Last Spot for ECRM's School and Office Supplies EPPS Event Auctioned Off to Highest Donor

CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwire - June 11, 2009) - Although ECRM's School and Office Supply EPPS® has been sold-out for almost a year, one registration was left available for a manufacturer that was willing to make the highest charitable bid. ECRM auctioned the last spot to the School and Office show in a week long auction on eBay, June 1-8, 2009. The bidding began at $16,950, the cost of a full planning session. The winning bid of $21,000 was made by Executive Machines, a manufacturer of various office equipment products.

The money was donated to The Kids In Need Foundation, a non-profit organization with the mission to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies nationally to students most in need. The Kids In Need National Network of Resource Centers includes 23 facilities that allow teachers from low-income schools to obtain free school supplies for their students. The Kids In Need Foundation has distributed nearly $300 million in school supplies since its founding, directly benefiting 1.6 million students and 100,000 teachers annually, and has awarded $1 million in grants to teachers.

"ECRM allows us to reach out to donors and prospective donors about the critical need for school supplies. Without supplies, children whose families cannot afford to purchase paper, pencils, crayons and other needed materials are unable to fully participate in the classroom experience," said Dave Smith, executive director of the Kids In Need Foundation. "ECRM and the companies that attend their events understand the implications and that the children they're helping today could be their employees in a few years."

Tom Darcy, National Sales Manager for Executive Machines, explains their feelings on making this charitable donation, "When you look around and understand the needs that families have in our current economic situation there are two basics: food and education. If they cannot get or afford the basic tools to help in their education needs, then they fall behind and once they fall behind their peers, they get frustrated and it is hard to catch up. The Kids In Need Foundation helps these children stay on par with their peers. We feel great by helping this organization in a small way."

ECRM's CEO Charlie Bowlus explains ECRM's partnership with the Kids In Need Foundation. "We have been involved with Kids In Need for several years now and respect what a quality organization that they have created and the difference they have made nationwide. We stand behind their mission and will continue to support them and promote their cause. We are very appreciative that Executive Machines realizes their importance and has been so generous."

Currently, ECRM's School and Office show will host around 140 registered vendors that will present new items & programs for the Back to School category. In addition, several leading retailers are scheduled to attend the event. ECRM's School and Office show is the largest in the industry, with over 800 individuals in attendance. The conference is scheduled for September 13-17 in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please visit www.ECRM.MarketGate.com

Contact Information: Contact: Maria Di Franco 440.498.0500 x 1136