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.

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(ECL-C)