The Broadway League Honors John Hazen White, Jr., of Taco and the White Family Foundation, with The Star of Touring Broadway Award
TACO AND THE WHITE FAMILY FOUNDATION ARE THE PROUD SPONSORS OF THE PROVIDENCE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER’S BROADWAY SERIES
Providence, RI - J.L. “Lynn” Singleton, president and CEO of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), is pleased to announce that John Hazen White, Jr. has been honored by The Broadway League with the Star of Touring Broadway Award. This award, along with other honors, was announced Wednesday, May 14, at The Broadway League’s 2025 Spring Road Conference, held in New York City.
The Star of Touring Broadway Award honors board members, government officials, donors and volunteers who have provided support to promote and enrich the Broadway Series in their hometowns.
John Hazen White, Jr. is Executive Chairman and Owner of Taco Group Holdings, Inc., which is a half-billion-dollar, world-class manufacturer of heating and cooling equipment, headquartered in Cranston, Rhode Island. A native of Providence, John represents the third generation of his family to own and operate Taco; he built his career with the company over the past 45 years and has not only fostered its growth in Rhode Island but has expanded the company’s operations in North America, Europe and Asia.
Through John’s life-long commitment to supporting the arts, Taco and The White Family Foundation have been the flagship sponsors of the Providence Performing Arts Center’s (PPAC) Broadway Series for the past 17 years, and prior to that, they sponsored the Contemporary Classics Series (now called the Encore Series). Taco and The White Family Foundation’s long-standing support has played a vital role in PPAC’s ability to present 89 top-notch Broadway engagements with over 800 performances to local audiences; the combined subscriber attendance for these shows is 135,000.
Singleton said:
John has the rare gift and ability to combine his business success with his love of the arts; he is a gem! PPAC is honored to work with John and the team at Taco to continue to bring outstanding Broadway touring theatricals to Rhode Island. We thank John for his support and congratulate him on receiving the Broadway League’s Star of Touring Broadway Award for 2025.
J. L. "Lynn" Singleton, PPAC President & CEO
A hallmark of John’s tenure with Taco has been his extraordinary dedication to the ongoing educational and professional development of Taco employees, along with genuine care and consideration for their families. Taco recognizes their employees with annual service awards, provides college scholarships to employees’ children annually and also hosts a myriad of family activities throughout the year, including a Christmas Open House where children can come and visit their parents’ workplace. The company also provides opportunities for families to attend shows at the theatre whenever possible, and in recent years, they have hosted employee appreciation events at PPAC which include attending a Broadway show.
Upon hearing of the Award, John said,
Working with the Providence Performing Arts Center and being a sponsor of the Broadway Series for so many years has made a tremendous difference in my life! Knowing that we are helping to make Broadway touring shows accessible to many people in Rhode Island – many of whom may never have the opportunity to travel elsewhere to see excellent shows like these - has been a total pleasure. These experiences at PPAC create treasured memories and have a lasting impact on people’s lives. Receiving this Award is one of the highest honors of my life; it means so much to me, thank you!
John Hazen White Jr.,
Executive Chairman & Owner of Taco Group Holding, Inc.