Property Maintenance Employee Conner Schmidt Named Grand Prize Winner

Company Website: http://www.cintas.com/carharttcoldcrew
CLEVELAND -- (Business Wire)

Thousands of online votes have been tallied, and Property Maintenance employee Conner Schmidt from Rocky River, OH has been named the grand prize winner in the third annual Cintas & Carhartt Cold Crew contest. He will be sent on a free trip for two to the CMA Music Festival June 5 – 8 in Nashville, TN.

Conner Schmidt, a property maintenance employee from Rocky River, OH, was voted the grand prize winner in the 2014 Cintas & Carhartt Cold Crew Contest. (Photo: Business Wire)

Conner’s entry described an incident that would have left him with a serious injury if it were not for his Carhartt coveralls. “On a blistery cold day in Cleveland, I had the task of cutting beams into five-foot sections,” he said. “I put on my Carhartt coveralls to keep my clothes clean and to keep me warm in the 20 degree weather. It was a good thing I did, because when my gas-powered metal saw burst into flames, my Carhartt gear protected my legs from severe burns.”

Carly Townsend, a fisherman from Sussex, WI and Ted Rhyner, a mechanical demolition specialist from Rochester, NY were named second and third place winners and will each receive free Carhartt merchandise for their participation.

The other 2014 Cold Crew finalists were:

• Jim Dougherty, Carpenter Foreman - Bensalem, PA
• Gary Faria, Pipe Layer/Benchman - Toronto, ON
• Daniel Keith, Skid Steer Operator - Cincinnati, OH
• Eric McDaniels, Tow Truck Driver - Orland Park, IL
• Mary Stone, Goat Farmer - Prole, IA
• Pete Walker, Snowplow Business Owner - Breckenridge, CO
• Garrett Watt, Iron Worker - Bothell, WA

“We received thousands of amazing stories from men and women who brave extremely brutal working conditions every fall and winter,” says Jamie Samide, Senior Marketing Director at Cintas Corporation, North America’s largest uniform supplier. “Both Carhartt and Cintas are known for providing tough, durable and dependable products, and we are happy to recognize the people who reflect those same characteristics.”

Cintas Corporation and Carhartt launched the third annual Cintas & Carhartt Cold Crew contest in September 2013. The contest targets workers in the U.S. and Canada whose jobs require them to endure tough conditions in cold temperatures. These individuals were encouraged to share their stories and photos and explain why Carhartt workwear is essential to their jobs.

“Our consumers are huge supporters of country music and we are excited to offer the CMA Music Festival trip as the Cold Crew grand prize once again,” says Randy Meza, Director of Carhartt marketing. “We’re honored to acknowledge our country’s hard-working men and women in this way and encourage them to continue to ‘Outwork Them All’ as we say here at Carhartt.”

About Cintas Corporation

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Cintas Corporation provides highly specialized services to businesses of all types primarily throughout North America. 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 and document management services for approximately 900,000 businesses. 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.

About Carhartt, Inc.

Established in 1889, Carhartt is a global premium work wear brand with a rich heritage of developing rugged apparel for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., with more than 4,400 employees worldwide, Carhartt is privately owned and managed by the descendants of the company's founder, Hamilton Carhartt. For more information, visit www.carhartt.com.

About CMA Music Festival

Featuring concerts, autograph signings, family activities, and more, CMA Music Festival is the Ultimate Country Music Fan Experience – a four-day celebration of America’s music. In 2012, the event drew a record-setting 71,000 fans from all 50 states and 24 nations and, for the third consecutive year, sold out in advance each night at LP Field for the star-packed Nightly Concerts. According to the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, direct visitor spending generated by the Festival totaled more than $31 million. CMA Music Festival is a four-time winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year (2004, 2006, 2008, 2010). CMA Music Festival will once again be filmed for a national television special to air on the ABC Television Network. This is the 11^th consecutive year that the event has been filmed for a network television special, a feat no other music festival has achieved. "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night to Rock" will be executive-produced by Robert Deaton.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140415006484/en/

Contacts:

Rubin Communications Group
Ashley Martin, 757-456-5212
ashley@rubincommunications.com

Source: Cintas Corporation