NBC'S 'Apprentice' Task Takes Over the Aisles of The Home Depot Stores Nationwide

NBC'S 'Apprentice' Task Takes Over the Aisles of The Home Depot Stores Nationwide

Do-It-Yourselfers to Sharpen Home Improvement Skills Through How-To Clinic

ATLANTA, March 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Fans of NBC's hit reality television show "The Apprentice" and do-it-yourself enthusiasts will have the unique opportunity to go from spectator to participant by replicating the winning project from the March 24 episode at a free You Can Build a Storage Chest clinic on Saturday, April 2 at all U.S.-based The Home Depot(R) stores.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030502/HOMEDEPOTLOGO )

During the March 24 episode of "The Apprentice," the candidates were tasked with executing a Saturday how-to clinic at The Home Depot stores in the New York City area. Jose Lopez, vice president of Business Process Improvement, and Christine McVeigh, director of the Manhattan District for The Home Depot, judged the teams on originality, customer involvement and product involvement. The Magna Corporation won the task with a storage box project finished in three different ways: chalkboard paint, yellow paint and a natural finish.

"We are all about empowering customers to improve their homes and that's inherent in our message - "You can do it. We can help.," said John Costello, executive vice president of Merchandising and Marketing, The Home Depot. This clinic offers a fun and meaningful customer experience that builds from our presence on 'The Apprentice.'"

Earlier this year, The Home Depot and Mark Burnett Productions, the producer of "The Apprentice," announced a multi-program, multi-year strategic alliance to develop programming that highlights The Home Depot's products and services in Burnett-produced television programming. Through the partnership, The Home Depot brand is integrated into multiple MBP programs, including "The Apprentice" and "The Contender," Burnett's newest reality show.

The April 2 clinic is being supported with television, radio and print advertisements as well as in-store signage and direct marketing.

About The Home Depot How-To Clinics

The Home Depot's how-to clinics are taught by experienced store associates who offer step-by-step instructions for completing the project, and hands-on demonstration. Participants are requested to register for the workshops online at http://www.homedepotclinics.com/ or stop by their local The Home Depot store. The in-store clinic program also includes the popular Do-It-Herself clinics and Kids Workshops.

The Home Depot

Founded in 1978, The Home Depot(R) is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer and the second largest retailer in the United States, with fiscal 2004 sales of $73.1 billion. The company employs approximately 325,000 associates and has 1,896 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, nine Canadian provinces and Mexico. The company recently announced the creation of a business development operation for retail expansion into China. The Home Depot has been recognized by Fortune as the #1 Most Admired Specialty Retailer for 2005. Its stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:HD) and is included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 Index. HDG

Mark Burnett Productions

One of the driving forces behind reality television, and a true visionary, Mark Burnett has a long history of executive producing Emmy Award-winning television. Burnett's entrepreneurial spirit pioneered the success of the reality "unscripted" drama series, garnered skyrocketing ratings and introduced millions of Americans to an entirely new television genre. Mark Burnett Productions revolutionized television, with hits such as "Eco- Challenge," "Survivor," "The Apprentice" and the upcoming "The Contender." MBP also successfully reintroduced product placement as an integral part of each of its shows and has garnered a total of 24 Emmy nominations since 2001. Mark Burnett was listed as the #1 Most Valuable Player by TV Guide and also in Time Magazine's Top 100 most influential people in the world today.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030502/HOMEDEPOTLOGO AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: The Home Depot

CONTACT: Eric Oberman of The Home Depot, +1-770-384-4155, or eric_oberman@homedepot.com ; or Megan McGovern of Manning Selvage & Lee, +1-404-870-6852, or megan.mcgovern@mslpr.com

Web site: http://www.homedepot.com/ http://www.homedepotclinics.com/

------- Profile: Ent