Cintas Celebrates Top 3 Custodian of the Year Finalists
“Mr. Rich! Mr. Rich! Mr. Rich!” That’s what Richard “Mr. Rich” Toomey heard as the gym doors opened and he walked through a balloon arch and confetti cannon line on May 3 – the day of his surprise grand prize winner ceremony. Mr. Rich is this year’s Cintas Custodian of the Year contest winner, and the love his community feels for him echoes through the halls of Kelly Mill Elementary in Cumming, Ga. Mr. Rich was celebrated by Cintas representatives, his family, his janitorial team, over 1,000 Kelly Mill Elementary students, teachers, the school board and local media, who interviewed him following the ceremony.
He received tens of thousands of votes from his Kelly Mill Elementary community, including his son, a second grader at the school. Leading up to the grand prize ceremony, he’d been quite popular amongst several local media crews, including FOX 5 and 11 Alive, the ABC affiliate for Atlanta. Mr. Rich is known for going beyond the call of duty at his job, whether it’s climbing on the school’s roof to get balls for kids at recess, digging through the trash for a mouth retainer or planting crops – he does it all with a smile on his face.
He received $10,000 cash for winning the contest on behalf of Cintas. Kelly Mill Elementary School received $5,000 in Cintas and Rubbermaid products and services. On top of that, the school received a facility assessment and consulting package from ISSA, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, valued at $30,000 and enrollment in the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Fundamentals Online Course.
New this year, Mr. Rich and the two other Top 3 finalists, received an all-expense-paid trip for two to the ISSA Show North America in Las Vegas in November, where they’ll be celebrated for their accomplishments. Speaking of Las Vegas, the two other Top 3 finalists who will join Mr. Rich on the trip are Rodney “Mr. Peanuts” Esser and David “Mr. Dave” Jeffers. They were celebrated in back-to-back surprise ceremonies at their respective schools.
Mr. Dave was honored on May 10 at Brokaw Early Learning Center in Oswego, Ill. and presented with a $1,000 check. He is loved by staff and students at the school for his willingness to help those who can’t without hesitation. In 2022, the school suffered a fire – without missing a beat, Mr. Dave jumped into action to help save critical instructional materials and adaptive toys from the therapy room. His heroic efforts led to his nomination and Top 3 placement in the Custodian of the Year contest.
Last, but certainly not least, Mr. Peanuts was celebrated at Park Elementary School in Cross Plains, Wisc. on May 11. Roughly 250 students in addition to Cintas representatives, school administration and staff, as well as several media crews, surprised him with the announcement that he also won the trip-for-two to Las Vegas in addition to other fantastic prizes, like $1,000 cash. Mr. Peanuts is extremely special to Park Elementary School – he’s worked there for nearly 60 years! Back in the day, Mr. Peanuts’ family owned the land where the school was built. They sold the land to the school with one condition – that Mr. Peanuts got a job at the school. Over the years, he’s touched the lives of several generations of families, started a program to provide kids in the district with summer jobs and continues to educate students on the importance of the environment.
Cintas representatives were honored to have met the Top 3 custodians, help share their stories and surprise them each with trips for two to Las Vegas. For more information about our 2023 Custodian of the Year winner and runners-up, visit custodianoftheyear.com.