To the Rescue ''Help! My office is obsolete!'' cried entrepreneurs across the land, but who needed the most help? Xerox and <i>Entrepreneur</i> found out with their office makeover contest--and turned a tragic office ''don't'' into a fabulous office ''do.''

Standing on Evans Road in Scottsdale, Arizona, this past July, you could hear a certain buzz in the air. It was coming from a small office in an unassuming office park just a hop, skip and a jump from the freeway. While the mercury was busy rising over the 100-degree mark, life behind the tinted picture windows of Mad Science was heading in a decidedly cool direction. Children's science education franchisee Mad Science of Scottsdale and northeast Phoenix was the winning business in Xerox and Entrepreneur's "Help! My Office Is Obsolete!" Makeover Contest.

That may sound like a dubious honor, but owners Jack and Kathy Hamlett didn't just take it in stride-they took it at full running speed. "This is a godsend because we were about to outgrow ourselves," says Jack. Chosen from more than 450 qualified entries, their business was scheduled to get the face lift of a lifetime: new furniture from The HON Company, new technology from Xerox, and a completely redone interior courtesy of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy interior designer Thom Filicia and his design team from Thom Filicia Inc.

To really understand why Mad Science came out on top, you have to conjure up a strong mental image using the "before" pictures as a road map. Don't be embarrassed if this reminds you more than a bit of your own office. The issues Mad Science was facing are typical of many growing businesses.