Xerox Office Makeover Transforms Four Nonprofits Nationwide Into High-Tech Offices

HGTV’s ’Design on a Dime’ host Brice Cooper works with Xerox to make offices more creative and productive

STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 06, 2006 -- After bringing color to the walls and to the documents at four nonprofit offices across the country, Xerox Corporation (NYSE: XRX) has wrapped up its “Helping Hands” Office Makeover Contest. The winning offices, ranging from a group that teaches students computer skills to a chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, are already seeing results from their design and technology refresh.

Xerox searched for the nonprofit offices with the most outdated design and technology in key cities across the country. Winners in Charlotte, N.C.; Denver; Indianapolis; and Rochester, N.Y., received décor upgrades, furniture, document technology and assessment services aimed at making the organizations more efficient.

“The makeover has not only made our office beautiful and functional but it has also made us more productive,” said Jess George, associate director of the Latin American Coalition, which lends a helping hand to nearly 1,000 people a month in Charlotte. “Our environment is now more welcoming for clients and staff. And Xerox printers, multifunction systems and services have streamlined our work processes and brought vibrant color to previously dull-looking fliers and brochures.”

This year’s winners serve a variety of causes. The Latin American Coalition is Charlotte’s oldest and largest Hispanic service agency. In Denver, OpenWorld Learning teaches nearly 600 elementary students a year advanced computer skills such as computer animation, multimedia presentation and computer programming. The Indiana Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, located in Indianapolis, assists some 800 people annually who are living with the genetic disease. And in Rochester, N.Y., the Hickok Center for Brain Injury Inc. helps nearly 100 people a month develop the skills needed to live and work again following an accident, stroke or disease.

The winners received prizes valued at about $15,000. The nonprofits won a variety of new technology including a Xerox WorkCentre™ color digital multifunction system, which prints, copies, scans and faxes; Xerox Phaser™ color printers; Xerox flat-panel monitors; and ScanFlowStore™ software, which is an easy and efficient scanning and digital archiving solution offered from a Xerox Business Partner called X-Solutions. Brice Cooper, host and interior stylist for HGTV’s Design on a Dime, provided a whole new look for the winners by adding color and incorporating desks, chairs and storage solutions from The HON Company.

“Nonprofit employees spend long hours dedicated to helping others,” said Cooper. “But often, these people are working in drab environments. By adding color to the walls, new technology and furnishings, we were able to dramatically change these offices - making them more inspiring, comfortable and productive.”

“It’s been such an amazing transformation,” said Barb Youmans, chief operating officer, OpenWorld Learning. “Now we’re organized and efficient. We’re able to quickly and cost-effectively produce beautiful color documents for our students. Plus, we were able to say goodbye to our desks that we made from putting plywood on top of filing cabinets.”

The HON Company provided stylish furniture that combines the right mix of durability, affordability and flexibility to accommodate organizational change and growth. Furnishings such as chairs and storage systems from the Valido™ collection as well as Sleek™ panel systems make the offices more comfortable and productive.

“Working with Brice Cooper, we created offices that are warm and inviting,” said Jeff Jollay, vice president of sales and consumer marketing, The HON Company. “We made the spaces inspiring for the employees and the people they serve.”

This is the third year Xerox has held an office makeover contest. Previous winners have seen significant changes in their operations.

“Nonprofits and small business alike don’t have the resources to focus on design and technology,” said Paul Gleason, vice president, Small and Medium Business for Xerox. “This contest shows that small changes in technology and design can lead to big boosts in productivity.”

In 2004, judges selected , a children’s science education franchise. A year later, the owners doubled the size of their business by purchasing a second franchise - crediting the makeover, in large part, for the ability to expand.

Business has been bubbling at Sprecher Brewing Co., winner of the “Most Deserving Small Business” makeover contest in 2005. For example, the company is now able to produce colorful signage, labels and marketing materials in-house with its Xerox Phaser 7750 color printer. Creating these materials used to require additional cost and lead time for production; now it’s quick, convenient and less expensive.

Complete results of this year’s makeover contest are available at www.xerox.com/helpinghands.

About Xerox
Xerox works to help small businesses turn modest investments in technology into big boosts in productivity. The company offers a comprehensive line of software, solutions and systems to help offices work more efficiently. Xerox’s FreeColorPrinters program also provides organizations, including nonprofits, schools and small businesses, with free Xerox color systems. Details on Xerox small business products are available at www.xerox.com/office.

About The HON Company
The HON Company is a leader in the design and manufacturing of workplace furniture including chairs, storage, panel systems, tables and desks. Headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa, The HON Company has numerous manufacturing facilities strategically located throughout the United States and markets its products through a nationwide network of dealers and retailers. The HON Company is an operating company of HNI Corporation (formerly HON INDUSTRIES). For more information, visit www.hon.com.

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