Second Chopper To Be Auctioned Online To Benefit Tournament’s Children’s Charity; Design And Build Process To Be Featured On "American Chopper" TV Series
PLANO, Texas, March 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — EDS today announced it will award a motorcycle built by renowned Orange County Choppers, Inc. to the winner of the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship. The first place prize chopper, a PGA TOUR first, will be awarded in addition to the $1.134 million winner’s share of the tournament’s purse at the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, April 26-29 at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas.
Orange County Choppers, one of the world’s premier builders of custom motorcycles, is building two additional identical choppers themed after the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. EDS will donate one of the choppers to an online auction to benefit Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers, the charity of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship. The third chopper will be retained by EDS and used to raise awareness of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and the charity it supports.
"This breaks new ground in terms of enhancing what already is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the PGA TOUR," said Ron Rittenmeyer, president and chief operating officer of EDS. "The prize motorcycle will be sought after by the players, and the proceeds from the online auction of the second chopper will help the EDS Byron Nelson Championship reach its $100 million milestone in charitable giving, more than any other event on the PGA TOUR. By auctioning this chopper for charity, we are helping Byron’s work for the kids continue."
"This is something new for us, for EDS and the PGA TOUR," said Paul Teutul, Sr., founder of Orange County Choppers. "We’ve never built three identical theme bikes at the same time before, much less for such an important purpose — to be awarded to the champion of a PGA TOUR event and, even better, to raise money for a great charity."
"We applaud EDS for conceiving this innovative idea to create excitement around the tournament and raise significant funds for our charity," said Brooks Cullum, chairman of the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship. "We are grateful to EDS and Orange County Choppers for helping us ensure that Byron’s great legacy of helping others will continue."
The motorcycle design includes:
— Chrome wheel spokes that individually commemorate each of Byron Nelson’s 11 consecutive tournament victories in 1945, a PGA TOUR record that stands today.
— Elements of wood and steel to reflect the irons and persimmon woods of the Nelson golf era.
— Radio frequency identification technology, commonly known as RFID. A chip-based RFID tag implanted in the bike’s ignition will allow only the rider to arm and disarm the security system.
Paul Teutul, Sr. and his sons are the creative force behind Orange County Choppers and the stars of one of cable television’s leading reality series, TLC’s "American Chopper." The process behind the building of the EDS Byron Nelson Championship motorcycle will be featured on two May episodes of "American Chopper."
The 30-day build process for the motorcycles is expected to be completed at Orange County Choppers’ facility by mid-April, and the three bikes will be unveiled on the number one tee box at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship during the Pro-Am on Wednesday, April 25. Information regarding the chopper auction is available at eds.com/auction.
About EDS
EDS (NYSE: EDS) is a leading global technology services company delivering business solutions to its clients. EDS founded the information technology outsourcing industry more than 40 years ago. Today, EDS delivers a broad portfolio of information technology and business process outsourcing services to clients in the manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, communications, energy, transportation, and consumer and retail industries and to governments around the world. Learn more at eds.com.
About the EDS Byron Nelson Championship
The EDS Byron Nelson Championship, the first PGA TOUR event named after a professional golfer, has provided more money to charity than any other stop on the PGA TOUR. Total charitable contributions in 2006 topped $6.4 million. More than $94 million has been raised for Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers since the tournament’s inception, and the Championship will soon surpass the $100 million milestone in total charitable giving.
About Orange County Choppers
Orange County Choppers has gained international recognition from the popular Discovery Channel TV show "American Chopper." Based in Montgomery, N.Y., the shop custom builds motorcycles for well-known clients and corporations from around the world. Paul Teutul, Sr. opened the shop with his son Paul, Jr. to fuel his passion for motorcycles after successfully growing Orange County Ironworks into a thriving business. For more information, visit the website at http://www.orangecountychoppers.com
Paul Teutul Sr., Ron Rittenmeyer, EDS President and Chief Operating Officer, and Paul Teutul Jr. display parts of the 2007 EDS Byron Nelson Championship chopper. (PRNewsFoto/Electronic Data Systems Corporation, Jim Sulley) PLANO, TX UNITED STATES 03/29/2007
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070329/CLTH085 )
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