Most people imagine school lunches the same: long, rectangular tables, white walls covered in posters and a long line of kids uninterested in the food being served. However, Meg Chesley, CEO of Health-e Pro, had a different vision for school lunches. Meg wanted to make school lunch fun and healthy at the same time. She wanted to provide an environment for students to actually enjoy their lunch break, so that is when she started creating engaging cafeteria designs. Meg received national recognition for her work, including the Silver Plate Award, which motivated her to pursue constant improvement in school foodservice.
“What if we did this?”
This is the question Meg continuously asks herself in order to go beyond what is expected of menu planning. Meg’s creative thinking combined with her determination to serve others leads to better school lunches for everyone from students to lunchroom employees. With over 22 years of experience in the school food service industry, Meg was able to see the challenges facing school food services as regulations and compliance requirements began to increase making it incredibly difficult and frustrating for school food service employees. This is why she launched Health-e Meal Planner.
“You can do this and we can teach you. We know menu planning can be a very daunting task, but a necessary one. More than anything, we want you to be a success.”
Five years later, Health-e Pro continues to grow:
- Health-e Pro software is used in school districts across 26 states.
- Health-e Pro has developed partnerships with other food service software companies and the USDA to be sure we are continuing to add value for our customers.
- And most of all, Health-e Pro is celebrating more than 3,200 users who allow us the privilege of serving them each day!
What’s ahead?
Meg’s objective has always been to leave the industry better off than when she found, so it should come as no surprise that Meg continues to strive for continuous integration with companies and tools. With her holistic approach, Meg intends for Health-e Pro to stay on this creative journey while continuing to listen to customers in order to make their ideas come to life.
- Health-e Pro is now offering professional development credits through their webinars! What better way to earn credits than learning how to better your menus at the same time.
- We continuously input additional manufacturer data so that we can make it easier for you to create fun, healthy menus.
- Health-e Pro has a mobile app that allows you to put menus in the hands of parents, students, nurses, administrators, etc.
What are the keys to Meg’s success?
- Never back down from big challenges. These allow you to see things differently and help you expand your perspective.
- Think creatively. Meg’s vision and creativity allowed her to start a shift in the industry.
- Build strong partnerships. Developing a relationship with the USDA has allowed Health-e Pro the privilege of being able to exchange information and have open dialogue which ultimately benefits their customers.
- Finally, the foundation of every great company is the team behind it. Meg has been able to integrate a group of people maximizing everyone’s talents while creating a synergetic work environment.
Meg’s goal for customers is to succeed and this can be accomplished through the tools and support Health-e Pro offers.
“We want customers to see the synergy involved in menu planning and how everything is connected.”
Did you know?
Fun Facts about Health-e Pro’s CEO, Meg Chesley:
- Meg enjoys sailing and quilting in her free time.
- Ben & Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch and Cherry Garcia compete for Meg’s all time favorite ice cream flavors.
- If Meg had to choose a favorite sport, it would be ice skating.
- An unusual item in Meg’s office is a pipe from her brother that still smells of his tobacco from 30 years ago.
- Traveling to Scotland and New Zealand are a part of Meg’s bucket list.
- Meg loves her grand-dog, Jack. He is so smart, has a wide repertoire of tricks and has the most precious face!