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Corporate Social Responsibility
News
4.11.2005 ET
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Xerox Aims to Give a Helping Hand to Nation's 'Most Deserving Small Business'
Companies join with designer Thom Filicia of 'Queer Eye' show to reward community-minded business with a complete office makeover
(CSRwire) STAMFORD, CT - Are you a small-business owner whose hands are tied
because your outdated office technology and environment are holding you
back? Yet when it comes to helping others, your arms are open wide?
If so, you have a chance to win a complete design and technology makeover
from Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) and Entrepreneur magazine.
Together, they're searching for the nation's "Most Deserving Small
Business" - one that's not only in dire need of an office makeover but
also is going beyond daily work to make a difference by volunteering time,
making donations or getting involved in the community.
The contest winner will receive an entirely redesigned office, including
state-of-the-art Xerox digital multifunction systems, software, color
printers and other services; professional office furniture from The HON
Company; and design services from Thom Filicia, interior design specialist
on NBC/Bravo's Emmy Award-winning show Queer Eye for the Straight
Guy.
"Small-businesses work so hard and have such big hearts. They're so busy
running the business they often don't have time to worry about their own
office design and technology needs," said Filicia. "We're going to give
one office a fantastic makeover to make it more productive, more beautiful
and functional, and more able to serve its customers and its community."
Filicia will work with the grand-prize winner to provide a more efficient
and colorful work space that fosters creativity and collaboration. He'll
also incorporate stylish new chairs, desks and storage solutions from The
HON Company. Offering consistent style, HON office furniture addresses
the needs of small businesses and is designed to be durable, affordable
and flexible to accommodate businesses as they grow. Meanwhile, workplace
experts at Xerox will assess and examine document technology and work
processes to uncover ways for the winning office to work smarter.
Based on the business' needs, Xerox will add color to the winning office's
documents through its Phaser®, WorkCentre® or WorkCentre® Pro office
color printing and multifunction systems. Like all businesses, small
offices can benefit by adding the value of color to their marketing
materials, proposals, invoices and other documents to attract new clients,
improve customer retention and increase response rates.
Last year, Xerox and Entrepreneur magazine's "Help! My Office is
Obsolete!" makeover contest results catapulted the winner - Mad Science of
Scottsdale, a children's science education company in Arizona - from a
"science experiment gone wrong" into a savvy, growth-oriented operation.
"The makeover made it possible for us to purchase a second Mad Science
territory - doubling our business," said Jack Hamlett, owner of Mad
Science. "Xerox helped us create new ways to work that can easily sustain
our continuous growth."
Companies entering this year's "Most Deserving Small Business" contest
must describe the technology and productivity challenges they encounter in
their current office environment. In addition, they will be evaluated on
special efforts they make to help their community - whether it's
sponsoring children's athletic teams, volunteering to help build homes or
distribute food, donating employee talent to solve a community problem, or
myriad other possibilities.
A panel of judges will select the contest winner and two runners-up. In
addition to Filicia, judges are Dan Holtshouse, knowledge management
expert at Xerox; Rieva Lesonsky, senior vice president and editorial
director of Entrepreneur magazine; Dave Burdakin, president of The
HON Company; and Stephen Jordan, vice president and executive director of
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Corporate Citizenship.
The first runner-up receives a Xerox WorkCentre color multifunction system
with an estimated retail value of at least $2,500. The second runner-up
receives a Xerox Phaser color network printer with an estimated retail
value of at least $800. Each runner-up and the winner receive a
three-year subscription to Entrepreneur magazine, and the
runners-up will receive a new office chair from The HON Company.
Complete contest rules and an entry form are available at www.mostdeservingbiz.com.
Entries must be submitted before June 30 by a full-time employee age 18 or
older of a continental U.S.-based company that has 10 to 50 full-time
employees and has been in business at least one year. One entry can be
submitted per company. Winners will be profiled in the November issue of
Entrepreneur magazine.
About Entrepreneur Media Inc.
To provide entrepreneurs with the relevant information they need to make
informed decisions and grow their businesses, Entrepreneur Media Inc.
offers a full range of products and services for companies. In addition
to hosting conferences and conducting custom publishing, Entrepreneur
Media Inc. publishes the following: Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur's Be
Your Own Boss, Entrepreneur.com, EntrepreneurPress.com, Freebks.com,
The Oasis Press, Entrepreneur's eBooks and Business Start-Up Guides.
About Xerox and Small Business
Along with its agents, dealers and reseller partners, Xerox works to help
small businesses turn modest investments in technology into big boosts in
productivity. The company offers a comprehensive line of software,
solutions and systems such as multifunction devices, printers, digital
copiers and fax machines to help offices communicate more effectively and
work more efficiently in both color and black-and-white. Details on Xerox
small-business solutions are available at www.xerox.com/office.
Media Contacts:
Shelly Dates, Xerox Corporation, 585-423-6178, shelly.dates@xerox.com
Jill Fairbanks, Text 100 for Xerox, 206-267-2016, jillf@text100.com
Lisa Murray, Entrepreneur, 949-622-5220, lmurray@entrepreneur.com
NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information on Xerox, visit www.xerox.com/news.
XEROX®, Phaser® and WorkCentre® are registered trademarks of XEROX
CORPORATION.
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