Self-Bailout Plan Features a Contest with over $1 Million in Prizes for Small Businesses, New Website with Expert Advice, Weekly Webisode and More
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 1, 2009--
Office Depot (NYSE:ODP), a leading global provider of office products
and services, today announced the launch of the “Small
Business Self-Bailout Plan,” a one-of-a-kind program that provides
small businesses with the tools, resources and support they need to help
their business not only survive, but thrive in this current economic
downturn. Office Depot is committed to doing everything it can to help
small businesses during these tough times.
As part of its “Small
Business Self-Bailout Plan,” Office Depot created “The
Survival of the Smartest” website (www.thesurvivalofthesmartest.com),
a new online resource dedicated entirely to small businesses.
TheSurvivaloftheSmartest.com features a variety of smart
solutions, including weekly
videos with smart tips, special product and service offers, small
business resource tools and promotions specifically for small
businesses, plus expert advice from USAToday.com
small business columnist and author, Steve Strauss.
Over
$1 Million In Prizes For Small Business
Beginning June 1, Office Depot is conducting a search for the nation’s
best and smartest small businesses in the country. The “Office
Depot Adopt a Small Business Contest” will recognize 500 small
businesses nationwide for their smart survival strategies and award them
each with a $1,300 Office Depot Gift Card, tech support for a year from
Office Depot’s Tech Depot Services, and copy, print and ship services
from Office Depot’s Design, Print, and Ship center with a total prize
value of over $2,000. To enter, a small business can upload an original
two-minute video that explains the smart things their business is doing
to survive these challenging times. Visit Office
Rules for official rules and regulations.
“Office Depot understands the challenges that small business owners are
facing and we are here to provide smart solutions and support that will
not only help them to weather the storm, but to emerge prosperous,” said
Jeff Herbert, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Office Depot. “The
Office Depot Small Business Self-Bailout Plan is designed to give
small business owners access to smart advice, solutions and resources
that are relevant to their business during this unique economic time we
are all experiencing.”
The
Survival Of The Smartest Hub
The Survival of the Smartest online Hub (www.TheSurvivalofTheSmartest.com)
is the central location for accessing all elements of the Office Depot
“Small Business Self-Bailout Plan.” The online Hub contains a
series of resource tools and content relevant to small business such
as tips on how to connect your wireless network, how to save money while
greening your office, optimizing your computer, help with information
security and more.
TheSurvivalofTheSmartest.com
also serves as the gathering place for special promotions geared
specifically for small business, including the new “Adopt
a Small Business Contest.” Plus, Steve Strauss, one of the country’s
most-renowned small business experts, will contribute regular columns
and insights to the Hub.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this innovative program because small
businesses are an extremely dynamic part of the U.S. economy,” said USAToday.com
columnist and Office Depot small business expert Steve Strauss. “It’s
great to see retailers like Office Depot stepping up to provide
assistance and smart survival strategies to small businesses, giving
them the means to succeed and continue to be the engine that drives the
U.S. economy.”
Visitors to The Survival of the Smartest online hub (www.thesurvivalofthesmartest.com)
will also get to experience “Smart
Specials with Matt and Matt,” an entertaining, humorous weekly video
series showcasing information, products and special Office Depot deals
specifically for small business. In addition, up-to-date news for small
business is provided through feeds from small business websites and
blogs such as Duct Tape Marketing, Startup Nation, MrAllBiz.com,
SmallBizTrends.com and more.
For more information, please visit www.thesurvivalofthesmartest.com.
For Office Depot store locations, please click on Office
Depot: Your Local Office Supply Store to find locations near you.
About Office Depot
Every day, Office Depot is Taking Care of Business for millions of
customers around the globe. For the local corner store as well as
Fortune 500 companies, Office Depot provides products and services to
its customers through 1,604 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales
force, top-rated catalogs and a $4.6 billion e-commerce operation.
Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $14.5 billion, and
employs about 42,000 associates around the world. The Company provides
more office products and services to more customers in more countries
than any other company, and currently sells to customers directly or
through affiliates in 48 countries.
Office Depot’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional
press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.
Source: Office Depot
Office Depot
Jason Shockley, 561-438-0037
jason.shockley@officedepot.com
or
Mindy
Kramer, 561-438-4276
mindy.kramer@officedepot.com
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