Company: Staples, Framingham, MA
Company Description: Staples, Inc. is the world's largest office products retailer. With 2003 sales of $13 billion, Staples serves customers in 19 countries throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Headquartered outside of Boston, Staples operates approximately 1,600 office superstores and also serves its customers through mail order catalog, e-commerce and contract businesses.
Nomination Category: Company, Office & Product Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Overall Company

Nomination Title: 2004- Greatest Year in Staples’ History

   1. Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved in 2004 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

2004 was an exciting year for the Staples brand.  The year began with the launch
of Staples’ very first Super Bowl commercial.  Staples ended its quest for the next
great office product when they announced the winner of Invention Quest. A
customer invented a product called the WordLock, a combination lock that uses
letters to form a word instead of numbers.  The product will be sold in stores in
2005 under the Staples brand name.  Staples launched a new Staples branded
product, the first of many new products, the Staples One-Touch stapler. It staples
through 20 sheets of paper with a simple touch of a finger.

In 2004 Staples initiated its first-ever cash dividend and commence stock
repurchase program, the launch of Easy Rebates, an online and paperless rebate
submission process, Staples hosted an online charity auction on Staples.com of
celebrity autographed staplers that received national media coverage.

Staples continued its company-wide commitment to protect and preserve natural
resources through sustainable business practices. This commitment covers four
major areas or cornerstones: the purchase and promotion of products containing
post-consumer recycled materials; recycling initiatives; energy conservation and
renewable power procurement; and environmental education for associates and
customers. The Staples Recycle for Education program which gives $1.00 to
schools and education charities across the country for recycling printer
cartridges, raised almost $1 million dollars in 2004. Staples recycled thousands of cell phones, PDAs, pagers, chargers and rechargeable batteries by enabling
customers to drop off these used electronics in all its nearly 1,200 stores in the
U.S

In 2004, BusinessWeek ranked Staples # 39 in their top 50 companies
who stand out for their endless quest to serve customers and Business Ethics
Magazine ranked Staples #47 in its Best Corporate Citizens issue.  Fortune
magazine ranked Staples as one of America’s Most Admired Companies in 2004.

There is fierce competition in this retail category and Staples keeps
finishing at the top and differentiating itself from competitors. With a
combination of listening to customers to give them what they want, standing behind their Easy Brand Promise and building relationships in the communities where they do business, Staples will continue to grow for years to come.  

   2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: List each link on a separate line, begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.website.com]:

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050224005307&newsLang=en

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=PR_96244&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=652935

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=PR_96244&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=642107

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=PR_96244&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=503939

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=PR_96244&script=460&layout=-6&item_id=487022

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=PR_96244&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=641306

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/dec2004/nf2004123_9787.htm

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=PR_96244&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=643573

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=PR_96244&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=622514

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=PR_96244&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=621349

http://www.bgca.org/news/2004092804_staples.asp

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6630052/

http://money.cnn.com/2004/11/12/news/newsmakers/staples/

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/mike_langberg/
10438389.htm

   3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:

Ron Sargent, chief executive officer of Staples, has been with the company for 15
years and is a member of Staples' board of directors.  He has held a variety of
executive positions, including president and chief operating officer, where he was
responsible for Staples' worldwide operations, retail superstores, Staples delivery
business, the company's supply chain management, merchandising and
marketing initiatives.