much less and did not reinvest with the farmers. Thanks to the work of the Rogers Family Charitable Trust, they are growing thriving communities and goodwill for American businesses worldwide."

The U.S. Bank Shared Values Partner Award is given to a business customer that exemplifies values shared by U.S. Bank, which include community involvement, employee empowerment and satisfaction, and customer service. A video of the work that the Rogers family does in these regions will be presented at the March 17 event.

The Rogers Family Company was founded in 1979 by Princeton University graduate and ex-Revlon executive Jon B. Rogers and his wife Barbara Rogers. The Rogers gambled and took a second mortgage on a home to purchase and eventually transform a small, bankrupt firm into what today collectively comprises one of the nation's leading wholesalers/roasters of branded gourmet coffee. The company is one of the nation's few remaining family-owned gourmet coffee roasters. The Rogers Family Company today supplies millions of pounds of coffee (including Fair Trade Certified) and tea each year to discriminating customers worldwide under various brands including the Organic Coffee Co., San Francisco Bay Premium Gourmet Coffee, Fairwinds Gourmet Coffee, AUDUBON COFFEE and Cafe Jerusalem. Visit www.rogersfamilyco.com.

U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), with $238 billion in assets, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the 6th largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 2,518 banking offices and 4,867 ATMs, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.

Media note:

This invitation only event is open to members of the news media.

U.S. Bank Media Relations
Teri Charest, 612-303-0732
teri.charest@usbank.com