Pictured (L to R): TRSA Vice Chairman James Buik presents UniFirst executives Michael Croatti and Matthew Croatti (Ron’s sons) with the TRSA Operator Lifetime Achievement Award.
Guest blog courtesy of TRSA
Activities during the first day of TRSA’s 8th Annual Leadership & Legislative Conference neatly fit the first half of this event’s name. Most of the nearly 100 attendees navigated airline schedules snarled across the nation by heavy East Coast snow to prepare to speak on behalf of their industry and companies on visits to Capitol Hill the next day. While this preparation included reviewing pending legislation of concern to linen, uniform and facility services, the groundwork consisted mostly of learning from shining examples of leadership in executive, corporate and public service roles.
Chief among these was the evening presentation of the TRSA Operator Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously to Ronald Croatti. The UniFirst Corp. CEO sparked the Wilmington, MA, uniform service company’s growth from $100 million to $1.5 billion in annual sales during his 25-year tenure in that position. The presentation by TRSA Vice Chairman James Buik (Roscoe Co., Chicago) acknowledged Croatti’s leadership of association activities, including developing market research and other industry promotions and inviting independent operators to visit UniFirst facilities. Company executives Michael Croatti and Matthew Croatti (Ron’s sons) accepted the award.
About TRSA
As the only collective voice of the industry, TRSA strengthens and promotes the linen, uniform and facility services industry by advocating for pro-business regulatory and legislative policy.
