ITASCA, Ill., March 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boise Office Solutions, a
wholly owned subsidiary of Boise Cascade Corporation (NYSE: BCC), announced
today that it is closing two of its eight office products distribution
customer contact centers -- one in Fort Worth, Texas, and one in north Ottawa,
Illinois. Additionally, it will eliminate about 100 positions in its south
Ottawa center. The closures and job reductions result from the integration of
Boise Office Solutions with OfficeMax, which Boise acquired in December 2003.
"We regret the impact these measures will have on our associates and their
families," said Chris Milliken, division president and CEO of Boise Office
Solutions. "In no way do these closures reflect on the performance of our
associates. Rather, these decisions were based on strategic considerations
and on operating, infrastructure, and other costs."
The centers in Fort Worth and north Ottawa will close by the end of May.
The Fort Worth closure will affect all of the nearly 300 associates there.
Boise Office Solutions will absorb most of the displaced associates from its
north Ottawa center at its centers in south Ottawa and Peru, Illinois, while
consolidating a number of overlapping positions. Boise Office Solutions will
offer severance benefits to eligible associates.
Boise announced at the time of the OfficeMax transaction closing that it
expects to reduce the total number of delivery warehouses and customer contact
centers over time; eliminate underperforming stores during the normal course
of business; reduce staff in redundant areas; and consolidate operating
systems. In January, the company said that during 2004 it would close 45
OfficeMax stores, open 12 new stores, relocate 10, and remodel 200 to 250.
About Boise Cascade Corporation
Boise, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, provides solutions to help customers
work more efficiently, build more effectively, and create new ways to meet
business challenges. We own or control more than 2 million acres of
timberland, primarily in the United States, to support our manufacturing
operations. Boise had sales of $8.2 billion in 2003.
Boise Office Solutions, headquartered in Itasca, Illinois, is a division
of Boise and a premier multinational contract and retail distributor of office
supplies and paper, technology products, and office furniture. Boise Office
Solutions had 2003 sales of $4.0 billion.
Boise Building Solutions, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, is a division of
Boise and manufactures plywood, oriented strand board, lumber, particleboard,
and engineered wood products. The business also operates 27 facilities that
distribute a broad line of building materials, including wood products
manufactured by Boise. Boise Building Solutions posted manufacturing sales of
$824 million and distribution sales of $2.0 billion in 2003.
Boise Paper Solutions, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, is a division of
Boise and a manufacturer of office papers, a majority of which are sold
through Boise Office Solutions. Boise Paper Solutions also manufactures
printing, forms, and converting papers, newsprint, containerboard and
corrugated containers, and market pulp. The division had 2003 sales of $1.9
billion.
Visit the Boise website at http://www.bc.com .
SOURCE Boise Cascade Corporation
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.bc.com
CONTACT:
media, William Bonner of Boise Office
Solutions, +1-630-438-8584, cell +1-630-640-1849; or investors,
Vincent Hannity of Boise Cascade Corporation, +1-208-384-6390,
cell +1-208-890-6385
|
