WILMINGTON, Mass., June 21, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a leading provider of work uniforms and facility services to businesses throughout the U.S. and Canada, recently announced the 2017 recipients of the company’s Aldo Croatti and Ronald D. Croatti Scholarship programs.
Both scholarship programs, founded to further expand UniFirst’s dedication to academic and professional enrichment for its employee Team Partners, are named for the company’s two past leaders, founder Aldo Croatti and his son Ronald Croatti, former chairman, CEO and president who passed away in May 2017.
Aldo Croatti founded UniFirst as a startup industrial laundry service, in 1936, cleaning area worker coveralls out of a converted horse barn in Boston and grew the business to about $100 million in annual revenues. In 1991, Ronald Croatti took over as its chief executive and, under his leadership, more than quintupled UniFirst annual revenues to more than $1.5 billion. Today, UniFirst supplies uniforms to nearly 2 million workers at 300,000 customer locations and employs 13,000 Team Partners.
The Aldo Croatti Scholarship was established in 2004 to encourage and assist children of UniFirst employee Team Partners in their academic pursuits. Since its inception, UniFirst has granted 167 scholarships totaling more than $334,000.
| The 2017 Aldo Croatti Scholarship recipients are as follows: | ||
| Kourtney Brown | Clarion, Pa. | Clarion University of Pennsylvania |
| Kaycee Cross | Austin, Texas | University of Texas at Austin |
| Elizabeth Fairchild | Winter Park, Fla. | Rollins College |
| Brooke Kelly | London, Ontario | Fanshawe College |
| Jacob Marcus | Worcester, Mass. | College of the Holy Cross |
| Victoria Moss | Hammond, La. | Southeastern Louisiana University |
| Anurag Pradhan | College Park, Md. | University of Maryland: College Park |
| Leslie Probus | Murray, Ky. | Murray State University |
| Allyson Reiffer | Grand Rapids, Mich. | Kuyper College |
| Myah Raye Vickers | St. Petersburg, Fla. | St. Petersburg College |
| Phillip Watt | Calgary, Alberta | University of Calgary |
| Alyssa Zupan | Raleigh, N.C. | North Carolina State University |
Each year, 12 Aldo Croatti scholarships are awarded to students enrolled or enrolling in full-time undergraduate studies at an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational/technical school. Applications are open to children of full-time UniFirst or subsidiary employee Team Partners who have a minimum of one year of employment with the company.
“I’m extremely grateful to UniFirst for awarding me the Aldo Croatti Scholarship,” said Jacob Marcus, one of the 2017 scholarship recipients. “I’m proud that my academic achievements were recognized and thankful for the scholarship money, which will go a long way toward funding my college education.”
The Ronald D. Croatti Scholarship, established in 2015, offers financial assistance to full-time UniFirst employee Team Partners who enroll in full- or part-time undergraduate or graduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational/technical school for an entire academic year. Team Partners are recommended by their supervisors for continuing education in one of three areas: information technology (IT), sales leadership, or business administration/leadership.
To date, UniFirst has awarded 24 scholarships totaling more than $91,000 since its inception.
| Congratulations to the following UniFirst Team Partner recipients: | ||
| Kathryn Chapman | Wilmington, Mass. | Supply Chain |
| Andres De La Puente | Baton Rouge, La. | Business |
| Robert Harvey III | Charlotte, N.C. | Business Administration |
| Lynne Piper | Wilmington, Mass. | Business Administration |
| Gerald Smith | Wilmington, Mass. | Business Administration |
| Charles Stanec | Wilmington, Mass. | Business Management |
| Shane Williams | Wilmington, Mass. | Business Administration |
“These scholarship programs were named after my father and brother, and it’s an immense honor to be able to carry on their memories in this way,” said Cynthia Croatti, executive vice president at UniFirst Corporation. “Aldo and Ron loved this company, along with every one of our employee Team Partners, and both placed a high value on education. We’re a family at UniFirst and it’s only fitting that their legacies will benefit many generations of our UniFirst family who place the same value on education and expanding their academic pursuits.”
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 over 240 service locations, 300,000 customer locations, and 13,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits nearly 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit www.unifirst.com.