Fazoli's, America's largest quick-service Italian restaurant, took home the 2012 Gold Stevie Award for Best Human Resources Department during the 10th annual American Business Awards on June 18.

Fazoli's beat out nine other finalists for the honor during a ceremony hosted by Fox Business Network anchor Cheryl Casone and broadcast live on the Business TalkRadio Network from the Marriott Marquis in New York City's Times Square.

"Fazoli's pursuit of excellence is more than a slogan, it's a mandate," says Carl Howard, president and CEO. "This award recognizes the critical role human resources management plays in our success. Recruiting and retaining the right people for both restaurants and support departments enables Fazoli's to deliver our guests an outstanding experience. I am very proud that our human resources department, led by Dave Craig, vice president of HR, was selected for this prestigious award."

The Stevie Awards, originally limited to the American Business Awards, were created in 2002 to recognize good business leaders and practices, while countering public distrust of business in the wake of the Enron situation. Four programs now comprise the Stevie Awards: American Business Awards, International Business Awards, Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service.
 

More than 3,000 nominations were received from nationwide organizations ranging from nonprofits to start-ups, government agencies, and small to large corporations. More than 270 judges whittled the entries into a list of finalists. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevies were awarded in each division.