Kelly Rooney named COO, with Michael Croatti moving from executive position

WILMINGTON, Mass., Sept. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF), a North American leader in the supply and support of uniform and workwear programs, facilities support products, and first aid and safety supplies, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kelly Rooney as Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective September 30, 2024.

Rooney has extensive knowledge and experience in large-scale B2B operations. She has held operational and management positions of increasing responsibility over her twenty-five-year career, most recently as Chief Human Resources Officer of Waste Management, a $20 billion public company. Rooney is returning to her roots and will oversee the day-to-day operations of UniFirst, focusing on driving growth, improving customer service excellence and driving operational efficiencies. Her innovative leadership style, systematic approach and strong customer focus have consistently delivered outstanding results throughout her career.

“We are excited to welcome Kelly to the team,” said Steve Sintros, CEO of UniFirst. “Her partnership and ability to drive positive change will be critical as we continue to grow. In addition to her deep operational experience, her talent and passion for empowering employees to succeed are a perfect fit for our culture and our promise to always deliver for our customers and employees.”

In addition, the company announced that Michael Croatti, executive vice president, will retire from his current position in November 2024. UniFirst recognizes Croatti’s significant contributions, who have played an integral role in the company’s success throughout his 35-year career. Croatti, the son of former UniFirst CEO Ron Croatti, has been a leader in maintaining client and industry relationships. Although he is stepping down as a full-time director of the company to spend more time with his family, Croatti expects to remain involved in a consulting role for some time, working with Sintros on key client and industry partnerships.

“This decision is the result of a lot of thought,” Croatti said. “For the past 35 years, UniFirst has been more than just a place to work—it has been a family. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together.”

Sintros expressed gratitude for Croatti’s continued involvement, saying, “Michael has been an invaluable part of our team and has made a huge contribution to the success of our company. We are grateful for his continued involvement as a consultant and wish him all the best in his next chapter.”

The leadership changes underscore UniFirst’s commitment to achieving continued success while maintaining the strong values ​​and relationships that have defined the company for decades.

About UniFirst Corporation

Headquartered in Wilmington, Mass., UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF) is a North American leader in the delivery and servicing of workwear and uniform programs, facility services, and first aid and safety supplies and services. The company, together with its subsidiaries, also manages specialized apparel programs for the cleanroom and nuclear industries. In addition to partnering with leading brands, UniFirst manufactures its own branded workwear, protective apparel and floor care products in three company-owned, ISO-9001 certified manufacturing facilities. With more than 270 service locations, more than 300,000 customer locations and more than 16,000 Team Partners, the company equips more than 2 million workers every day. For more information, contact UniFirst at 888.296.2740 or visit UniFirst.com. Follow UniFirst on social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram.

Disclosure of Forward-Looking Statements

This public announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events, including certain employment and advisory matters. The forward-looking statements contained in this public announcement are subject to the safe harbor created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and may be identified by words such as “will,” “expects,” “remains,” “continues,” “driving,” “maintaining,” “effective” or the negative versions thereof and similar expressions, as well as by the context in which they are used. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and speak only as of the date they are made. Such statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to execute our strategies, including the leadership transition, and other factors described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended August 26, 2023, Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other filings with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date they are made.