This is the second consecutive year that Chartwells at Southeast has achieved this honor. The Southeast account competed for the honor with more than 68 other colleges and universities in an eight-state region, which includes Illinois, Eastern Indiana, Kansas, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri and North Dakota. Chartwells at Southeast will now compete for National Account of the Year, which will be awarded in Las Vegas later in the year.

The Southeast account received the top regional award after participating in a "Be A Star Ignite Your Passion" program, which is a yearlong process based on five "Star Challenges" with the following components:

• A Great Start (Southeast awarded gold)
• Absolutely! Customer Service (Southeast awarded gold)
• Spotlight on Safety (Southeast awarded gold)
• Work Hard, Work Smart (Southeast awarded gold)
• Project Clean Plate (Southeast awarded gold)
• The Best of the Best (Southeast awarded silver)
• Other components that were required for submission but were not awarded during the year were: Hand Washing Olympics, Liquid Assets, Celebrate the Spirit of the Games, Sustainable Uniqueness, Measuring Success, and Celebrate Your Accomplishments.

Chartwells Dining Services is a division of Compass Group North America headquartered out of Charlotte, N.C. Its operating companies include Eurest Dining Services Flik, Canteen Vending Services; Chartwells, serving the K-12 and higher education markets; Restaurant Associates; Bon Appétit; Morrison Management Specialists and Crothall Services Group; and Eurest Support Services. Compass Group also has partnerships with Levy Restaurants, the market leader in sports and entertainment foodservice, and Thompson Hospitality LLC, a minority strategic partner.