4594-Pound, 175,000-Band Rubberband Ball, Sponsored By OfficeMax, Certified as World's Largest On November 21
November 21 2006 - 4:10PM
PR Newswire (US)
Guinness World Records(TM) on hand in Chicago to Verify New Record
NAPERVILLE, Ill., Nov. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- OfficeMax, a leading
provider of office products and services, announced today that the
rubberband ball it is sponsoring has been certified by Guinness
World Records as the World's Largest Rubberband Ball at 4,594
pounds. A Guinness representative from London was on hand at a
special ceremony in downtown Chicago today to oversee the official
weigh-in of the rubberband ball, created by Steve Milton of Eugene,
Ore. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061121/CGTU057 )
"We're delighted to have been invited to the event to certify that
Steve Milton's rubberband ball has broken the world record," said
Guinness World Records official Sarah Wagner. "Congratulations to
Steve and OfficeMax on this accomplishment." OfficeMax transported
the World's Largest Rubberband Ball in early November from Milton's
garage in Oregon to downtown Chicago for the ceremony. Wagner
confirmed that the OfficeMax-sponsored rubberband ball -- created
by Milton with help from his 6-year-old son, Bryce -- broke the
previous world record of 3,120 pounds. The 26-year-old Milton, who
started his ball in November 2005 with a number of small OfficeMax
rubberbands, says the ball now contains 175,000 individual
rubberbands. The rubberband ball stands 5 1/2 feet-high and has a
circumference of 19 feet. A rubberband ball is the corporate icon
of OfficeMax. OfficeMax is sponsoring Milton as part of its
kick-off of a nationwide remodel for OfficeMax retail stores
starting with 11 Chicago-area locations. The renovated OfficeMax
stores feature a new, easy-to-shop layout that offers an in-store
cafe with WiFi connectivity, a computerized Ink Refill station, a
technology hub where consumers may try out the newest electronic
devices, and other shopping amenities. "OfficeMax is honored to
sponsor Steve Milton, the new Guinness World Recordholder in the
Largest Rubberband Ball category," says Ryan Vero, EVP- chief
merchandising officer of OfficeMax. The newly crowned Largest
Rubberband Ball will celebrate its coronation by appearing in the
November 23 McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time
in its hometown of Chicago. The World's Largest Rubberband Ball
will be exhibited throughout December 2006 and January 2007 at 14
of the new and remodeled OfficeMax stores across Chicago. OfficeMax
is selling 3-inch rubberband balls in many of its U.S. retail
stores. Consumers are being encouraged to buy a package of
rubberbands at their local OfficeMax store -- as Steve Milton did
-- to begin their own quest to build the next World's Largest
Rubberband Ball. For more information, visit
http://www.officemax.com/. About OfficeMax(R) Incorporated
OfficeMax is a leader in both business-to-business and retail
office products distribution. OfficeMax delivers an unparalleled
customer experience -- in service, in product, in time savings, and
in value -- through a relentless focus on its customers. The
company provides office supplies and paper, print and document
services, technology products and solutions, and furniture to
large, medium and small businesses and consumers. OfficeMax
customers are served by approximately 40,000 associates through
direct sales, catalogs, Internet and nearly 900 superstores.
OfficeMax trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol
OMX. More information can be found at http://www.officemax.com/ .
OfficeMax Media Contacts William Bonner or Paul Maccabee/Heather
Schwartz 630-864-6066 612-337-0087 or 612-423-0561
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20061121/CGTU057
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: OfficeMax CONTACT:
OfficeMax Media Contacts, William Bonner, +1-630-864-6066, or Paul
Maccabee, +1-612-337-0087, or Heather Schwartz, +1-612-423-0561 Web
site: http://www.officemax.com/
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