WILMINGTON, Mass. — UniFirst Corp.’s board of directors has named Steven S. Sintros as the company’s next president and chief executive officer, the company reports. In addition, Sintros was appointed to the board, both effective immediately.
He succeeds Ronald D. Croatti, who passed away unexpectedly in May 2017 after serving 26 years as UniFirst’s chief executive and more than 50 years with the company.
Sintros, 43, joined UniFirst in 2004, serving as the company’s finance manager and corporate controller before being promoted to his most recent role as chief financial officer in 2009. In this role, the company says he worked side-by-side with Croatti, helping oversee the company’s overall operations and maintaining responsibility for its finance, information technology and financial reporting functions.
“The board unanimously agreed that Steve’s leadership experience and strategic thinking, coupled with his financial knowledge, made him the right person to lead the execution of UniFirst’s business plans,” says Raymond Zemlin, lead director of UniFirst’s board. “His long tenure working alongside Ron Croatti will help ensure a smooth continuance for UniFirst’s drive to sustainable returns for all stakeholders for the long term.”
“I’m excited and honored to be taking on this important role and look forward to partnering further with our talented and experienced executive team, as well as our thousands of employee Team Partners worldwide, to recognize Ron Croatti’s goals and visions for UniFirst and to help further accelerate strategic actions that maximize long-term growth and profitability,” Sintros says. “We remain steadfast to our company’s unwavering customer focus and commitment to our founding business philosophies.”
Prior to joining UniFirst, Sintros worked as an audit manager at Ernst & Young and at Arthur Andersen before that. He attended the College of the Holy Cross, where he received an undergraduate degree in economics, and Northeastern University, where he earned a master’s degree in accounting and business administration. Sintros is also a Certified Public Accountant.
As president and CEO, the company says Sintros’s first priorities will be continuing on the paths laid out in UniFirst’s current strategic plan for business continuity and annual positive growth, maintaining the unique “family culture” held by the company’s 13,000 employee Team Partners, and ensuring that UniFirst always remains an industry leader by providing exceptional customer service and products to its 300,000 business customers and nearly 2 million uniform wearers. Sintros’s replacement as CFO has not yet been selected.
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