Gold Star Chili Inc., has received a
second tier award in the prestigious Ohio Award for Excellence 2001, which
recognizes companies and organizations throughout the state for their
commitment to quality.

The Ohio Award for Excellence, which was patterned after the Malcolm
Baldrige National Quality Award, has four different tiers that recognize
companies’ and organizations’ varying levels of commitment to the quality
process. The award was designed to formally recognize businesses, government
entities, educational institutions, health care facilities and
not-for-profit organizations that understand the positive impact their
quality processes can have. Endorsed by Gov. Bob Taft, this is the second
year for the award.

“These organizations have demonstrated that measurable, continuous
improvement can make a difference to an organization’s customers, employees,
global competitiveness and bottom line,” said Thomas F. Casperson, executive
director of the Ohio Award for Excellence.

Gold Star Chili, which was founded in 1965 by the Daoud brothers and has
grown today to 100 restaurants throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana,
received a Commitment to Excellence award in the second tier for
demonstrating a serious commitment to excellence and a process for
continuous improvement.

“Gold Star Chili is thrilled to be among a select few companies, as well as
the only restaurant in Ohio, recognized for our achievements and our
commitment to continuously improving quality for our customers,” said John
Sullivan, chief executive officer of Gold Star Chili. “This is a another
outstanding achievement for us since we were awarded the Small Business of
the Year in 1999 from the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. We would
also like to congratulate the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce as a
tier two winner and the Hamilton County Educational Services Center as a
tier three Achievement of Excellence winner.”

The Ohio Award for Excellence judging process for Gold Star Chili included
an on-site visit by trained evaluators as well as an extensive report based
on criteria including leadership, strategic planning, customer and market
focus, information and analysis, human resources, process management and
business results.

A formal awards ceremony will be held at the Quest for Success 2001
conference September 12-14, 2001, in Columbus, Ohio.