FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ricoh Web Site: www.ricoh-usa.com
CONTACT: Russell Marchetta Laura Jensen
Ricoh Corporation Peppercom
(973) 882-2075 (212) 931-6127
russell.marchetta@ricoh-usa.com ljensen@peppercom.com
RICOH CORPORATION NAMED OFFICIAL COPIER AND FACSIMILE PROVIDER FOR VAIL RESORTS
West Caldwell, NJ, April 12, 2005 – Ricoh Corporation, the leading provider of digital office equipment, today announced a strategic relationship with Vail Resorts, the leading resort operator in North America, to be the sole provider of document management solutions. This three-year contract makes Ricoh the “Official Copier and Facsimile Supplier for Vail Resorts” as well as a member of Vail Resorts’ Strategic Alliance Program.
Vail Resorts is comprised of five premier U.S. ski resorts, including Vail, Beaver Creek Breckenridge, Keystone, and Heavenly. The company has called on Ricoh to overhaul its existing fleet of copiers and facsimiles and replace them with more efficient systems. Ricoh has installed more than 180 units and is working closely with each of the five resorts to continuously provide them with the most advanced copier and facsimile products and solutions. Vail Resorts benefits from this relationship by receiving higher-quality, more cost-efficient black and white and color copiers and facsimiles due to Ricoh’s sophisticated technology. For Ricoh, the alliance is an important venture serving as the company’s entry point into the travel and leisure industry.
“Vail Resorts was looking for state-of-the-art technology coupled with top-quality service, and found both with Ricoh,” said Kelly Ladyga, director of corporate communications of Vail Resorts. “We only invite the ‘best-of-the best’ to participate in our Alliance Program and Ricoh certainly fits into that category as they are able to streamline Vail Resorts’ document management process and our business overall.”
Vail Resorts’ Strategic Alliance Program is dedicated to improving the experience of its guests, the environment, and the company's position as one of the premier mountain, lodging and ski resort companies. In order to accomplish its goals, Vail Resorts has strategically aligned itself with top companies in their respective industries, such as Pepsi, Starbucks, Sprint, Schwab, Coors, American Express, Hertz, and Volvo, among others.
Through the Alliance Program, Ricoh’s unique and rewarding relationship with Vail Resorts enables the company to exchange resources, increase brand recognition, and target new customers. More specifically, the Ricoh brand will be featured on trail maps, in marketing brochure materials, on table tents in dining areas, on four different Web sites affiliated with Vail Resorts, as well as in Peaks Magazine, a quarterly ski publication available at the resorts.
Environmental preservation is a major concern within the business community and is a shared passion of Vail Resorts and Ricoh. Both companies take corporate social responsibility seriously as Vail Resorts promotes renewable energy, resource conservation, recycling, wildlife habitat preservation, and environmental education, and Ricoh has led the office automation industry in creating environmentally-friendly products and processes for more than 20 years. Ricoh adheres closely to a corporate philosophy called, "Our Earth, Our tomorrow," which signifies that because we all share the planet, we are all obligated to protect and preserve it.
“This is an important relationship for Ricoh as it illustrates our success and ability to service new and strategic vertical markets as well as Ricoh’s capacity to provide state-of-the-art solutions that have a critical impact on a company’s bottom-line results,” said Dan Piccoli, vice president, Commercial Major Accounts of Ricoh U.S., a division of Ricoh Corporation. “Ricoh is thrilled to be associated with Vail Resorts as it is a company aligned with Ricoh’s goal of complete dedication to customers as well as to preserving and protecting the environment.”
The relationship between Ricoh and Vail Resorts was facilitated by Unilink, a Colorado-based Ricoh dealer that has been affiliated with Vail Resorts for 15 years. “The Ricoh and Vail Resorts alliance is significant for Unilink, as we are all working together to ensure that our commitment to high-quality products and services is reflected in the Vail Resorts experience,” said John Linney, vice president of Unilink.
To learn more about Ricoh and Vail Resorts, please visit http://www.ricoh-usa.com.
About Vail Resorts
Vail Resorts, Inc. is the leading mountain resort operator in the United States. The Company's subsidiaries operate the mountain resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, Heavenly in California and Nevada, and the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Company also operates its subsidiary, RockResorts, a luxury resort hotel company with 10 distinctive properties across the United States. Vail Resorts Development Company is the real estate planning, development, construction, retail leasing and management subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. Vail Resorts is a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: MTN). The Vail Resorts company website is www.vailresorts.com and consumer website is www.snow.com .
About Ricoh Corporation
Ricoh Corporation, headquartered in West Caldwell, N.J., is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., the 69-year-old leading supplier of office automation equipment and electronics, with fiscal year 2003 sales in excess of $17.1 billion.
Ricoh Corporation is a leading provider of multifunctional document systems, including color and black & white digital imaging systems, facsimile products, printers, scanners, digital duplicators and wide format engineering systems. Additionally, Ricoh offers a wide variety of document and printing solutions directly and through partners that enhance office productivity and document workflow.
Ricoh Corporation directly or through its subsidiaries markets and distributes products in North, Central and South America. For fiscal year 2003, Ricoh Corporation sales exceeded $2.8 billion.
Information about Ricoh's complete range of products and services can be accessed on the World Wide Web at www.ricoh-usa.com.
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