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CDW's 'Small Business Reboot' Challenge Raises More Than $1 Million for Small Business Disaster Relief Fund

CDW's 'Small Business Reboot' Challenge Raises More Than $1 Million for Small Business Disaster Relief Fund

Published 05-10-06

Submitted by CDW

METAIRIE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 2006--

CDW and Louisiana Association of Business & Industry Teamed Up to
Drive Grant Fundraising for Gulf-Area Small Businesses, But More
Corporate Support is Needed

CDW Corporation (NASDAQ:CDWC) together with the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) today announced that donations from the company's grant fundraising effort, "Small Business Reboot," have resulted in more than $1 million being raised for the Small Business Disaster Relief Fund. Founded by the LABI, the Fund provides grants to help rebuild small businesses in the four states most affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita - Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

This morning, CDW presented a $350,000 check, representing a matching donation, to LABI. CDW's "Small Business Reboot" is a challenge-match program designed to encourage companies around the nation to contribute to the Fund to help small businesses. On top of CDW's initial outright donation of $350,000 in December, CDW matched the next $350,000 in other businesses' donations dollar-for-dollar, bringing the total small business grants available from the effort to more than $1 million. Since "Small Business Reboot's" launch in December, the initiative has helped more than 200 Gulf-Area-based small business companies rebuild their facilities and infrastructure.

CDW took a hands-on approach to helping the Gulf Coast after the hurricanes affected the region. Rather than having the company's annual holiday party in December, CDW coworkers voted to use the budget towards the Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts. Aside from funding the "Small Business Reboot" program, money from the company's canceled holiday party is being used to send company coworkers to the Gulf Region to provide hands-on help with relief efforts. CDW is in the midst of sending 80 coworkers over a four week period (April 23 to May 17) to the New Orleans area to help clear debris in St. Bernard Parish, which was completely devastated by flooding from Hurricane Katrina.

"In addition to donating food, technology and time to the Gulf region, we believed it was also important to provide grant money to help restart small businesses of the area, since they are the backbone of the American economy," said John Edwardson, chairman and chief executive officer of CDW. "At CDW, we believe in the power of small businesses. So we continue to urge other American corporations to join us in going beyond humanitarian relief to also help small businesses recover. By supporting these small businesses, we are honoring their everyday hard work and recognizing the critical role they play in a region's economic viability. There are enormous needs still unmet, but American corporations can collectively make an impact that will pay dividends for the entire nation down the road."

In the eight months since hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, the region remains beset by its shattered infrastructure and slow pace of recovery. There are still thousands of residents without homes and small business owners are impacted two-fold by overall economic issues that are currently affecting small business owners, such as increasing energy prices and costs of materials, as well as their own rebuilding efforts. To date, LABI has received over 5,000 applications from small businesses requesting grants and has received funding to award 200 grants totaling $1.5 million.

"We see an overwhelming need for financial support for small business owners, many of whom who lost both their businesses and their homes from these devastating storms," said Daniel Juneau, president of LABI. "CDW's 'Small Business Reboot' initiative provided tremendous monetary benefits to small businesses that are working hard to overcome the economic hardships they have endured over the past eight months. While the company's generosity has had a significant impact in supporting small business reconstruction efforts, we urge other American corporations to help in the cause."

According to LABI, the Small Business Disaster Relief Fund is the only grant program in the Gulf region actively supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Small Business Association, and the National Federation of Independent Business.

More information about CDW's "Small Business Reboot" is available at www.labi.org or www.cdw.com/reboot, including information on how businesses can donate to the "Small Business Reboot" campaign.

ABOUT CDW

CDW(R), ranked No. 343 on the FORTUNE 500, is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government and education. CDW is a principal source of technology products and services including top name brands such as Adobe, Apple, Cisco, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Sony, Symantec and Toshiba.

CDW was founded in 1984 and today employs approximately 4,350 coworkers. In 2005, the company generated sales of $6.3 billion. CDW's direct model offers one-on-one relationships with knowledgeable account managers; purchasing by telephone, fax, the company's award-winning CDW.com web site, customized CDW@work(TM) extranets, CDWG.com web site and macwarehouse.com web site; custom configured solutions and same day shipping; and pre- and post-sales technical support, with approximately 120 factory-trained and A+ certified technicians on staff.

ABOUT LABI

LABI was founded 30 years ago to serve as Louisiana's state chamber of commerce and manufacturing association. The member-supported organization's mission is to foster a climate for economic growth by championing the principles of the free enterprise system and representing the general interests of Louisiana's business community. With more than 3,500 members, of which more than 80 percent are small businesses, LABI is the state's premier business association. More information on LABI is available at www.labi.org.

CDW is a registered trademark and CDW@work is a trademark of CDW Corporation. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

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