2009 Los Angeles Organizing Awards

Professional Organizers around the nation gathered in Los Angeles, California to celebrate the industry at the 2009 Los Angeles Organizing Awards, January 30, 2009.

Top organizing experts and celebrity presenters Sam Saboura, Extreme Makeover; Gia Russo and Jodie Watson, Real Simple. Real Life.; Dorothy Breininger, Dr. Phil; Linda Koopersmith, Clean House; Monica Ricci, MISSION: Organization and actor/green advocate Christopher Knight The Brady Bunch, VH1s My Fair Brady scheduled time to celebrate at this years Fourth Annual Los Angeles Organizing Awards at the Luxe Hotel Sunset Boulevard, Bel Air, California.

Celebrity organizers, industry professionals and members of the public assembled at the January 30th gala, which was hosted by comedian and actor Hal Sparks, Talk Soup, Queer As Folk. Throughout the evening, Sparks humorously shared his personal experiences of working with professional organizers.

The Organizing Awards, produced by the Los Angeles chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO-LA) along with Presenting Sponsor Office Depot, honors the best in the organizing industry, including professional organizers who set the standard for home and business productivity, and the products and services that help consumers and businesses organize everything from information to time management and control habits that lead to clutter and chaos.

The red carpet gala event was a celebration and culmination of national Get Organized Month, which is every January.

A total of twenty awards were given - seven awards for organizing products and retailers, five awards for organizing services, five awards to organizing professionals and two awards to media outlets. Finalists were selected during a two-month nationwide online popular vote at www.organizingawards.com that ended December 31st.

Other Attendees:

Other industry leaders in attendance included NAPO Founder s Ann Gambrell and Beverly Clower; Standolyn Robertson, President of NAPO National; Kit Anderson, President of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD); and David Bertnick, President of the International Association for Private Service Professionals (IAPSP). The Awards attracted guests from thirteen states including: Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New York, New Mexico, Washington, California, Virginia, North Carolina, Kansas and Illinois and included current NAPO Chapter Presidents from Miami, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Members of the 2009 Los Organizing Awards Committee included: Heidi Chianta, Claire Flannery, Karen Fulks, Heather Furlong, Christie Gelsomino, Abbey Keusch, Dolores Kaytes, Katherine Macey, Kristine Oller, John Trosko, Linda Levine-Quackenbush, Jodie Watson and Fay Wolf.

About Office Depot, Presenting Sponsor:

Every day, Office Depot is Taking Care of Business for millions of customers around the globe. For the local corner store as well as Fortune 500 companies, Office Depot provides products and services to its customers through 1,705 worldwide retail stores, a dedicated sales force, top-rated catalogs and a $4.9 billion e-commerce operation. Office Depot has annual sales of approximately $15.1 billion, and employs about 49,000 associates around the world. The Company provides more office products and services to more customers in more countries than any other company, and currently sells to customers directly or through affiliates in 48 countries.

Office Depot's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP and is included in the S&P 500 Index. Additional press information can be found at: http://mediarelations.officedepot.com.

About NAPO-Los Angeles:

NAPO Los Angeles is a non-profit professional organization dedicated to developing, leading and promoting professional organizers and the benefits of better home and business organization. The founding chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers, "The Organizing Authority®," NAPO-LA provides members with a forum for networking, professional development and raising public awareness since 1985. The chapter produces the Los Angeles Organizing Expo as well as the Los Angeles Organizing Awards and is the recipient of the 2008 NAPO National President's Award for innovative contributions to the organizing industry. For details visit http://www.napola.org or http://www.organizingawards.com