Cintas Corporation Joins HBCU Partnership Challenge
CINCINNATI - Cintas Corporation (Nasdaq: CTAS) has joined the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Partnership Challenge, an initiative founded by United States Congresswomen Alma Adams (D-NC-22) and Congressman French Hill (R-AR-02).
The HBCU Partnership Challenge is an effort to promote greater engagement and support between corporate companies and HBCUs, their students and their alumni. It was created to strengthen public-private investments in HBCUs, help ensure their sustainable futures, increase career prospects for their students, and advance diversity and inclusion within all sectors of employment.
“HBCUs have made an indelible impact on our society, and they’re poised to have even greater influence going forward. They develop incredible talent who graduate and become innovators and leaders in the private and public sectors,” said Max Langenkamp, Cintas Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer.
“Cintas has a long-standing belief that a diverse workforce is an important element of a successful business strategy, and we’ve prioritized developing our pipeline of diverse talent for almost 30 years. We’re excited to join the HBCU Partnership Challenge with Rep. Adams, Rep. Hill, and other similarly focused companies to support HBCUs and increase our engagement with their students and alumni,” Langenkamp added.
Cintas joins a total of 94 companies who have taken the HBCU Partnership Challenge since its inception in 2017. By joining the HBCU Partnership, companies commit to creating strategic partnerships with the HBCUs, and acknowledge that HBCUs are part of their diversity and inclusion efforts.
During the last fiscal year, Cintas has expanded its dedicated Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) team to broaden its focus and impact on corporate strategy, and expand diverse recruiting, diversity training and ongoing workforce education. Cintas’ membership in the HBCU Partnership Challenge will be a component of the company’s evolving DEI efforts, including recruiting and strategy..
“We’re committed to fostering a work environment that promotes belonging, embraces all forms of diversity and facilitates inclusion. We know when we do this, our partners feel more empowered to make tremendous impacts on the company, for our customers and for each other,” Langenkamp added.
The HBCU Partnership Challenge is sponsored by the bicameral Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, which was founded by Rep. Adams in 2015, and is co-chaired by Rep. Adams, Rep. Hill, and Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tim Scott (R-SC).
“HBCUs contribute nearly $15 billion to our annual economy and have provided pathways of opportunity to millions of Americans, many of whom are first-generation college students,” Rep. Adams noted. “I would not be in Congress today if not for the North Carolina A&T University.”
HBCUs have produced 27% of all Black STEM graduates, 40% of all Black engineers, 50% of all Black lawyers, 50% of all Black public-school teachers and 80% of all Black judges.
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.