Annual NRA Show event has provided more than $1.7 million for scholarships since 2003
Ecolab Inc., the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies
and services that protect people and vital resources, helped raise
$200,000 for the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
(NRAEF) during the 15th Annual Ecolab Chairman's Reception,
held the evening of Sunday, May 21 in conjunction with the National
Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in Chicago.
More than 730 leaders from the restaurant and foodservice industry
attended the gala, which supports the NRAEF ProStart®
program, a nation-wide, two-year high school program that unites the
classroom and industry to develop students seeking professions in the
restaurant and foodservice industry.
“The NRAEF ProStart program helps more than 140,000 students annually
gain the needed skills for successful careers in one of our country’s
fastest-growing industries,” said Ecolab Chairman and CEO Douglas M.
Baker, Jr. “We are proud to bring industry leaders together through this
annual event to support the opportunities the NRAEF provides for
students throughout the country.”
During the event, Baker and Michael Hickey, Ecolab executive vice
president and president, Global Institutional, and past-chair of the
NRAEF board of trustees, presented Dawn Sweeney, NRA and NRAEF president
and CEO, and Greg Hamer, chair of the NRAEF board of trustees, with a
check for $200,004 on behalf of Ecolab and event attendees.
“Ecolab is a long-standing champion of the National Restaurant
Association Educational Foundation and ProStart, both financially and
through Ecolab employees who support ProStart programs throughout the
nation,” said Sweeney. “We are grateful to Ecolab for their investment
and partnership as we work to attract, empower and advance today's and
tomorrow's talent for successful careers in the restaurant and
foodservice industry.”
Through this annual event, Ecolab has helped raise more than $1.7
million for the NRAEF and ProStart program.
About the NRAEF
As the philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association,
the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation is dedicated
to enhancing the industry’s training and education, career development
and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to
attract, empower and advance today’s and tomorrow’s restaurant and
foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart – a high-school
career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready – partnering
with community based organizations to provide “opportunity youth” with
skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military
servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and
foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students
pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and, the
Hospitality Sector Registered Apprenticeship Project – a partnership
with the American Hotel & Lodging Association providing a hospitality
apprenticeship program for the industry. For more information on the
NRAEF, visit ChooseRestaurants.org.
About Ecolab
A trusted partner at more than one million customer locations, Ecolab
(ECL) is the global leader in water, hygiene and energy technologies and
services that protect people and vital resources. With 2016 sales of $13
billion and 48,000 associates, Ecolab delivers comprehensive solutions
and on-site service to promote safe food, maintain clean environments,
optimize water and energy use and improve operational efficiencies for
customers in the food, healthcare, energy, hospitality and industrial
markets in more than 170 countries around the world. For more Ecolab
news and information, visit www.ecolab.com.
Follow us on Twitter @ecolab
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(ECL-C)
Ecolab Inc.
Roman Blahoski, 651-250-4385
MediaRelations@Ecolab.com