Voting is Open! Cintas Reveals Top 10 Finalists in Nationwide 2021 Custodian of the Year Contest

With custodians working harder to provide a safe and healthy learning environment amid the pandemic, Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) is proud to announce the top 10 finalists of its eighth-annual Custodian of the Year contest. From saving a choking student’s life by performing the Heimlich maneuver to creating sensory rooms for students with disabilities, the top 10 finalists emulate what it means to be extraordinary. From now through April 16, the public is encouraged to vote for their favorite custodian at custodianoftheyear.com.

“With over 2,000 deserving nominations, it was difficult choosing only 10 finalists,” said Christiny Betsch, Marketing Manager, Cintas. “This contest shows us that custodians are much more than cleaners. They’re true role models who go above and beyond to have a positive impact on students, faculty, teachers and communities across the U.S.”

The greatest number of public votes determines the winner of the 2021 Custodian of the Year contest. The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize along with $5,000 in products and services for his or her school from Cintas and Rubbermaid Commercial Products. The winner’s school will also receive a comprehensive training and development package from ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, valued at $20,000, and enrollment in the GBAC Fundamentals Online Course that teaches cleaning professionals to prepare for, respond to and recover from biohazards in the workplace, from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC), a Division of ISSA. A cash prize of $1,000 each and free tuition to one ISSA Cleaning Management Institute (CMI) training event, valued at $1,500, will be awarded to the remaining nine finalists.

“For the second year in a row, we are amazed at the dedication and commitment from each of the 10 finalists,” said John Barrett, Executive Director, ISSA. “Custodians are the glue that holds many schools together, and it’s an honor to give these 10 finalists the recognition they deserve.”

The top 10 finalists in the 2021 Custodian of the Year contest include (alphabetical order):

  1. Christopher Bowman – Bellflower Elementary School (Mentor, Ohio)
  2. Bobbi Sue Burbey – Wrightstown High School (Wrightstown, Wisc.)
  3. Robert Buster – Westview Elementary School (Northglenn, Colo.)
  4. Francesco (Franco) Catalano – F.E. Peacock Middle School (Itasca, Ill.)
  5. Donna Colello – Ocean Avenue Elementary School (Portland, Maine)
  6. Charles Harris – Warren Technical School (Chamblee, Ga.)
  7. Mike Heiry – North Allegheny Intermediate High School (Pittsburgh)
  8. Edward Straub – Blue Ridge Middle School (Greer, S.C.)
  9. Terry Tackett – Benton Elementary School (Benton, Ky.)
  10. John Wheeler – Bishop Moore Catholic High School (Orlando, Fla.)

For more information about the Custodian of the Year contest, please contact Jessie Koerner at jkoerner@mulberrymc.com or (551) 265-6921. A high-res Custodian of the Year logo, as well as photos of the top 10 finalists are available via Dropbox here.

About Cintas Corporation

Cintas Corporation helps more than one million businesses of all types and sizes get Ready to open their doors with confidence every day by providing products and services that help keep their customers’ facilities and employees clean, safe and looking their best. With offerings including uniforms, mats, mops, restroom supplies, first aid and safety products, fire extinguishers and testing, and safety training, Cintas helps customers get Ready for the Workday®. The company is also the creator of the Total Clean Program— a first-of-its-kind service that includes scheduled delivery of essential cleaning supplies, hygienically clean laundering, and sanitizing and disinfecting products and services. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas is a publicly held Fortune 500 company traded over the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol CTAS and is a component of both the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index and Nasdaq-100 Index.

About ISSA:

With more than 9,300 members—including distributors, manufacturers, manufacturer representatives, wholesalers, building service contractors, in-house service providers, residential cleaners, and associated service members—ISSA is the world’s leading trade association for the cleaning industry. The association is committed to changing the way the world views cleaning by providing its members with the business tools they need to promote cleaning as an investment in human health, the environment, and an improved bottom line. Headquartered in Northbrook, IL, USA, the association has regional offices in Mainz, Germany; Parramatta, Australia; Whitby, Canada; Seoul, South Korea; and Shanghai, China. Visit issa.com, join the discussion with ISSA’s LinkedIn group, and follow ISSA on our Facebook page and Twitter account. For more information, visit issa.com, or call 800-225-4772 (North America) or 847-982-0800.