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Skorman Productions Launches Customer Education Program With Borders Pilot

Business Wire, Feb 4, 2008

National Retailer Goes Local With 350 Free Classes in February

SAN FRANCISCO -- Fourth graph, fourth sentence of release should read: Carlos Alcala, writer for the Sacramento Bee and author of the book "Sacramento Street Whys" will teach a class on the origins of Sacramento street names (sted Carlos Alcala, curator of The Sacramento Train Museum, will teach the history of rail travel in during the Gold Rush).

The corrected release reads:

SKORMAN PRODUCTIONS LAUNCHES CUSTOMER EDUCATION PROGRAM WITH BORDERS PILOT

National Retailer Goes Local With 350 Free Classes in February

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Skorman Productions today announced a new customer education program that will enable national retailers to "go local" and become more entrenched in their communities by hosting an enormous variety of free classes. All classes are taught by area entrepreneurs and professionals, including many community leaders and local celebrities. Borders([R]), a worldwide retailer of books, music and movies, will begin a five-month pilot program today in three Sacramento-area stores, offering more than 350 free classes on subjects ranging from "The Stock Market 101" and "Baby Sign Language" to "Guerilla Marketing" and "Breaking into Show Business." Skorman Productions manages all of the details, from designing the programs to sourcing and qualifying instructors and promoting the classes.

"We were overwhelmed by the response and enthusiasm in Sacramento to our appeal to find instructors to teach these free classes at Borders," said Stuart Skorman, founder of Skorman Productions. "From psychotherapists and politicians to entrepreneurs, lawyers and investment counselors, more than a hundred community leaders and successful professionals have signed up to participate by teaching and promoting the classes."

"Stuart Skorman successfully pioneered a unique brand of customer education in the pharmacy/health and video businesses," said Borders Group Chief Executive Officer George Jones. "Now, we've enlisted his expertise and creative energy to help Borders pilot an aggressive program of educational classes in our stores that brings value to our customers, has the potential to build our business, and aligns perfectly with our mission to be a headquarters for knowledge and entertainment."

The classes are designed to be fun, educational and interactive, and topics were selected to meet the interests of the community. For example, Sacramento television anchorwoman Stefani Cruz is teaching a course on turning a whale's tale into a children's tale. Emily Hays, who owns Wildflower Boutique, is teaching about her experiences raising an organic baby. Carlos Alcala, writer for the Sacramento Bee and author of the book "Sacramento Street Whys" will teach a class on the origins of Sacramento street names. For the pilot program, Borders stores in Natomas, Roseville and Sacramento will offer five free classes per day, six days a week. Specific Borders store locations and hours will be available at www.BordersLiveClasses.com.

"Because this program is community-focused, grassroots and viral, everybody involved wins," said Skorman. "It's a terrific education program for the community, local instructors get exposure for their work, and it attracts new customers and customers who visit the stores more often for Borders. It's an opportunity for everybody to interact and learn in a place where knowledge, information and entertainment surround them on every shelf. In addition, Borders furthers its reputation in the community as an educational resource in a new and exciting way."

San Francisco-based Skorman Productions was founded by serial entrepreneur Stuart Skorman. Skorman also founded several other successful companies that focused on retail and customer education, including Reel.com, the premiere destination for film-related content and commerce (sold for $100 million to Hollywood Video in 1998), HungryMinds.com, an online learning portal and Elephant Pharmacy (acquired by CVS, JP Morgan, and Tuder Investments in 2006). He was also a senior executive and board member during the early years of health food grocery chain Bread & Circus (now Whole Foods).

Skorman Productions has developed a streamlined, cost-effective way of bringing customer education programs into retail environments to increase sales, strengthen brand loyalty and create cross-promotional opportunities. The programs combine online, offline, mass-market and grassroots retailing practices that create a customer-empowered style of retailing that can transform and redefine both a customer's experience within a store and the role the store plays in their life and community.

About Stuart Skorman Productions

Skorman Productions is the latest venture from serial entrepreneur Stuart Skorman. Skorman is well-known for launching groundbreaking customer education programs in several industries. All of his start-ups, including Elephant Pharmacy, HungryMinds.com, and Reel.com, featured revolutionary customer education programs. Skorman Productions is now bringing its grassroots, customer-empowering style of retailing to large chains beginning with the Borders pilot program. For more information visit www.skormanproductions.com.

Business Services Industry

Skorman Productions Launches Customer Education Program With Borders Pilot

Business Wire, Feb 4, 2008

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