OfficeMax Named “Outstanding Distributor” for Promoting Nonprofits That Employ Individuals Who Are Blind or Disabled

OfficeMax, a leading supplier of office supplies and services, announced that the Company has earned high marks from The Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled, an independent federal agency that administers the AbilityOne Program, and is being recognized as an “Outstanding Distributor” and an AbilityOne Top Seller. OfficeMax earned the honor for its ongoing commitment to promote products produced by authorized AbilityOne vendors to its government and business customers.

The AbilityOne Program helps thousands of people who are blind or have other severe disabilities find employment. The program coordinates with nonprofit organizations across the country to employ these individuals. AbilityOne products fulfill the required source provisions of the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act, the authorizing legislation for the AbilityOne Program. OfficeMax was the first commercial distributor to do $100 million in sales with AbilityOne. OfficeMax also offers AbilityOne products in its supply catalogs, including Pitt Plastics can liners and Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind wall clocks.

“OfficeMax has been a longtime avid supporter of the AbilityOne Program and was one of the first to embrace the Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act when it was enacted in 1938,” said Jim Durkin, executive vice president of North American sales for OfficeMax. “We are proud to receive this recognition and will continue to promote the contributions that Americans who are blind and severely disabled make to our society.”

This is the seventh award OfficeMax has earned in 2009 alone for exceptional customer service and for the Company’s commitment to helping customers achieve a better bottom line. To date, OfficeMax has received six industry awards for outstanding service, including Service Quality Measurement Group, Inc.’s (SQM) prestigious Highest Customer Satisfaction for the Call Center Award (“Highest Customer Satisfaction Award”) for the Retail industry, the 2009 Supplier of the Year award by the North American Steel Alliance, the 2009 University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) Service Excellence Supplier of the Year award, the Ariba Spend Management Excellence award in the Supplier Network Pioneer category, the 2009 Supply Partner of the Year award by Educational & Institutional Cooperative Purchasing (E&I), and the 2009 Corporate Partner of the Year award by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

The AbilityOne Program is the largest single source of employment opportunities for people who are blind or have other severe disabilities in the United States. The Committee determines which products and services purchased by the federal government must be procured from AbilityOne-participating nonprofit agencies; and it establishes fair market prices for these products and services, and subsequent revisions as appropriate. In assisting the federal government in expanding its AbilityOne procurement, the Committee has designated more than 400 authorized distributors. The Committee is comprised of 15 Presidential appointees, with 11 representing federal agencies and four serving as private citizens who are knowledgeable about the obstacles to employment of people who are blind or have other severe disabilities.