STAMFORD, Conn., Dec 08, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI), the world's leading provider of mailstream solutions, has been named a winner of the New England Employee Benefits Council's (NEEBC) 2006 "Best Practice" award. The annual award is presented to the companies which best exhibit innovation and creativity in the planning and delivery of their employee benefit programs.

"The National Business Group on Health nominated Pitney Bowes as an employer that is ahead of the game in terms of pandemic preparedness initiatives, as it has been in so many other health and wellness initiatives for its employees, their dependents and retirees," said Helen Darling, president, National Business Group on Health.

The award was presented at NEEBC's Best Practices Conference held last night in Waltham, MA.

"Pitney Bowes is honored to receive this award," said Dr. Brent J. Pawlecki, associate medical director, Pitney Bowes. "Based on lessons learned from numerous disasters, including the September 11 terrorist attacks and the anthrax scare, we have assembled a unique cross-functional global team to address the issues and challenges that would likely be present during a pandemic. Within the context of a global and geographically dispersed workforce, covering both affected and unaffected areas, we have structured our planning to help protect our employees and their families and to minimize business disruptions," Pawlecki explained.

"In this, our eighth year for the awards program," said Jack Curley, executive director, NEEBC, "this year's selection process was particularly difficult due to the high caliber of nominations received."

Founded in 1979, the New England Employee Benefits Council is the region's largest provider of employee benefits programs. Programs are held throughout the year and feature presentations by guest speakers on relevant topics. For additional information about NEEBC and this year's award winning programs, visit http://www.neebc.org or call 781-684-8700.

Pitney Bowes provides the world's most comprehensive suite of mailstream software, hardware, services and solutions to help companies manage their flow of mail, documents and packages to improve communication. Pitney Bowes, with $5.6 billion in annual revenue, takes an all-inclusive view of its customers' operations, helping organizations of all sizes enjoy the competitive advantage that comes from an optimized mailstream. The company's 86 years of technological leadership have produced many major mailstream innovations, and it is consistently on the Intellectual Property Owners Association's list of top U.S. patent holders. With approximately 34,000 employees worldwide, Pitney Bowes serves more than 2 million businesses through direct and dealer operations. More information about the company can be found at http://www.pb.com.

    Contact:
     Colette Cote
     Pitney Bowes Inc.
     203 351 6132
     Colette.Cote@pb.com

SOURCE Pitney Bowes Inc.

Colette Cote of Pitney Bowes Inc., +1-203-351-6132, Colette.Cote@pb.com

http://www.pb.com