SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO —About 20 volunteers from South San Francisco biotech company Genentech gathered on Friday to give the "South San Francisco The Industrial City" sign a fresh coat of paint.
The landmark sign is on the side of San Bruno Mountain overlooking South San Francisco.
Painting the sign was not necesarily an easy job, according to Genentech's Ragnar Von Schiber.
"It is super steep (up here)," Von Schiber said. "Some of the angles here are 30 degrees, 50 degrees. We were slipping and sliding as we were trying to pain the sign."
However, Von Schiber said that navigating the steep hillside was worth it.
"The sign is iconic, right? You drive by it every day if you're going down 101," said Von Schiber. "It's been around since 1923. That's the same year that the Hollywood sign down in L.A. was done."
The painting project was part of an initiative at the company known as Genentech Gives Back Week where thousands of employees in the Bay Area and elsewhere get involved in volunteer projects.