WILMINGTON, Mass. () – UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF), a North American leader in providing customized work uniform programs, corporate attire, and facility service products, has been recognized for the second time in two years as a 2020 Women on Boards Winning Company. Winning companies are recognized for championing diversity with their Board of Directors by having 20 percent or more of their Board seats held by women.
2020 Women on Boards is a nonprofit national campaign started in 2010 to increase the percentage of women on U.S. company boards to 20 percent or greater by the year 2020. According to 2020 Women on Boards co-founder and chair Stephanie Sonnabend, the campaign has already exceeded its 20 percent national campaign goal. The 2017 Gender Diversity Index of Fortune 1000 companies reveals that women now hold 20.8 percent of the board seats of publicly traded companies, an increase from 19.7 percent in 2016 and 14.6 percent in 2011, the first year of reporting this information. In the campaign’s seven years of tracking the data, 422 Fortune 1000 companies have added 581 female Board seats.
“We’re incredibly honored to be recognized, once again, by 2020 Women on Boards for our commitment to board diversity,” says UniFirst executive vice president and Board member Cynthia Croatti. “We hope that more companies, both large and small, will embrace corporate diversity, and continue to advance women to positions of leadership. Good corporate decision making requires the ability to hear and consider diverse points of view. It’s just smart business.”
The 2017 recognition underscores UniFirst’s level of commitment to maintaining board diversity. Women currently make up 29 percent of those who have a seat on its Board of Directors.
“We congratulate UniFirst for its continued commitment to good corporate governance and believing in the contributions that women are bringing to their workplace,” says Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, CEO of 2020 Women on Boards. “We hope to see them on the ‘W’ list for years to come.”
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 888.302.5313 or visit unifirst.com.
Contact:
Donna Kish
PR/Communications Specialist
UniFirst Corporation
68 Jonspin Rd.
Wilmington, MA 01887
978.527.3871
Donna_Kish@unifirst.com
