Cintas

Cintas Corporation

Type	Public
Traded as	NASDAQ: CTAS S&P 500 Component
Industry	Service
Founded	1929 as Acme Industrial Laundry Company 1972 as Cintas
Headquarters	Mason, Ohio, U.S.
Key people	Richard Farmer, Chairman Emeritus; Scott Farmer, CEO; J. Phillip Holloman, President & COO; Robert J. Kohlhepp, Chairman of the Board
Revenue	US$ 4,316.471 million (2013) [1] US$ 4,102.0 million (2012) [1]
Operating income	US$ 565.211 million (2013) [1] US$ 539.627 million (2012) [1]
Net income	US$ 315.442 million (2013) [1] US$ 297.637 million (2012) [1]
Total assets	US$ 4,345.632 million (2013) [2] US$ 4,165.706 million (2012) [1]
Total equity	US$ 2,201.492 million (2013) [1] US$ 2,139.135 million (2012) [1]
Number of employees	30,000
Website	www.cintas.com

Cintas delivery truck, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Cintas Corporation is an American company which provides specialized services to businesses of all types, primarily throughout North America. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cintas designs, manufactures and implements corporate identity uniform programs, and provides entrance mats, restroom cleaning and supplies, tile and carpet cleaning, promotional products, first aid, safety, fire protection products and services for businesses.^[3] Cintas is a publicly held company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

The company has grown consistently for the past nine years. Growth has been both organic and from acquisitions large and small. Revenue in fiscal year 2012 was $4.1 billion and net income was $297.6 million.^[4] The company is the largest in the industry with approximately 30,000 employees. Cintas has received industry awards from publications such as Fortune in the United States, which named Cintas among its "Most Admired Companies" for eight consecutive years,^[5] and Report on Business Magazine, which named the company one of Canada's Best Employers.^[6]

Cintas has also been featured on episodes of the reality television series Bar Rescue^[7] and Hotel Impossible^[8]

History

Cintas Corporation began in 1929 as the Acme Industrial Laundry Company by Richard (Doc) Farmer. He collected chemical-soaked rags from factories and washed and returned them to customers for a fee. In the early 40's, rags were replaced by shop towels—which are uniform in size and shape and much more absorbent than old rags. By then, the company’s name had changed to Acme Wiperand Industrial Laundry.

His grandson Richard T. Farmer joined the family business in 1956 after graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Acme had just 15 employees at the time. Dick helped uniform rental sales increase from $300,000 in 1959 to $847,000 in 1963. He then put together a business plan to open small uniform rental plants all over the United States. The first opened in Cleveland in October 1968. In 1972, the company changed its name to Cintas and then went public in 1983.

Farmer also tried products that were new at the time, such as fabrics that resisted wrinkles and stains, to grow the company to an almost 30 percent market share in uniforms. Cintas' recent growth has been primarily through its acquisition of more than 220 companies, eliminating overheads and cutting costs. Today, Cintas has bought itself into markets such as First Aid and Safety, Fire Protection, Facility Services, and now Tile and Carpet Cleaning.

Products and Services

Key Industries Serviced:

Gaming, Hospitality, Foodservice, Automotive, Healthcare, Cruise, Manufacturing, Construction, Financial

Sustainability

Laundry Environmental Stewardship Program (LaundryESP®) – Cintas is a charter member of the Laundry Environmental Stewardship Program (LaundryESP®), whose intent is to improve environmental performance in the industrial laundry industry.^[9]

ENERGY STAR – Cintas has partnered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency on its ENERGY STAR program. The program provides a strategic approach to energy management by tracking an organization’s current energy-efficiency and future improvement.^[10]

Green Seal® Certified – The majority of Cintas’ paper products are Green Seal® Certified, which ensures that a product meets rigorous, science-based environmental leadership standards. Green Seal® assures manufacturers and purchasers that certified products are better for human health and the environment.^[11]

Greater Cincinnati Green Business Council (GCGBC) – Cintas is a founding member of the GCGBC. Formed in 2011, the council is made up of businesses that work together to accelerate sustainable development in the Greater Cincinnati region. It is the area’s first collaboration of local business leaders dedicated to promoting sustainability while increasing the bottom line of their businesses. Other founding members include P&G, Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Melink Corporation, Macy’s, Luxottica Group and Fifth Third Bank. Participants meet regularly to learn about each other’s sustainability initiatives, identify common challenges, share experiences and best practices, and look for ways to make our region and its businesses more sustainable.^[12] The GCGBC’s first project was a Workplace Composting Toolkit.^[13]

Citizenship

• Cintas has donated more than 13 million pounds of products to Cincinnati-based Matthew 25: Ministries’ Center for Humanitarian Relief, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit humanitarian aid organization^[14]
• Cintas commits to raising $100,000 yearly for the American Heart Association through employee-partners involvement in events like local heart walks and runs and “Wear Red Day”^[15]
• Cintas corporate headquarters has raised over $226,000 for United Way and its programs
• Cintas has raised over $680,000 for ArtsWave (formally the Fine Arts Fund) which supports arts programs throughout the Greater Cincinnati area^[16]
• Cintas has donated more than $500,000 in women's suiting apparel for Dress for Success, which provides professional attire and career development to low-income women around the world^[17]

Safety

In an effort to enhance its safety programs, Cintas put together an executive safety council in 2007.^[18] Chaired by CEO Scott Farmer, the group includes 20 operations and staff officers who meet every six months to address safety concerns and strategies.

