Office Depot, Inc. Partners with Connecticut School District

Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ: ODP), a leading global provider of office products, services, and solutions, through its Office Depot and OfficeMax brands, today announced that education solution experts from its new “Committed to Learning” initiative are working with Wallingford Public Schools to design 10 kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classes, and to enable electronic collaboration with interactive touchscreens in classrooms across all grade levels.

The collaboration is part of a growing relationship between Office Depot and the Connecticut school district.

According to Dr. Salvatore Menzo, superintendent, Wallingford School District, the district found in Office Depot a partner that truly listens to their needs and provides guidance based on their students’ best interests.

“Wallingford Public Schools follow our town’s strict purchasing requirements and we find Office Depot time and time again not only offers the best prices and quality, but their education experts share our district’s student-centric mindset. Every process or product they recommend makes the most of our budget and creates the optimal learning environment for our students,” said Menzo.

Office Depot’s “Committed to Learning” initiative has led the company to convene a national team of education experts and partners across disciplines. In developing this team, the company continues to invest in district leaders and administrators in addition to key innovation partners. Beyond Office Depot’s internal team, the company is forging partnerships with thought leaders in the industry focused on “the whole child” in the areas of early literacy, cognitive computing, entrepreneurship, project-based learning, innovative learning spaces, and the integrated services for student leadership, parent engagement, professional development, and school branding.

“Many of the Office Depot education experts, such as the one working with Wallingford, are former educators,” said David Trudnowski, senior vice president adjacencies, growth and public sector strategy for Office Depot, Inc. “We understand the priorities and challenges school districts face while taking a holistic approach based upon their resources and requirements. Then, Office Depot recommends the most advantageous solutions in order to yield the greatest results for students.”

Most recently, Wallingford teachers and principals expressed dissatisfaction with the current technology used in classrooms. The devices were expensive to purchase and difficult to maintain as they required regular calibration, so many features were not fully utilized. Office Depot education experts recommended a better solution that made use of leading technology in the space: A new generation of touchscreen LED displays, which are easy-to-use and allow collaboration with up to 10 students simultaneously. To date, Office Depot has installed 40 of those devices and trained school IT associates and teachers so they will reap the most benefits from this innovative technology.

Simultaneously, as Wallingford sought to serve a growing student population, Office Depot advised administrators on the latest design concepts for eight new kindergarten and two pre-kindergarten classrooms.

Having worked with thousands of school districts for more than two decades, Office Depot has solidified a belief in the principles of equity, mastery and collaboration for successful student outcomes. Guided by those principles, the company made a “Committed to Learning,” its student-centric approach that maximizes district budgets while delivering solutions and education-sector expertise to meet the changing needs of students today.

Learn more about Office Depot’s education solutions today.

About Office Depot, Inc.

Office Depot, Inc. is a leading global provider of products, services, and solutions for every workplace – whether your workplace is an office, home, school or car.

Office Depot, Inc. is a resource and a catalyst to help customers work better. We are a single source for everything customers need to be more productive, including the latest technology, core office supplies, print and document services, business services, facilities products, furniture, and school essentials.

The company has annual sales of approximately $14 billion, employs approximately 49,000 associates, and serves consumers and businesses in 59 countries with approximately 1,800 retail stores, award-winning e-commerce sites and a dedicated business-to-business sales organization – all delivered through a global network of wholly owned operations, franchisees, licensees and alliance partners. The company operates under several banner brands including Office Depot, OfficeMax, Grand & Toy, and Viking. The company’s portfolio of exclusive product brands include TUL, Foray, Brenton Studio, Ativa, WorkPro, Realspace and HighMark.

Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global.

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