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Kathy Ireland and Maya Angelou Join Lineup for Office Depot’s Fifth Annual Success Strategies for Businesswomen Conference


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DELRAY BEACH, FL -- Jan. 18, 2005 -- Office Depot (NYSE:ODP) today announced the addition of Kathy Ireland, Chief Designer and CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide (KIWW) and Dr. Maya Angelou, Poet, Author, Educator, Activist and Renaissance Woman, as featured keynote presenters for Office Depot’s fifth annual Success Strategies for Businesswomen Conference--Connectivity: People. Ideas. Opportunities. Angelou will be the opening keynote presenter on Sunday evening February 27, and Ireland will be the keynote presenter at the closing Inspirational Luncheon on Tuesday, March 1. At this year’s event, Barbara Walters, ABC News Correspondent and Emmy-Award Winning Co-Host and Co-Executive Producer of “The View”, will be the keynote presenter on Monday afternoon, February 28.


Office Depot’s Success Strategies for Businesswomen Conference will be held February 27-March 1, 2005 at the Boca Resort & Club in Boca Raton, Florida. The Conference is recognized as one of the nation’s most prominent and significant events offered annually to female small business owners. It is open to the public, but limited to the first 1,000 registrants. Those interested in registering may do so online at http://www.officedepotsuccess.com or by calling 1-888-475-3344. The cost to attend the three-day conference is $554.

Kathy Ireland began her career as a supermodel appearing on covers of countless magazines, including Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, and Sports Illustrated. She launched Kathy Ireland Worldwide in 1993 with the introduction of her designer sock collection. Ireland has expanded her brand to include Fashion, Apparel, Jewelry, Home, and Office Collections. According to the country’s leading research firm, Kurt Salmon Associates, the Kathy Ireland Brand is recognized as the #1 Brand in its category for Product Innovation in America. The company’s mission is “...finding solutions for families, especially busy moms.”

“I am thrilled to be part of Office Depot’s Success Strategies for Businesswomen’s conference--a wonderful venue that provides support to women in business and helps us connect, communicate, inform and inspire one another,” said Ireland. “I look forward to sharing and learning with women who are passionate about life, family and business. When women come together to share and learn in an inspirational way, it is life changing.”

Dr. Maya Angelou is hailed and recognized as a remarkable Renaissance woman. She is a poet, educator, historian, best-selling author, actress, playwright, civil-rights activist, producer, and director. Angelou mesmerizes audiences with vigor, fire and perception when she shares her legendary wisdom. She is the author of twelve best-selling books including I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and the current best-seller Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes.

“I believe it is important for women to help educate, mentor and create opportunities for each other,” noted Angelou. “I am delighted to again join Office Depot. The conference offers women the advice and inspiration they hunger for to navigate the spiritual, mental and professional processes in life--a journey that teaches us to believe in ourselves.”

Other prominent featured speakers and panelists include:

-- Anne M. Mulcahy, Chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation

-- Nely Galan, Creator and Executive Producer of Fox’s hit reality series “The Swan”

-- Debbi Fields, Former Chairman and Founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies

-- Barbara Corcoran, Chairman of the Corcoran Group

-- Josephine Chaus, CEO, Bernard Chaus, Inc.

-- Myra M. Hart, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Harvard Business School

“We are thrilled to have Kathy Ireland, a legend in both the fashion world and the business world, join us at this year’s conference. Ireland has built an empire with tremendous brand recognition. She is also a pioneer in marketing to women, an achievement that we strongly admire since women represent a core customer for Office Depot,” said Chuck Rubin, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising/Marketing Officer, Office Depot.

“And Dr. Maya Angelou, one of the great voices of contemporary literature, has motivated and captivated women across the country with her passion, wisdom and inspirational life lessons. We are honored to have these outstanding women share their unique insights, experience and success strategies with this audience of women entrepreneurs,” added Rubin.

Additionally, Alexis M. Herman, U.S. Secretary of Labor, from 1997-2001, will emcee the conference. Herman is the country’s 23rd Secretary of Labor and the first African American to lead the Labor Department. She serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for MGM Grand, Entergy, Cummins, Inc., and chairs both the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board and the Coca Cola Task Force. Secretary Herman is a Trustee for her alma mater, Xavier University, holds 20 honorary degrees, and is Chair and CEO of her own firm, New Ventures, Inc., located in Washington, DC.

About the Conference

The Office Depot Success Strategies for Businesswomen Conference was created in 2001 to provide women in business with networking opportunities, while offering programs and seminars that help them manage their businesses more successfully. The conference also spotlights national professional women’s organizations and honors top women in business with Office Depot Visionary Awards and Businesswomen of the Year Awards.

Leading sponsors for the 2005 conference are Xerox, MassMutual and Hewlett Packard. Other supporting sponsors include: Acco, Bic, Canon, Energizer, International Paper, JKG Group, Microsoft, and Smead.

For a schedule of keynote speakers and panel business sessions featured and to learn more about the conference, please visit http://www.officedepotsuccess.com.

About Office Depot

With annual sales of more than $12 billion, no one sells more office supplies to more customers in more countries than Office Depot. Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Delray Beach, Fla., the company conducts business in 23 countries and employs nearly 50,000 people worldwide.

Office Depot is a leader in every distribution channel - from retail stores and contract delivery to catalogs and e-commerce. The company is the world’s number three online retailer - on track to generate $3B in sales for FY’04. In North America, Office Depot has 923 retail stores in addition to a national business-to-business delivery network supported by 22 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.



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