Wilmington, Mass. (January 2022) – UniFirst Corporation (NYSE:UNF), a North American leader in the supply and servicing of uniforms, workwear, and facility service products for businesses, has been named a silver winner in the 11th annual Best in Biz Awards in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program of the Year category. Best in Biz Awards is an independent business awards program judged annually by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications in North America. 2021 marked a year that drew intense competition from more than 700 entries from public and private companies of all sizes and spanning all geographic regions and industries in the U.S. and Canada.
This year’s judges were particularly focused on the winning companies’ resilience and adaptability that allowed them to manage within and to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic-related challenges of the past 20-plus months for the betterment of the communities in which they serve while attaining annual business goals. Companies were also judged on levels of dedication to their customers and targeted efforts made to maintain and deepen their commitments to communities and the environment during these tough times.
UniFirst was named this year’s silver winner based on the company’s swift and compassionate response to the COVID-19 pandemic to support its employee team partners, customers, and local communities to help keep businesses up and running. Among the many purpose-driven efforts included the company’s involvement with local Chambers of Commerce throughout North America to help facilitate UniFirst donations of significant supplies of face masks, hand sanitizer, and other PPE where they were needed most. This included a sizable donation made to The Greater Boston Food Bank consisting of 500,000 disposable masks, nearly 200,000 reusable face masks, and over 120,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. GBFB’s then shared these items across 600 food distribution partners in 190 cities and towns.
“We’re proud and honored to receive this honor from Best in Biz Awards and for our more than 14,000 team partners to be recognized for their dedication to both our customers and the communities in which we live and serve,” said Steven Sintros, UniFirst President and CEO. “We’re deeply committed to providing excellence in customer service and doing our part to ensure that our communities have what they need to help keep their businesses up and running, especially during these challenging times.”
UniFirst’s community support efforts were documented in the company’s 2021 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report, which highlights initiatives in the areas of sustainability, diversity and employee initiatives, community, safety, product and service innovation, ethical governance, and financial transparency. These topics are highlighted in detail to provide readers insight into UniFirst’s CSR-related programs—each geared toward developing a deeper understanding of the lengths to which the company goes to maintain the various areas of corporate responsibility.
To read UniFirst’s Corporate Social Responsibility report in its entirety, please visit csr.UniFirst.com. For more information about the Best in Biz Awards and to see the full list of winners, visit https://www.bestinbizawards.com/2021-winners-other/.
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 260 service locations, over 300,000 customer locations, and 14,000 employee Team Partners, the company outfits more than 2 million workers each business day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 888.433.3551 or visit UniFirst.com.
About Best in Biz Awards
Since 2011, Best in Biz Awards has been the only independent business awards program judged by a who’s who of prominent reporters and editors from top-tier publications from North America and around the world. Over the years, judges in this prestigious awards program have ranged from Associated Press to the Wall Street Journal and winners have spanned the spectrum, from blue-chip companies that form the bedrock of the global economy to some of the world’s most innovative start-ups and nimble local companies. Each year, Best in Biz Awards honors are conferred in two separate programs: North America and International, and in 100 categories, including company, team, executive, product, and CSR, media, PR and other categories. For more information, visit: https://www.bestinbizawards.com.
Contact:
Donna Kish
Communications/PR Manager
UniFirst Corporation
68 Jonspin Rd.
Wilmington, MA 01887
978.527.3871
Donna_Kish@UniFirst.com
