UniFirst Celebrates Annual Founder’s Day Amid COVID-19
Founder’s Day is the day each year when the 260-plus locations of UniFirst Corp. across North and Central America celebrate the memory and business values of company founder Aldo Croatti. The company’s 14,000 employee team partners took a break from their busy schedules this July to honor the man who started the $1.8-billion uniform service and supply company in 1936 out of an old horse barn in Dorchester, MA, according to a news release.
Founder’s Day has been an annual event since Aldo Croatti’s passing in 2001, typically recognized with in-person celebrations and cookouts at UniFirst locations from coast to coast. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced notable changes to this year’s event, held on July 10. Employee team partners based out of the company’s corporate headquarters in Wilmington, MA, joined in on a Founder’s Day vehicle parade in the morning and a virtual celebration via video conferencing in the afternoon. Meanwhile, team partners at the company’s field locations participated in their activities and celebrations adhering to social distancing guidelines. Despite these challenges, the spirit of the day remained the same – celebrating Aldo Croatti and his founding core values: customer focus, respect for others and commitment to quality.
UniFirst, which had been deemed an essential business at the outset of the pandemic, has remained open and fully functional over the past few months with team partners from every facet of the company abiding by a set of new health and safety protocols. Accordingly, this year’s Founder’s Day paid homage to UniFirst’s “Everyday Heroes” – the employee team partners who have worked tirelessly and unselfishly, going above and beyond throughout the pandemic helping UniFirst facilities stay sanitized, healthy and safe, as well as essential business customers stay open so they, in turn, can help their communities. These heroes have also been helping throughout their own communities by holding food drives, producing protective face coverings for healthcare workers, donating to local charities in need, and much more, the release noted. Many of these heroes have also been featured on UniFirst’s social media channels and in several heartwarming news stories, both on television and in print media, and also in a Founder’s Day video viewed by the entire company.
“Although these unprecedented times have been challenging for all of us, I’m amazed, but not surprised, how our team partners have stepped up as true everyday heroes working together to help our customers, our communities, and our UniFirst family stay safe,” said Aldo Croatti’s daughter and UniFirst Executive Vice President Cynthia Croatti. “I’m proud to say UniFirst is a company dedicated to service, mobilizing precisely when people need it most. And, as we honored my father’s legacy, it seemed fitting to recognize our team partners – our heroes – who have epitomized these values and represented our company so well. And for that, they have my unending gratitude.”
It is in this same spirit on Founder’s Day that each of the UniFirst locations also named its Employee of the Year (EOY) – the person who best exemplifies the company’s founding core values. Each EOY was presented with an award and a special recognition gift, as well as a bonus paid day off. The EOYs also have their names engraved on commemorative plaques that are on permanent display at their local UniFirst locations.