UniFirst

UniFirst was founded in 1936 by the Croatti family,{{cite book|author=Laurie Pasiuk|title=Vault Guide to the Top Business Services Employers|url=https://archive.org/details/vaultguidetotopb00vaul|url-access=registration|access-date=8 April 2012|date=30 April 2006|publisher=Vault Inc.|isbn=978-1-58131-402-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/vaultguidetotopb00vaul/page/111 111]–112}} under the name of National Overall Dry Cleaning Company.{{cite web|title=History of UniFirst Corporation|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/unifirst-corporation-history/|publisher=FundingUniverse|access-date=January 19, 2015}} The company began in a horse barn that had been converted into a makeshift laundry, and its equipment consisted of a single washing machine and a delivery truck. It served Boston area factory workers and other laborers, whose heavy soiled work clothing needed to be cleaned frequently. The National Overall Dry Cleaning Company was incorporated in Massachusetts on October 6, 1950.{{cite book|author=Moody's Investors Service|title=Moody's industrial news reports|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cccgAQAAMAAJ&q=%22incorporated+in+Massachusetts%22+unifirst|access-date=7 April 2012|date=May 1984|publisher=Moody's Investors Service|page=3804}}

In the 1980s, UniFirst was sued by residents of Woburn, Massachusetts in a class-action lawsuit. The residents alleged that Unifirst, along with two other firms, had released pollution that had leaked into the water supply, and that this was a cause of increased instances of leukemia in the town. UniFirst settled with the residents without going to trial, for a sum of one million dollars.{{cite journal|last1=Marshall|first1=E|title=Woburn case may spark explosion of lawsuits|journal=Science|volume=234|issue=4775|year=1986|pages=418–420|issn=0036-8075|doi=10.1126/science.3764418|pmid=3764418|bibcode=1986Sci...234..418M}} This episode was featured in the non-fiction book A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr, later adapted into a film of the same name.{{cite book|author=Elisa Bergslien|title=An Introduction to Forensic Geoscience|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DuOHHh-eIFcC&pg=PA438|access-date=7 April 2012|date=15 May 2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4051-6054-4|pages=437–438}} As of 2009, UniFirst's environmental record has improved; it has received awards for its water treatment processes from the Missouri Water Environment Association and the Water and Wastewater Utility Special Service Division of Austin, Texas, among others.{{cite news|title=UniFirst Wins Awards for 'Green' Laundering Processes|url=http://www.americanlaundrynews.com/article/unifirst-wins-awards-%E2%80%98green%E2%80%99-laundering-processes|newspaper=American Laundry News|date=January 12, 2009}}

In 1991 Ronald Croatti became the chief executive officer of the company. He continued his rise in 1995, when he became the company president, and again in 2002, when he became the chairman of the board.{{cite web|title=Executive Profile: Ronald D. Croatti|url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=309970&ticker=UNF:US&previousCapId=260725&previousTitle=CINTAS%20CORP|publisher=Bloomberg Businessweek}}{{dead link|date=April 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} In 2011, UniFirst featured in an episode of the reality television series Undercover Boss.{{cite web | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/undercover-boss-how-unifirst-keeps-margins-up-on-uniforms-without-losing-its-shirt/ | title=Undercover Boss: How UniFirst Keeps Margins Up on Uniforms Without Losing Its Shirt | publisher=CBS News | date=January 7, 2011 | access-date=April 7, 2012 | author=Dishman, Lydia}}

In May 2017, Ronald Croatti died and Steven S. Sintros became President & CEO.{{cite web|title=UniFirst names new CEO following death of Ronald Croatti in May|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2017/08/01/unifirst-names-new-ceo-following-death-of-ronald.html}}

UniFirst supplies uniforms and protective clothing, as well as restroom and cleaning products such as floor mats, mops, air fresheners and soap.{{cite web|title=UniFirst Corp (UNF)|url=https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=UNF|publisher=Reuters|access-date=May 5, 2015}} Products that it manufactures in-house include work shirts, work pants, outerwear, and flame-resistant work apparel. It also manufactures a majority of the garments it places in rental programs.

UniFirst subsidiary companies include Green Guard, UniTech Services Group, and UniClean. Green Guard is a corporate supplier of first aid equipment;{{cite web | url=http://www.greenguard.com/ | title=Green Guard | publisher=Green Guard | access-date=April 8, 2012}} UniTech provides laundering and decontamination services to the nuclear industry;{{cite web | url=http://www.unitechus.com/ | title=UniTech Services Group | publisher=UniTech Services Group | access-date=April 8, 2012}} and UniClean supplies clothing and services related to cleanrooms.{{cite web | url=http://www.uniclean.com/ | title=UniClean Cleanroom Services | publisher=UniClean | access-date=April 8, 2012}} UniFirst also has a Canadian uniform rental subsidiary called UniFirst Canada.{{cite web | url=http://www.unifirst.ca/ | title=UniFirst Canada | publisher=UniFirst Canada | access-date=May 3, 2015}}

• Anderson v. Cryovac, Inc. for suit by residents of Woburn, Massachusetts

{{Reflist}}

• [https://unifirst.com Official site]

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Category:Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange

Category:Manufacturing companies based in Massachusetts

Category:Companies based in Wilmington, Massachusetts

Category:American companies established in 1936

Category:Clothing companies established in 1936

Category:Clothing manufacturers

Category:Cleanroom technology

Category:1936 establishments in Massachusetts