Since our inception, our mission at Corporate Express has been to be the corporate supplier of choice to our customers. To fulfill this mission, we have applied a strategy that seeks to change the way businesses operate. Our "Corporate Supplier" strategy helps companies add tangible value to the procurement process by providing them with increased productivity and new, technology-driven, cost-effective ways to procure products and services.

Our Corporate Supplier strategy is based on a foundation of partnership, flexibility and responsive service.

To execute this strategy, we have invested in technologies, companies and facilities that have allowed us to meet the growing requirements of our customers, who include approximately 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies. In serving the needs of these corporations, Corporate Express has earned a reputation as one of the leading value-added suppliers across all distribution industries. We uniquely combine flexibility, responsiveness to customer needs, and proactive cost management to add value to each customer's bottom line. In fact, in recognition of our contributions, we received coveted "Supplier of the Year" awards in 1998 from many leading companies, including General Motors, Sun Microsystems and Delta Air Lines.

To advance our Corporate Supplier strategy, we created a new business group in 1998, Corporate Supplier Solutions, that is focused solely on its execution. This team is headed by one of our key new hires, Corporate Supplier Solutions President Barbara Allen.