Chicago’s Empire Today Gives Thanks & Rewards to City During Thanksgiving Parade

NORTHLAKE, IL (November 22, 2007) - Empire Today® (www.empiretoday.com) is proud to announce that the world famous Empire Man character will be featured in the annual McDonald’s® Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago on November 22. Empire Today’s iconic Empire Man character will be greeting fans along the parade route from a horse drawn carriage directly ahead of Santa and his sleigh going down State Street from Congress to Randolph between 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM.

Along with its famous Empire Man being honored as a main attraction in the parade, Empire Today will have the Empire version of Santa’s Helpers walking the parade route handing out free coupons to Chicago area residents in thanks for supporting Empire Today for over 45 years.

“Empire Today has built our success one customer at a time, and it started in Chicago so we could not be happier than to represent this city on such a historic day by participating in the Thanksgiving Day Parade and giving our thanks back to the people of Chicago with valuable offers from Empire Today,” says Marlo Michalek, Vice President of Marketing and Media.

GROWING UP IN CHICAGO
Now a Chicago cultural institution, Empire Today started as a small, family-owned Chicago business and has since grown into one of North America’s leading home improvement and installed home furnishing companies. Still headquartered in the immediate Chicago area, Empire Today has helped fulfill the home improvement and installed home furnishing needs of more than 1 million satisfied customers in the U.S. and Canada and has been named the Nation’s #1 Specialty Flooring Retailer by Floor Covering Weekly.

Empire Today offers next-day installation and warehouse direct pricing on top named brands of Carpeting, Flooring, Window Treatments, Bath Liners, Shower Enclosures, and No Clog Gutters®. Custom Windows and Vinyl Siding are installed within two weeks, even during holiday season. Empire Today’s expert sales representatives bring samples direct to each customer’s home – allowing a convenient in-home shopping experience.

CELEBRATING A CHICAGO TREASURE
In 2006 and 2007, the Chicago Cubs declared official ballpark holidays at historic Wrigley Field in honor of Empire Today and its lovable mascot The Empire Man. The worldwide popularity of the Empire Jingle – (800) 588-two-three-hundred Empire Today – has inspired platinum selling rock bands such as Pearl Jam to cover the tune in concert to standing ovations. Talk show hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Conan O’Brien have also paid tribute to Empire Today, the Empire Man mascot, and the Empire Today Jingle on their shows. When television Apprentice contestant and native Chicagoan Aimee Trottier was asked by Chicago Magazine what qualifies someone as being from Chicago, she responded that every Chicagoan knows the Empire Today Jingle by heart.

FUN PACKED PARADE
In addition to featuring Santa, Honorary Grand Marshal Ronald McDonald, and The Empire Man, the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade will incorporate 12 giant helium balloons including Elmo, Kermit the Frog, Bear in the Big Blue House, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, Big Bird, Animal, and Strawberry Shortcake. Parade balloons making their first appearances in the Chicago festivities will be the Pink Panther, Cookie Monster, and Popeye. The parade will feature an opening by the stars of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.


The McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade will be broadcast live and in high definition on WGN-TV9 and WGN-DT 9.1 to a national audience of approximately 72-million cable homes. It is one of only three parades in the country to be covered live, in its entirety, on a national television broadcast. Up to 400,000 spectators are expected to line the parade route.

The parade is scheduled to include 24 marching bands, 12 equestrian units, 12 floats, 24 specialty units, and 12 honored guests and celebrities.

Created in 1934 by the State Street Council to stimulate economic development along the street and cheer Chicagoans during the hard Depression years, Chicago’s Thanksgiving parade continues to be a welcoming start to the holidays for area residents and visitors from around the world. This November’s 74th annual parade marks the second consecutive year with McDonalds as its title sponsor and the third time that Empire Today and the Empire Man have been honored in the parade.

HOLIDAY SAVINGS
In conjunction with the November 22 Thanksgiving Parade, Empire is offering a special financing offer of no payments and no interest until January 2009. An ‘Empire’s Hassle Free Holiday Sale’ provides a free $10 coupon with every Empire order. The coupon can be used towards a Jennie-O brand turkey or any other Jennie-O Turkey Store® product.

Empire Today, with offices in over 50 major markets throughout the U.S. and Canada, is one of the Top 200 Brands in the U.S. (Advertising Age) – ahead of Intel, H&R Block, Office Depot, Johnson & Johnson, CBS Television, Post Cereals, and BMW. Empire Today has won multiple awards throughout North America for world-class customer service and business ethics.

To schedule a free in-home estimate call Empire Today’s world famous number: (800) 588-2300.


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About Empire Today:
Empire Today, LLC (Empire Today) is a leading provider of installed Home Furnishings and Home Improvements, with over one million satisfied customers. Empire Today’s ever expanding line of quality home products includes: Carpet, Hardwood Flooring, Laminate Flooring, Ceramic Flooring, Window Treatments, Bath Liners, Shower Enclosures, No Clog Gutters®, Custom Windows, and Vinyl Siding. The company provides superior service, next day installation, and world-class customer care to more than 50 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Canada. Call: (800) 588-2300. Visit: www.empiretoday.com

Media Contacts:

Empire Today, Rikki-Lee Travolta
Public Relations Manager
(847) 583-3000; rtravolta@empiretoday.com

McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade
Bonni Pear, Miller-Pear Public Relations
(312) 674-4566; bpear@millerpear.com