Cintas' safety vision includes the following three goals:

• Every Cintas location is injury-free
• Every partner is engaged in continuously improving safety
• Cintas is widely recognized as one of the world’s leaders in safety and health performance^[19]

As a part of its safety journey using the transformational safety model,^[20] 25 Cintas locations have achieved certification through the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). It is the first industrial launderer^[21] and document management services provider to achieve VPP certification.^[22]

The following locations have earned VPP Star Certification, OSHA's highest safety designation:^[23]

1. Chandler, AZ Rental plant (#696)
2. San Jose, CA DM plant (#630)
3. Frankfort, IN Rental plant (#366)
4. Richmond, VA Rental plant (#143)
5. Charlotte, NC Rental plant (#200)
6. Reno, NV Distribution Center (#67)^[24]
7. Terre Haute, IN Rental branch (#370)
8. Searcy, AR Rental plant (#650)
9. Statesville, NC Rental branch (#230)
10. Aston, PA Rental plant (#100)
11. Scranton, PA Distribution Center (#44)
12. Portsmouth Rental plant and DM plant (391 & #J92)
13. Fayetteville, NC Rental branch (#936)
14. Strongsville, OH Rental plant (#11)
15. Corpus Christi, TX Rental plant (539)
16. Baton Rouge Industrial, LA Rental plant (#540)
17. Lafayette, LA Rental plant (#543)
18. Mason DCs (#95 & #131)
19. Ft. Wayne, IN Rental plant (#338)^[25]
20. Ft. Wayne, IN Rental plant (#G64)
21. Indianapolis, IN FAS (#388)^[26]
22. Providence, RI Rental Plant (#756)^[27]
23. Ashland, KY Distribution Center
24. Lawton, OK Rental branch^[28]
25. South Bend, IN Rental branch^[29]
26. Pittsburgh, PA Rental branch^[30]

Awards and Recognition

• Ranked in Selling Power's 50 Best Companies to Sell For in 2014^[31]
• Ranked eighth in the Large Cap category of Forbes’ list of the “100 Most Trustworthy Companies in America.” 2014 marks the third time Cintas has received the honor since Forbes began the list in 2008.^[32]
• Named in 2014 by Fortune magazine as one of "America's Most Admired Companies" across all industries for the fourth consecutive year and the country's "Most Admired Company" in the diversified outsourcing sector^[33]
• GI Jobs “Top Military Friendly Employer” for 2015 and 2013^{[34] [35]}
• OSHA VPP “Star” recognition given to 26 Cintas facilities^[23]
• 2013 finalist in “Oklahoma’s Best Places to Work” by okcBIZ magazine for 5th consecutive year^[36]
• 2013 “Deal Maker Award” presented by the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG)^[37]
• The 2013 “MBE Empowerment Award” by the South Central Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council (SCOMSDC)
• 2013 “Top 150 Workplaces in the U.S.” by Workplace Dynamics^[38]
• Cintas Uniform customers have received “Image of the Year” Awards by the North American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) for 14 consecutive years^[39]
• Cintas won the “UNIVATOR Award” sponsored by UniformMarket News from 2009 to 2012^[40]
• The “Spirit of Diversity” award at the 2011 South Central Ohio Healthcare Supplier Diversity Symposium^[41]
• The 2011 “Corporation of the Year” award by the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce (AAC)^[42]
• The 2011 “Class II Corporation of the Year” award by SCOMSDC^[43]
• The 2010 “Sustainability All-Star Award” by Apparel magazine^[44]
• The 2010 International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show (IHMRS) Editors’ Choice Award for “Green Guest Amenities”^[45]

Criticism

In 2003, UNITE HERE and the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters have been engaged in a campaign against Cintas, alleging unfair labor practices. Unite obtained license numbers of Cintas workers in Pennsylvania, to contact them at home and has since been ordered to pay the workers $2,500 each. The ruling was subsequently upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.^[46] Following the death of a Tulsa, Oklahoma worker in March 2007, both unions and several Members of Congress have called for stricter health and safety standards at the company's laundries.^[47][48] In May 2007, Cintas hired a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm, the Podesta Group, to manage their relations with Congress.^[49]

References

External links

• Cintas Corporate website
• Cintas Facility Services
• Cintas Uniforms & Apparel
• Cintas First Aid & Safety
• Cintas Fire Protection
• Cintas Document Management
• Cintas Promotional Products
• Cintas Hospitality Solutions
• Cintas Gaming Solutions
• Cintas Foodservice Solutions
• Cintas Automotive Solutions
• Cintas Healthcare Solutions
• Cintas Cruise Solutions