WILMINGTON, Mass., July 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniforms, workwear, and facility service products for businesses, recently held their 20th annual Founder's Day companywide, an annual event that celebrates the life, memory, and business values of company founder Aldo Croatti.
On July 9, thousands of employees from UniFirst's 260-plus locations took time to honor the man who first started the now $1.8 billion international uniform service and supply company in 1936, when it was based out of an old horse barn in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Founder's Day has been a yearly UniFirst event following the passing of Mr. Croatti in 2001, typically held with in-person celebrations at UniFirst locations from coast to coast. The company held a virtual event in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, but with restrictions beginning to lift across the nation and across the company, a collective decision was made to hold a hybrid event in 2021. Employees from the company's hundreds of locations, including UniFirst headquarters in Wilmington, MA, enjoyed a day full of food and activities before participating in a virtual celebration later in the day.
This year's Founder's Day revolved around the company's ongoing rebranding initiative, including a presentation about the UniFirst brand and the evolution from Mr. Croatti's initial visions for the company to where the company is today. As always, Founder's Day was also used as an opportunity to reinforce Mr. Croatti's (and UniFirst's) Core Values of Customer Focus, Respect for Others, and Commitment to Quality.
"Our dedicated UniFirst family members continually embody the vision and values of my father, and that was especially apparent over the past year," said Mr. Croatti's daughter and UniFirst Executive Vice President, Cynthia Croatti. "Our employees have shown that, regardless of the circumstances, they will always deliver to help our customers, our communities, and our UniFirst family remain safe and productive."
During this year's Founder's Day, each UniFirst location named its Employee of the Year (EOY)—the person who best exemplifies the company's aforementioned Core Values. Each EOY was presented with an award and a gift of recognition, as well as a bonus paid day off, and the EOYs have their names engraved on commemorative plaques that are on permanent display at their respective local UniFirst locations. The company also announced the recipients of their two higher-education scholarships, The annual Aldo Croatti Scholarship and the Ronald D. Croatti Scholarship programs. The former, awarded in honor of its namesake, assists children of UniFirst staff members in their academic pursuits. The latter, presented in recognition of the longtime president and CEO who passed away in 2017, offers assistance to full-time UniFirst employees who enroll in undergraduate or graduate study at an accredited college or vocational/technical school in the areas of information technology (IT), sales leadership, or business administration/leadership.
About UniFirst
Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniform and workwear programs, as well as the delivery of facility service programs. Together with its subsidiaries, the company also provides first aid and safety products, and manages specialized garment programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective clothing, and floorcare products; and with 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com.
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SOURCE UniFirst Corporation
