Office Depot, Inc. Teams with Washington Elementary School to Revitalize the School

Innovative Design and Collaborative Furniture Help Reopen an Integral
School to the Local Community

BOCA RATON, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODP), a leading global provider of office
products, services, and solutions
, today announced a partnership
with Washington Elementary School in Sacramento, CA, to help the school
reopen, reimagining the school’s design after two years of sitting
dormant due to a declined intercity enrollment and budget cuts. In less
than four months, Office Depot, Inc., in partnership with HMC
Architects, completed furniture specifications, product samples, design
renderings and installed furniture in the new classrooms, cafeteria,
media commons and administrative areas.

Providing solutions to different types and sizes of schools is central
to Office Depot, Inc.’s Committed to Learning™. Washington Elementary
School, the winner of California’s Coalition for Adequate School
Housing’s Design Honor Awards for Modernization and Transformation,
proved to be a unique opportunity since the school reopened with a focus
on STEAM classrooms (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art &
Mathematics). Office Depot, Inc., combined its deep expertise in design
and furniture implementation with its contact furniture dealership,
Workspace Interiors by Office Depot, to develop learning environments
that reinforce the project-based nature of the curriculum.

Office Depot, Inc. works with school districts around the country to
design classrooms with new technology and furniture to help meet the
changing needs of students today. For Washington Elementary School, the
company provided flexible furnishings to allow students and teachers the
ability to tailor their learning experience while integrating technology
and incorporating one-on-one learning.

“Our goal was to reimagine an innovative way to approach learning and
teaching at Washington Elementary School rather than replicate the
previously closed version,” said Dr. Gema Godina-Martinez, principal at
Washington Elementary. “Through Office Depot’s partnership, we were able
to not only offer students and staff a new place to learn, but hope and
excitement for families in the community.”

Combining decades of classroom design and furniture experience with
expert consultants from across the education sector, Office Depot,
Inc.’s Committed to Learning™ brand offers schools new choices in
classroom innovation, and offers communities new ways to revitalize
their local school facilities. Since Washington Elementary School
reopened, forward thinking educators have been drawn to the school’s
innovative feel and design, allowing families and students to be
welcomed back to their neighborhood school.

“With Washington Elementary, we provided help with the design and
furniture, but became a partner for something much larger,” said Becki
Schwietz, senior director for K-12 education at Office Depot, Inc. “Not
only did we create safe and comfortable spaces for students to allow for
more innovative and forward thinking, but assisted in reopening a school
that is critical to many families and students. Assisting local
neighborhood schools is a crucial component of the company’s overall
commitment to learning.”

Office Depot’s passion for helping local neighborhood schools through
our Workspace Interiors division was matched by the lead architectural
firm on the project, HMC Architects. The Workspace Interiors team worked
closely with HMC Architects throughout the project to ensure the forward
thinking designed environments supported Washington Elementary’s STEAM
learning goals.

“Our mission at HMC Architects is to partner with communities to serve
the greater good,” said Aaron Buehring, senior project designer at HMC
Architects. “Through partnering with Workspace Interiors by Office
Depot, we were able to work together to design and build a school that
the students and administrative staff can be proud of.”

Office Depot, Inc. collaborates with school districts and other
educational institutions through the company’s Committed to Learning™
initiative, which offers educators access to a national team of
curriculum and instruction experts across disciplines. Through the
Committed to Learning™ initiative, the company partners with school
districts to meet their strategic goals by providing instructional
solutions and access to experts that enrich the learning experience in
the areas of personalized learning, project-based learning and
innovative learning spaces, culture and wellness, instructional
resources, and supplies.

To learn more, visit www.officedepot.com/education
or email us directly at committedtolearning@officedepot.com.

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.

The company had annual sales of approximately $11 billion, employed
approximately 38,000 associates, and served consumers and businesses in
North America and abroad with approximately 1,400 retail stores,
award-winning e-commerce sites and a dedicated business-to-business
sales organization – with a global network of wholly owned operations,
franchisees, licensees and alliance partners. The company operates under
several banner brands including Office Depot, OfficeMax and Grand & Toy.
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 Select
Market under the symbol “ODP.”

Office Depot is a trademark of The Office Club, Inc. OfficeMax is a
trademark of OMX, Inc. ©2017 Office Depot, Inc. All rights reserved. Any
other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of
their respective owners.

About Washington Elementary

Washington Elementary, located in midtown Sacramento, reopened on
September 1, 2016 as a STEAM school utilizing Project Based Learning
(PBL) as the main teaching method. In partnership with community members
and businesses, our staff have identified real world and authentic
problems aligned with common core standards creating the opportunity for
our students to develop the skills and attributes to lead successful
lives.

Washington Elementary provides an engaging and collaborative community
where all learners thrive. We are a STEAM-focused school with a
sustainable model for innovation that supports learners in solving
authentic problems through inquiry.

Contacts

Office Depot, Inc.
Julianne Embry, 561-438-1451
julianne.embry@officedepot.com
or
Edelman
Amanda
Olson, 512-634-3661
amanda.olson1@edelman.com

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