CDW Corporation
Company: CDW Corporation, Vernon Hills, Illinois
Company Description: CDW®, ranked No. 347 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 Adobe, Apple, Cisco, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Sony, and Toshiba. CDW was founded in 1984 and employs approximately 4,300 coworkers. In 2005, the company generated net sales of approximately $6.3 billion.
Nomination Category: Company, Office & Product Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program
Nomination Title: Hurricane Katrina Relief
1. Tell the story about what this nominated company achieved in the past year (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:
Following Hurricane Katrina, CDW Corporation (CDW) responded to the devastation with outreach programs that capitalized on the corporate culture, partnership and technology capabilities of the 4,300-employee, $6.3 billion technology solutions provider. Committed to serving not only customers affected by the hurricane but also citizens of Gulf Coast region, CDW’s fund and food drives, technology equipment and solutions donations, and additional volunteer efforts resulted in contributions of more than $1.8 million in cash, supplies and technology to help hurricane victims.
Reaching out to the communityCDW initiated employee fund drives for the American Red Cross, America’s Second Harvest, Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army. The company matched employee donations 4-to-1 for the first $100,000 raised and 1-to-1 for the second $100,000, totaling $632,628. CDW employees also voted to cancel the holiday party – the most anticipated company event of the year – and donate the $1 million earmarked for the event to relief efforts. CDW Chairman and CEO John Edwardson also presented the American Red Cross with a $250,000 donation.
In addition, CDW leveraged its relationships with vendor partners, recognizing that combined efforts would result in a more substantial, and faster, response to Gulf Coast families in need. To that end, CDW and AIT Worldwide Logistics, Inc. initiated two “Road Trip for Recovery” food drives. In partnership with America’s Second Harvest and Vernon Hills High School, CDW employees and community members filled an AIT Worldwide semi-tractor trailer, normally loaded with technology goods, with non-perishable food for hurricane victims. More than 16,000 pounds of food and supplies were collected and delivered to the Greater Chicago Food Depository for distribution to hurricane victims.
Additionally, CDW volunteers built the first Habitat for Humanity homes for hurricane victims, dubbed “houses in a box,” for the Gulf Coast region through the “Make a Difference Today” project, sponsored by the “Today” show, Warner Music Group, and Habitat for Humanity.
Providing Technology Services and Support CDW lent its technical expertise to the recovery effort. CDW employees volunteered to staff an American Red Cross call center, while CDW’s IT department helped the City of Chicago build its Hurricane Survivor Database by writing the code that enabled the city to process displaced survivors and coordinate offers of assistance.
Recognizing the need to help the government rebuild infrastructure in the devastated Gulf Coast region, CDW again leveraged its partnerships to dispatch a tractor trailer truck outfitted as a mobile command unit to Gulfport, Miss. CDW staffed the unit with technical specialists, and the truck (operated by Next Marketing and equipped with more than 50 laptops donated by HP and satellite-ready Internet connectivity) made the journey to the devastated region. For five weeks, the mobile command unit served as Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) law enforcement command center for more than 400 officers from 16 different law enforcement agencies. With satellite access, officials were able to collaborate with law enforcement and other government agencies and connect with agency databases to successfully clear 693 of the 781 missing persons cases assigned to the area.
2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:
Food Drive
http://newsroom.cdw.com/journalistinformation/communityinvolvement
/cr-09-29-05.html
http://newsroom.cdw.com/journalistinformation/communityinvolvement
/cr-09-27-05.html#food
Mobile Command Unit
http://newsroom.cdw.com/news-releases/news-release-09-26-05.html
http://newsroom.cdw.com/journalistinformation/communityinvolvement
/cr-09-27-05.html#truck
http://newsroom.cdw.com/journalistinformation/communityinvolvement
/hurr-journal.html
http://newsroom.cdw.com/journalistinformation/logosandphotos/photo
s-4.html
Media Coverage
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/09/
AR2005120901021.html
http://www.the-dispatch.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051121
/NEWS/511210333&SearchID=73239762024981
http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/dailyarchives.jhtml?article
Id=170102752
3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader of this nominated company:
Founded in 1984, CDW is a leading provider of technology products and services for business, government and education. Headquartered in Vernon Hills, Ill., CDW employs approximately 4,300 coworkers. A principal source of technology products and services including top name brands such as Adobe, APC, Apple, Cisco, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Sony, Symantec, Toshiba and ViewSonic, the company generated sales of $6.3 billion in 2005.