Cintas & Carhartt Announce 2014 Cold Crew Contest Winners

Thousands of online votes have been tallied, and Property Maintenance employee Conner Schmidt from Rocky River, Ohio, has been named the grand-prize winner in the third annual Cintas & Carhartt Cold Crew contest, held by Cincinnati-based Cintas Corporation and Carhartt, Dearborn, Mich. He will be sent on a free trip for two to the CMA Music Festival June 5 through 8 in Nashville, Tenn.

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, Wisc., and Ted Rhyner, a mechanical demolition specialist from Rochester, N.Y., 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, Penn.
• Gary Faria, Pipe Layer/Benchman - Toronto, ON, Canada
• Daniel Keith, Skid Steer Operator - Cincinnati, Ohio
• Eric McDaniels, Tow Truck Driver - Orland Park, Ill.
• Mary Stone, Goat Farmer - Prole, Iowa
• Pete Walker, Snowplow Business Owner - Breckenridge, Colo.
• Garrett Watt, Iron Worker - Bothell, Wash.

"We received thousands of amazing stories from men and women who brave extremely brutal working conditions every fall and winter," said Jamie Samide, senior marketing director for 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," said 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."

For more information, visit www.cintas.com or www.carhartt.com.