NASCAR star Tony Stewart names "Official Small
Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot"
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CONTACT:
Lisa Schmitz
Edelman for Office Depot Racing
312-240-2604
lisa.schmitz@edelman.com
DRAGON DOJO MARTIAL ARTS(r) NAMED
'OFFICIAL SMALL BUSINESS OF NASCAR(r), COURTESY OF OFFICE DEPOT(r)'
Small Business Owner From Panama City, Florida, Wins Promotion To Put Company Logo On Tony Stewart's No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy At Atlanta Motor Speedway
Boca Raton, Fla., September 5, 2009 - Office Depot , a leading global provider of office products and services, announced today that Dragon Dojo Martial Arts(r) of Panama City, Florida, has been named the fifth annual "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot."
Dragon Dojo Martial Arts(r) owner Shihan Robert Wiest was introduced by Office Depot during a press event this morning at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Wiest, 44, was joined by Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy Impala SS and team owner of Stewart-Haas Racing; Norris Scott, Managing Director of Partnership Marketing and Business Solutions at NASCAR(r); Brett Frood, Executive Vice President at Stewart-Haas Racing; and Ivan Reed, Senior Manager of Campaigns and Sales Promotions for Office Depot.
Wiest, who opened Dragon Dojo Martial Arts(r) in 2001 and has grown his business from an initial enrollment of two students to more than 150 today, helped Stewart unveil the special edition No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy featuring his company's logo. The logo - an eye-catching red dragon - will make its on-track debut during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series(tm) Pep Boys Auto 500 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Sunday, Sept. 6, 7 p.m. EDT, ESPN).
"Our business is about helping people learn to help themselves and stand strong on their own," said Wiest, who operates Dragon Dojo Martial Arts(r) alongside his wife, Susan Wiest. "Both NASCAR and martial arts require a high level of focus and training, and we are so excited to reach a larger audience and more fans as the 'Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot.'"
Stewart, who has taken on the dual role of a driver/team owner with Stewart-Haas Racing in 2009, said he was excited to provide an opportunity for a small business to gain exposure in front of a national audience.
"Building a successful business takes a lot of hard work and dedication, which is something I've learned firsthand over the years," Stewart said. "The Office Depot 'Official Small Business of NASCAR Sweepstakes' is an amazing chance for a small business owner like Shihan Robert Wiest to get his company's name out there, and I'm very proud to have the Dragon Dojo Martial Arts logo on my car this weekend."
About The Winner: Shihan Robert Wiest, owner of Dragon Dojo Martial Arts(r)
Wiest, whose title "Shihan" is a martial arts designation for an expert or senior instructor, said he prides himself on providing a healthy and affordable activity for people in today's challenging economy. His students range from ages 3 to 60, and many are dedicated NASCAR(r) fans.
Wiest received 159 online nominations from friends, family and students after entering the "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot" sweepstakes at OfficeDepotRacing.com.
"We passed out fliers to everyone at the dojo for nearly a month telling them to go to OfficeDepotRacing.com and vote for us," Wiest said. "They were very excited about the possibility of seeing the Dragon Dojo Martial Arts logo on the back of Tony Stewart's car."
Wiest learned about the sweepstakes after making copies at Office Depot and reading about the promotion on the bottom of his receipt. Wiest estimates that he and his wife visit their local Office Depot store 3-4 times a week to stock up on supplies and makes copies for their business.
Prize Package
As the "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot," Dragon Dojo Martial Arts(r) (http://www.dragondojo.com/) will receive invaluable exposure on national television, and the company's logo will be featured on the rear panel - also known as the TV panel - of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy during this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series(tm) Pep Boys Auto 500 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
In addition to logo placement on the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy, the "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot" prize package includes the following:
* A $14,000 Small Business Makeover from Office Depot
* VIP race experience at the September 4-6 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series(tm) race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway
* A private coaching session with NASCAR(r) executives, including an insider's look at the business of NASCAR
* $1,400 copy & print services card from Office Depot
* $1,000 worth of business cards and stationery from Office Depot
* One year of Tech Depot(tm) Services Tech Support
* The use of the "Official Small Business of NASCAR(r), Courtesy of Office Depot(r)" logo until June 1, 2010
"The Office Depot 'Official Small Business of NASCAR' promotion really connects with its target audience through Tony Stewart, a hardworking small business owner like so many NASCAR fans," said Norris Scott, Managing Director of Partnership Marketing and Business Solutions at NASCAR. "In demonstrating Office Depot's commitment to NASCAR fans and small business owners, Office Depot continues to improve on one of the most creative and effective national promotions in the sport."
Additionally, because Office Depot is focused on doing everything it can to help small business owners not only survive but thrive in these tough economic times, the "Official Small Business of NASCAR, Courtesy of Office Depot"<http://www.officedepotsbon.com/> sweepstakes featured an exciting new component this year that allowed more than just one small business to win big. Every day during the promotional window, one lucky small business owner was awarded a $1,400 Office Depot gift card.
"Office Depot is proud to recognize and reward an outstanding small business owner like Shihan Robert Wiest, especially in today's challenging economic climate," said Chuck Rubin, President of North American Retail for Office Depot. "The Office Depot 'Official Small Business of NASCAR' promotion is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we look forward to helping Robert leverage the fantastic marketing power of NASCAR in his business. We were also so pleased to be able to assist more small business owners this year by giving away a $1,400 gift card every day during the promotion entry period."
About Office Depot
Every day, Office Depot is Taking Care of Business for millions of customers around the globe. For the local corner store as well as Fortune 500 companies, Office Depot provides products and services to its customers through 1,593 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales force, top-rated catalogs and a $4.3 billion e-commerce operation. Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $14.5 billion, and employs about 42,000 associates around the world. The Company provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company, and currently sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 47 countries.
Office Depot's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport - holding 17 of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S., and is the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.
NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. Also part of NASCAR is Grand-Am Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.), Mexico City, and Toronto.
