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Office Depot Expands "Office for the Environment"
Office Depot Expands "Office for the Environment"
Published 09-17-03
Submitted by Office Depot, Inc.
Office Depot's "Office for the Environment" is comprised of senior members of the organization representing all key operational functions, including marketing, merchandising, sales, global sourcing, law and communications. Elm will be responsible for coordinating the company's environmental activities.
Most recently, Elm was Principal Strategy Consultant for IBM Business Consulting Services' Global Forest & Paper Practice. In that role he worked with Office Depot to help develop the company's "Statement of Environmental Principles and Initiatives," as well as spearhead the company's outreach to the environmental community.
Specializing in environmental sustainability issues, Elm has been a consultant to the forest and paper industry as well as associated government institutions for more than a decade - advising clients on natural resource management and strategic business issues. A registered Professional Biologist, Elm is also an industry specialist in the application of ecosystem-based management and the conservation of biological diversity in production forests.
"The hiring of Tyler Elm reinforces Office Depot's commitment to developing the most comprehensive environmental program in the office products industry," noted Bruce Nelson, Chairman and CEO of Office Depot. "His combination of experience and qualifications adds exceptional perspective to our existing team, and will help us implement environmental initiatives that are not only meaningful but measurable as well."
According to Nelson, Elm's responsibilities will include:
"It is essential that companies integrate conservation objectives into their policies and actions. Office Depot has taken an important positive step in creating an environmental affairs program, to be directed by Tyler Elm, who has substantial expertise in forest conservation and sustainable wood fiber production," said Justin Ward, Senior Director, Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries at Conservation International's Center for Environmental Leadership in Business. "We at Conservation International look forward to working with Tyler and others at Office Depot on collaborative projects that benefit both biodiversity and business operations."
Dennis Grossman, Vice President for Science at NatureServe added: "Tyler Elm has demonstrated a serious commitment to fulfilling Office Depot's rare and vulnerable forest policy. He has constructively engaged NatureServe to advance our common goals of responsible forest stewardship and biodiversity protection through the development and implementation of data, services, tools and training for the forest industry. As a result of our interactions with Mr. Elm, we look forward to a long-term productive relationship with Office Depot."
Commenting on the hire, Fran Raymond Price of The Nature Conservancy said: "This represents an important step for Office Depot in working towards environmental sustainability and supporting sound forest practices."
"As a member of the Forest Practices Board, Tyler is valued for his diverse skills, innovative ideas and strong commitment to environmental stewardship," noted Liz Osborn, Acting Chair. "His contributions to the board's work of promoting sound forest practices in British Columbia are invaluable."
Elm's other associations and memberships include: the Association of Professional Biologists of British Columbia and Member of the British Columbia Council of Administrative Tribunals.
Elm holds a number of degrees, including: M.B.A. (University of British Columbia), M.R.M. (Simon Fraser University) and B. Sc. (Simon Fraser University). While undertaking his M.B.A., for example, Elm examined the industry structure and market forces promoting environmental forest certification and the shift in resource policy to ecosystem-based management during the 1990s. His graduate research at Simon Fraser University's School of Resource and Environmental Management focused on methods for conserving biodiversity and ecological values in production forests.
About Office Depot
With annual sales of nearly $13 billion, no one sells more office products to more customers in more countries than Office Depot. The company, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, FL, conducts business in 22 countries and employs nearly 50,000 people worldwide.
Office Depot is an industry leader in every distribution channel - from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. The company is the world's number two online retailer - on target to generate $2.5B in sales for FY/03. In North America, Office Depot has more than 870 retail stores in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 24 delivery centers, more than 60 local sales offices and 13 regional call centers. The company's common stock is traded 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: mediarelations.officedepot.com.
Office Depot, Inc.
Office Depot, Inc.
Office Depot provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company. Incorporated in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla., Office Depot has annual sales of nearly $15 billion, and employs approximately 50,000 associates around the world. Currently, the Company sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 42 countries. Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel -- from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. Office Depot serves a wide range of customers through a dedicated sales force, telephone account managers, direct mail offerings, and multiple web sites.
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