STAMFORD, Conn., Dec 14, 2001 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) today recognized the members of its New York Metro Leadership Disaster Team with the special Fred T. Allen One Standard Excellence Award, for their exceptional team contributions to the business and customers in managing the events surrounding the attacks of September 11th. It is the first time that this award has ever been given earlier than the normal award cycle, which is typically in the spring of the following year.

"Pitney Bowes and our clients have always benefited from having best-in-class management leadership in the field," stated Michael Critelli, Chairman and CEO, Pitney Bowes Inc. "More so, this team has gone above and beyond by overcoming the extraordinary challenges of this disaster. To be able to support each other as a team, while still reaching out to help our clients manage their operations following the attacks is a testament to their dedication, hard work and professionalism."

On the morning of the attacks, Pitney Bowes Management Services, a business services provider of mail and document management services, had close to 100 employees throughout the two towers at the World Trade Center and almost 600 employees in the affected area. In an atmosphere characterized by chaos and confusion, the management team reacted with speed and efficiency to assure employee safety and methodically account for all employees. Within a day of the disaster, the leadership team and staff from the PBI medical department set up a compassion center at PBMS' midtown location to provide support and counseling for those employees and their families traumatized by the events.

"Our first priority has always been to our employees," stated Karen Garrison, president, Pitney Bowes Management Services. "Although we are deeply saddened that four PBMS employees are missing in the attacks, we acknowledge that without the leadership we had in place at the time, the loss may have been far greater."

Following the attacks, members of the leadership team continued to focus on the needs of clients whose operations were destroyed. To do this, the team leveraged the enterprise-wide solutions portfolio of Pitney Bowes to relocate customer operations to offsite facilities and restart customer mail and document processing operations within the fastest possible timeframe.

Named after former Pitney Bowes chairman Fred T. Allen, the award recognizes exceptional team contributions to the company's business and customers. Recipients of this year's award are:

     Karen S.W. Bell
     Dan Cole
     Katalin Jampol
     Mark Stevens
     Michael R. Levitan
     Michael P. Marinelli
     Joseph J. Mackin
     James Marrone
     J. Brent Pawelecki, M.D.
     Jeff Shulz

Pitney Bowes Inc. is a $4 billion global provider of integrated mail and document management solutions headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. Pitney Bowes Management Services is a premier outsourcing partner providing Integrated Mail and Document Management (IMDM) solutions. On-site and national off-site capabilities include secure mail solutions, reprographics, copy centers, facsimile, records and information management, desktop publishing, shipping management, digital print-on-demand, fulfillment, transactional billing statements and critical communications, electronic bill presentment and payment, high-end print output management, secure internet delivery system, and other administrative services.

     Contact:
     Christopher Tessier
     Public Relations Manager
     203-351-7210
     Christopher.Tessier@pb.com

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SOURCE Pitney Bowes Inc.

CONTACT:          Christopher Tessier, Public Relations Manager of Pitney Bowes
                  Inc., +1-203-351-7210, Christopher.Tessier@pb.com

URL:              http://www.pitneybowes.com
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