School Specialty Appoints Steve Martinez as the Company’s New Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer

GREENVILLE, Wis., Jan. 27, 2017 -- School Specialty, Inc. (OTCQB:SCOO) (“School Specialty,” “SSI” or “the Company”), a leading distributor of supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources to the education, healthcare and other marketplaces, is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Martinez as its new Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, effective February 1^st. Mr. Martinez will oversee all of School Specialty’s information management and technology infrastructure programs, focused on advancing its CRM, eCommerce, WMS, and ERP platforms. He will work directly with the senior management team, providing strategic guidance on all IT initiatives.

Joseph M. Yorio, School Specialty's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “I'd like to officially welcome Steve to the SSI family and congratulate him on his new appointment. Working with Steve, I can tell you firsthand, that he brings incredible talent, leadership and commitment. I want to thank him for stepping in as interim CIO over the last few months and I am glad that he will continue to play a crucial role in our organization – I have every bit of confidence that he will serve the Company well. We have a strong team and together, we continue to drive best practices and greater value for our customers, employees and stockholders.”

Mr. Martinez brings more than 20 years of experience in specific project management/implementation specialties such as CRM design and conversion, data base management, business automation, cloud solutions, and business intelligence reporting and metrics. Throughout his career, he has also developed and executed IT and sales effectiveness programs, with a focus on revenue growth, operating cost reductions, sales quota establishment and forecasting, performance management, and headcount design and analysis. Prior to assuming the SVP and CIO roles, Mr. Martinez served as a strategic consultant for School Specialty’s CRM system transformation efforts, where he led critical analysis, design and implementation processes. Previously, he worked with leading IT and consultancy firms in various management capacities, including as Chief Strategy Officer at Execution Specialists Group; Senior Director of Automation and Corporate Program Office at Local Insight Media; and Director of Automation and Reporting at Dex Media.

“In my experience, nothing has been more fulfilling than driving business growth by helping an organization leverage technology advancements that unlock the opportunities in people and data,” said Mr. Martinez. “I am truly honored to be serving School Specialty as its CIO, a company with a strong reputation as a trailblazer in the education market and believing in the power of 21^st century IT. I look forward to working more closely with Joe and the extended SSI team and will do all I can to continue to add value to the organization in the years to come.”

Mr. Martinez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Marketing (minor in Accounting) from Regis University in Denver, Colorado.

About School Specialty, Inc.
School Specialty is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and services to the education marketplace. The Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and supplemental learning resources. Working in collaboration with educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure that every student reaches his or her full potential. Through its SSI Guardian subsidiary, the Company is also committed to school, healthcare and corporate workplace safety by offering the highest quality curriculum, training and safety and security products. Finally, through its SOAR Life Products brand, the Company offers thousands of products that sharpen cognitive skills and build physical and mental strength in fun and creative ways. From childhood through adulthood, they help individuals live life to the fullest – engaged, happy and well.  SOAR Life Products is a customized offering for hospitals, long-term care, therapeutic facilities, home care, surgery centers, day care centers, physician offices, and clinics. For more information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com.

@SchoolSpecialty
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Investor and Media Contacts:
Glenn Wiener / Dionne Manchester
GW Communications (for School Specialty)
Tel: 212-786-6011 / 212-786-6068
Email: [email protected] / [email protected]