MassMutual, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Honor ArchivesOne with Blue Chip Enterprise Award

Program recognizes small businesses that have demonstrated the ability to succeed in the face of serious challenges and adversity.

For Immediate Release
Monday, February 12, 2001

In September 2000, The Blue Chip Company SM and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce honored ArchivesONE of Watertown with a State Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Award.

Founded in 1990, The Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative® is co-sponsored by MassMutual, one of the nation's premier financial service companies, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation. Through a national application process, the program seeks to identify and learn from small businesses that have successfully managed resources, committed to excellence and emerged stronger.

ArchivesONE is in the business of providing records management and storage services to banks, law firms, hospitals, corporations and medical practices. In 1991, A. J. Wasserstein, then 24 and newly graduated from the Stern School of Business at New York University, sought to identify the perfect spot for his newly hatched file storage company. He cobbled together $70,000 from family and friends to purchase a dilapidated brick building in the heart of Waterbury, CT. Waterbury met most of his critical criteria; central location and low cost. Since the small city happened to lie at the Intersection of Interstate 84, which runs east and west, and Route 8, which runs north and south, Wasserstein reckoned he'd be within two hours of any location he wanted to reach.

Wasserstein didn't foresee that his investment dollar would spread far beyond his spreadsheet calculations. After placing a help-wanted ad for a customer representative in the daily newspaper, the Waterbury Republican American, he received responses from more than 25 eager applicants. The city had a willing and able labor pool to tap into.

Since 1991, ArchivesONE has ballooned into a $ 9 million business, serving over 1300 customers in Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey and Ohio and employing 80 team members. In 1999, ArchivesONE converted to a bar code system to track and control the inventory system. To maintain the position as a technical leader in the Records Management industry, ArchivesOne has since made several upgrades and improvements to the original shift in bar code technology. Each driver carries a portable bar code reader with portable printers. Each pick up and delivery is scanned right at the customer's location and a hard copy printed is presented to the customer. Additionally, several internal databases for customers have been designed.

"I am delighted that we have been selected by MassMutual and The U.S. Chamber," stated ArchivesONE CFO John Pavlovich. "The Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative has recognized many great companies over the years and we are honored that we have been selected."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing over three million organizations of every size, sector and region.

MassMutual - The Blue Chip Company SM, is one of the nation's premier financial service companies. MassMutual offers life and disability income protection, asset accumulation products, and retirement and investment services to individuals, businesses and their employees. MassMutual has over 1,200 sales offices nationwide.