September 14
Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Spa
Newport Beach, CA

September 28
Franklin Marriott Cool Springs
Nashville, TN
 

Registration Now Open

 
The 2010 Baldrige Regional Conferences provide an in-depth opportunity to learn about the best practices and results of both the 2009 Baldrige Award recipients and former Award recipients.

Who Should Attend:  CEOs; senior managers; education, health care, and government/nonprofit leaders and professionals; directors of staff functions; heads of operating units; and quality/performance improvement practitioners. 

Pre-Conference Workshops September 13 and 27
The conferences are co-sponsored by the California Council for Excellence, the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence, and the Alliance for Performance Excellence.
 
Hope to see you there!

WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Barack Obama and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced that five organizations are the recipients of the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for innovation and performance excellence.

The 2009 Baldrige Award recipients—listed with their category—are:

• Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, Kansas City, Mo. (manufacturing)
• MidwayUSA, Columbia, Mo. (small business)
• AtlantiCare, Egg Harbor Township, N.J. (health care)
• Heartland Health, St. Joseph, Mo. (health care)
• VA Cooperative Studies Program Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, Albuquerque, N.M. (nonprofit)

“The road to greatness in America has been, and always will be, traveled by those who embrace change and work hard every day to be the best; the organizations we honor today with the Baldrige National Quality Award exemplify that spirit,” President Obama said. “This year’s recipients have shown how quality, innovation, and an unending quest for excellence help strengthen our nation and brighten the future of all Americans.”

“We are thrilled to congratulate the five outstanding organizations that have been named to receive this year’s Baldrige Award,” added Secretary Locke. “They inspire other organizations to be more accessible, more efficient, more customer-focused and more financially sound. They have raised the bar for innovation and organizational excellence and, in the process, help to improve our economy and quality of life.”

The 2009 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from a field of 70 applicants. All of the applicants were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results. The evaluation process for each of the recipients included about 1,000 hours of review and an on-site visit by a team of examiners to clarify questions and verify information in the applications.

The Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP) and the Baldrige Award promote innovation and performance excellence across the country and around the world in a number of ways. For example:

• The use of the Criteria for Performance Excellence, the guide designed to help organizations of all types improve their operations, is widespread. Over 10 million copies of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence—described by one industry CEO as “probably the single most influential document in the modern history of American business”—have been distributed since 1988, and more than 2 million copies were downloaded last year alone.
• Nearly 5,000 public and private-sector leaders have served on the independent board of examiners that reviews applications for the Baldrige Award. Each applicant receives 300 to 1,000 hours of review and a detailed feedback report from these experts.
• More than 40 U.S. states and more than 45 countries worldwide have implemented programs based on the Baldrige criteria.

The 2009 Baldrige Award recipients are expected to be presented with their awards in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., next year.

Named after Malcolm Baldrige, the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Baldrige Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness and performance of U.S. businesses. Originally, three types of organizations were eligible: manufacturers, service companies and small businesses. Congress expanded the program in 1999 to include education and health care organizations, and again in 2007 to include nonprofit organizations (including charities, trade and professional associations, and government agencies). The award promotes excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. The award is not given for specific products or services. Since 1988, 80 organizations have received Baldrige Awards.

The BNQP is managed by the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in conjunction with the private sector.

As a nonregulatory agency of the Commerce Department, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

Thank you for your continued interest in and support of the Maryland Performance Excellence Foundation (MPEF) and Awards Program.  The Board of Directors and Transition Team would like to inform you of changes to the 2010 Awards Program and to update you on our progress and future plans.

 Maryland Performance Excellence Awards (MPEA) Program Changes

The Maryland Performance Excellence Foundation (MPEF) is now the sponsor for the MPEA program.  We are working on plans for a scaled-back 2010 awards program to begin in early 2010.  In these financially challenging times, we are far short of our financial goals and no longer have a salaried, full-time Program Director.  After continuing to support the MPEA as a volunteer for the last several months, Marty Stephens recently left the program to pursue other career goals .

The scaled-back 2010 MPEA Program plans include:

• Utilizing only previously trained, experienced examiners, as training new examiners requires a significant investment of resources.
• Running the program with 100% volunteers who would serve in key roles as awards program coordinators.  We are currently recruiting for an examiner coordinator, training coordinator, applicant coordinator, and awards ceremony coordinator. 
• Limiting the number of award applications from organizations for full assessments, feedback reports, and award recognition.

The scaled-back 2010 awards program will provide continuity to keep the MPEA viable during this difficult economic period and will afford applicants who are actively pursuing Baldrige journeys the opportunity to receive feedback and recognition.  It will also keep our dedicated, talented pool of experienced examiners engaged, and help them continue honing their knowledge of the Baldrige Criteria and improving their skills for assessing applications and writing feedback reports.

Once we have obtained additional resources, we plan to offer a full program, including recruitment and training of new examiners, workshops, user groups, and other activities in support of the MPEA program and the Baldrige Criteria. 

