Leadership Summit: Industry Veterans Panel
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Some of the most recognizable names in the global linen, uniform and facility services industry will share their insights with attendees during a panel presentation at TRSA’s Leadership Summit on June 13 in Rosemont, IL, near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.
Participants on the panel include Scott Farmer, chairman and CEO, Cintas Corp., Mason, OH; Steve Larson, VP, North American Linen Division, Alsco Inc., Salt Lake City; Juha Laurio, president and CEO, Lindström Oy, Helsinki; Steven Sintros, president and CEO, UniFirst Corp., Wilmington, MA; and Tom Watts, president, Prudential Overall Supply, Irvine, CA. TRSA president and CEO Joseph Ricci will serve as the moderator. Several members of the panel were previously scheduled to appear on TRSA’s International CEO Panel at the 2017 Annual Conference in Miami, which was canceled due to Hurricane Irma.
Titled “Rising through the Ranks: What It Takes,” the Leadership Summit panel features executives from top international companies sharing their experience managing new generations of leadership. Panelists also will answer candid audience questions and discuss their own rise. Topics include:
- Their backgrounds, and lessons learned that led them to this point
- Invaluable assets deployed on the journey (training, mentors, etc.)
- Personal insights and perspectives on issues/concerns impacting the industry
Farmer has been Cintas CEO since 2003; he became president and chief operating officer in 1997. Joining the company full-time in 1981 as a management trainee, he moved onto a variety of production, sales and service management positions and was later in VP slots in National Accounts, Marketing and Merchandising, and the Rental Division.
Steve Larson has overseen Alsco’s North American Linen Division since 2006. He was previously regional manager in California. Alsco has been his employer since high school; he worked part-time in production and service in his hometown (Portland, OR). After college, he became a production manager, before shifting to Tacoma, WA, as GM in 1984 and Honolulu as GM in 1989.
Juha Laurio joined Lindström in 2006 as executive VP and COO; he also served as its managing director, rising to president and CEO in 2008. Prior to Lindström, he held several positions at the Finland-based Perlos Group (telecommunications, electronics), including Americas region president. He also was an R&D engineer for engine manufacturer Wärtsilä NSD Corp.
Steven Sintros, CPA, became UniFirst president and CEO in 2017. Arriving in 2004, he was finance manager and corporate controller, then senior VP and CFO. In the latter role, he oversaw all operations with line responsibility for finance, information technology and financial reporting. Before joining UniFirst, he was with Ernst & Young and Arthur Andersen.
Tom Watts started as a customer sales representative (CSR or route salesman) in 1975 at Prudential, where his father had worked in the same role. He would later become utility route salesman, route manager, sales and service manager, GM, regional manager, operations VP, and now, president.
For more information on TRSA’s inaugural Leadership Summit, visit www.trsa.org/leadershipsummit. Contact Mary Beth Porter at 877.770.9274 or mporter@trsa.org for the buy-two, get-one-free discount code before registering.