--Duncan honored for leading innovative corporate practices that foster a
diverse and inclusive workplace that impacts both the workforce and community
at OfficeMax --
NAPERVILLE, Ill., Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- OfficeMax®, a leading
provider in office supplies and services, is proud to announce that OfficeMax
Chairman and CEO Sam Duncan is a recipient of the 2009 CEO Diversity
Leadership Award presented by Diversity Best Practices, the pre-eminent
organization for promoting diversity in the workplace. Duncan was honored
along with seven other CEO winners at Diversity Best Practices' annual
Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Summit & Gala held in Washington, D.C.
"I am honored to receive recognition for a program that fosters personal
success through genuine opportunity," said Sam Duncan, Chairman and CEO of
OfficeMax. "We have worked hard to put programs and practices in place to
create a culture that honors, supports, and celebrates all talents and
backgrounds. We are proud of the rich and diverse talent that is helping to
make OfficeMax a top retailer and a great place to work."
Diversity Best Practices honored the executive leaders and their companies at
the organization's annual Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Summit & Gala in
Washington, D.C., on October 6, 2009. The celebration included the Gala Awards
Dinner plus the CEO Forum, where winners answered questions and shared best
practices on how CEOs embed diversity commitment and inclusion excellence
throughout all levels of their companies. The honorable Arne Duncan,
secretary for the United States department of education, presented the 2009
award to Sam Duncan.
"I am so proud of our 2009 awardees. These CEOs have shown a long-term
commitment and deep passion for diversity that proves out through excellent
corporate initiatives," says Carol Evans, who heads Diversity Best Practices.
"Our honorees possess exemplary leadership traits and serve as role models to
their communities and to our country. As we saw at our recent CEO Roundtable,
the impact that a CEO has on a company's culture is enormous and is key to
successful diversity and inclusion work."
OfficeMax promotes an inclusive culture that embraces the diversity of its
associates, business partners and customers. Currently, there is a focused
strategy to support our associates through training and mentoring programs as
well as associate resource groups. OfficeMax supports eight associate resource
groups, including the MochaMax (African American), YIP (Young Innovative
Professionals), OWL (OfficeMax Women Leaders) LGBT Council, OLE (Hispanic and
Latino), COPAA (Council of Pan-Asian Americans), MaxMoms (Parents),
MaxAbilities (People with Disabilities) OfficeMax has also greatly enhanced
its supplier diversity program and continues to develop business strategies
that move the diversity and inclusion efforts into our community.
About Diversity Best Practices
Diversity Best Practices (DBP) (www.diversitybestpractices.com), based in
Washington, D.C., is the pre-eminent organization for diversity-thought
leaders to share best practices and develop innovative solutions for culture
change. Through research, benchmarking, publications and events, DBP provides
its members with valued resources, information and strategies on how to
implement, grow, measure and create "first in class" diversity programs.
Diversity Best Practices is part of Working Mother Media, which is a division
of Bonnier Corporation.
For more information on the 2009 Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Summit &
Gala and the CEO Forum, visit www.diversitybestpractices.com.
About OfficeMax
OfficeMax Incorporated (NYSE: OMX) is a leader in both business-to- business
office products solutions and retail office products. The OfficeMax mission is
simple. We help our customers do their best work. The company provides office
supplies and paper, in-store print and document services through OfficeMax
ImPress®, technology products and solutions, and furniture to consumers and to
large, medium and small businesses. OfficeMax customers are served by more
than 30,000 associates through direct sales, catalogs, e-commerce and more
than 1,000 stores. To find the nearest OfficeMax, call 1-877-OFFICEMAX. For
more information, visit http://www.officemax.com/.
OfficeMax Media Contacts: OfficeMax Investor Contact:
William Bonner Jennifer Rook Mike Steele
630-864-6066 630-864-6057 630-864-6826
SOURCE OfficeMax
Media, William Bonner, +1-630-864-6066, or Jennifer Rook, +1-630-864-6057, or
Investors, Mike Steele, +1-630-864-6826, all of OfficeMax
