OfficeMax to expand Norman sales center

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Jun 2, 2005 by Journal Record Staff

OfficeMax, one of the nation's largest office supply retailers, is expanding its Norman sales center by more than 10,000 square feet and will hire more than 240 additional employees, company officials said Wednesday.

The sales center, part of the Norman Business Park at 2601 Technology Place, currently has 270 employees. The expansion will increase the size of the store from nearly 41,000 to more than 51,000 square feet. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of September. Officials said they hope to reach full capacity with more than 500 employees by the end of 2006 - close to 90 percent growth in a little more than a year.

OfficeMax is pleased to grow our Norman sales staff, and is excited by the opportunity this expansion brings to our organization and our customers, said Larry Roesel, OfficeMax's senior vice president of commercial sales. The Norman community has long provided a supportive environment that has helped us grow our business, associates and local facility. We are pleased to bring additional economic value to the area, and we look forward to playing a greater positive role in the community.

The sales center services more than 300,000 of OfficeMax's contract business accounts nationwide and is the only sales center of its kind in the company. The Norman Economic Development Coalition (NEDC) worked closely with OfficeMax in planning the expansion and helped the project move smoothly. This expansion is a testament to the quality of the work force in the Norman community, said Don Wood, executive director of the NEDC. OfficeMax came here five years ago, and the fact that they are expanding operations here proves they were able to find what they needed from the people in this community.