WILMINGTON, Mass., June 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF ), a North American leader in providing customized work uniform programs, corporate attire, and facility service products, recently announced the 2018 recipients of the company’s Aldo Croatti and Ronald D. Croatti scholarship programs.
In 1936, Aldo Croatti founded UniFirst as a startup industrial laundry service in a converted horse barn in Boston to clean area workers’ coveralls. By 1991, he grew the business across the U.S. and Canada to about $100 million in annual revenues. That year, his son 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 and services to nearly 2 million workers at 300,000 customer locations across North America and in Europe, and employs 14,000 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 179 scholarships totaling more than $358,000.
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.
| The 2018 Aldo Croatti Scholarship recipients are as follows: | ||
| Rebecca Burton | Brampton, Ontario | Wilfred Laurier University |
| Rachel Cain | Dyer, Ind. | University of Indianapolis |
| Owen Chess | Saegertown, Penn. | University of Pennsylvania—Edinboro |
| Kaycee Cross | Amarillo, Texas | University of Texas—Austin |
| Enrique Escobedo | Crowley, Texas | University of Texas—Arlington |
| Dania Garcia Lopez | Fort Worth, Texas | Tarrant County College |
| Jacob Marcus | Manchester, N.H. | College of the Holy Cross |
| Myah-Raye Vickers | Ocala, Fla. | College of Central Florida |
| Allyson Reiffer | Wyoming, Mich. | Kuyper College |
| Julie Tran | Calgary, Alberta | University of Alberta |
| Cortlyn Wolfe | Topeka, Kan. | Baker University |
| Chau Xuan | Lexington, Mass. | University of Connecticut |
“It’s such a great honor to receive the Aldo Croatti Scholarship from UniFirst,” says Chau Xuan, one of the 2018 scholarship recipients. “I’m really proud that UniFirst recognized my academic achievements and thankful for the scholarship money that will help offset the costs of attending college.”
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 34 scholarships totaling more than $129,000 since its inception.
| Congratulations to the following UniFirst employee Team Partner recipients: | ||
| Diann Cross | Birmingham, Ala. | Jefferson State Community College |
| Alexander Davis | Laurel, Del. | Wilmington University |
| Andres De Le Pente | Kenner, La. | University of New Orleans |
| Sarah Gillis | Wilmington, Mass. | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Lori Hoagland | Owensboro, Ky. | Brescia University |
| Angila Jackson | Dothan, Ala. | Wallace Community College |
| Robert Keiser | Seabrook, N.H. | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Jeremy Kreischer | Arnold, Md. | University of Maryland |
| Erik May | Belmont, N.C. | University of North Carolina—Charlotte |
| Charles Stanec | Concord, N.C. | Strayer University |
“UniFirst values education and is committed to helping our employee Team Partners and their children achieve their academic goals,” says UniFirst president and CEO Steven Sintros. “We congratulate all of our 2018 scholarship winners and wish them the very best in their future endeavors.”
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 250 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits nearly 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 800.455.7654 or visit UniFirst.com .
Donna Kish, PR/Communications Phone: 978.527.3871 Email: Donna_Kish@unifirst.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/Attachm...b9ebc924d3