 MPEF Corporate and Funding Update

Below is an overview of our progress and results:

• The Maryland Performance Excellence Foundation is incorporated in Maryland and has been approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, charitable organization.
• The Foundation has a Board of Directors of experienced examiners, but is seeking additional members with name recognition, well-established networks, and diverse experience in all sectors in Maryland.
• Our grant-writing team has submitted 22 grant applications.
• Members of the Board and Team have met with more than 30 government and business leaders throughout the state to solicit support for and raise awareness of the MPEF and MPEA program.
• The Partners in Excellence Campaign has received cash and in-kind contributions totaling more than $12,000, but that is far short of our goal of $275,000 to $300,000 to staff, house, and run a successful full-scale performance excellence program in Maryland. 

Conclusion

We hope that you will continue to partner with us as we navigate through these challenging times.  We have at the helm an energetic, incredibly capable group of volunteer leaders, who are long on dedication and hard work, but we still have a lot of work to do in the coming months to make continuance of the MPEA program a successful reality.  We need everyone’s help.

 We hope that you or a person or organization you know is interested in and will consider volunteering, making a cash or in-kind contribution, or submitting a name for consideration as a Board member.  Please feel free to contact any member of the Board or Transition Team if you have a question or suggestion.

Thanks again for your interest in and support of our program to enhance the lives of all those who live and work in Maryland.  We will send more details about the 2010 awards program in the next few weeks and will continue to keep you apprised of our progress and future plans. Also, please continue to watch our website at www.MarylandExcellence.org  for updates and information about the program.

Visit the Foundation Page for additional information.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The 2008 award recipients were announced at the 2009 MPEA Conference and Awards Ceremony by the University of Maryland and U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Benjamin Cardin.

    These awards honor role-model organizations that successfully implement systematic processes for continuous improvement and achieving outstanding results. Award recipients are evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners using the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, which measure an organization in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management; and results.

Award recipients include:

·       Maryland Quality Award—Gold: Headquartered in Harford County, Custom Direct is a market leader in direct-to-consumer personalized printed products, security and fraud protection, financial documents, fulfillment items, phone support and direct marketing services.  With a vision to become a world class organization with $250 million in revenue with less than 50 percent from checks, the organization has adopted the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and LEAN principles to create a culture of excellence for its 460+ associates, located in Maryland and Arkansas. Custom Direct was established in 1993 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Edgestone Capital Fund III. 

·       Maryland Quality Award—Gold: Upper Chesapeake Health, a community-based, two-hospital, not-for-profit health system located in Harford County, has served more than three generations of patients with high quality health care since 1912.  It owns and operates Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and Harford Memorial Hospital, both which are accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC). With its core values of excellence, compassion, integrity, respect, responsibility and trust, Upper Chesapeake operates in a Culture of Excellence model.  Nearly 3000 staff and 800 volunteers work as a team to serve the healthcare needs of the residents of this northeastern Maryland community.  

·       Maryland Quality Award—Gold: The Veteran Affairs Capitol Health Care Network (VISN 5) serves over 200,000 enrolled veterans in Maryland, the District of Columbia and portions of Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Its mission is “to honor America’s veterans as heroes by providing the highest quality health care.” With a team of 7025 employees and 2500 volunteers, the network facilities include hospitals, community living centers, rehabilitation centers, research centers and community based outpatient clinics. The network utilizes the most widely distributed, integrated computerized medical record system in the United States.  With its values of trust, respect, excellence, compassion and commitment, the network monitors it progress through external peer review, clinical service champions, monthly clinical committee meetings, and quarterly medical center reviews. 

·       Maryland Quality Award—Silver: Since its founding in 1958, the College of Southern Maryland has evolved into a comprehensive community college dedicated to serving the residents of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties.  It serves 21,000 students through a broad range of high-quality associate degree and certificate programs, as well as short-term training, workforce development, cultural enrichment and continuing education offerings.  The college serves to improve the quality of life for residents in the community by providing a wealth of educational services and uses a Quality Improvement Process for continuous improvement throughout its three campuses.

·       Maryland Quality Award—Bronze: The Internal Revenue Service Office of Procurement of one of six divisions in IRS Agency-Wide Shared Services and is headquartered in Oxon Hill, with area offices located in New York, Atlanta, Dallas and San Francisco.  It provides lifecycle acquisition management services to its customers including IRS organizations and employees and the Departments of the Treasury and Homeland Security.  With a workforce of nearly 500, the organization focuses its work on its core values of service, teamwork, ethics, quality of life, innovation and professionalism.  Using a performance improvement system that includes the GAO Framework Assessment, Baldrige framework self-assessments, and a Balanced Scorecard, this public agency’s vision is to be the best acquisition organization in the federal government—best people, best practices, and best performance.

·       MPEA Certificate of Recognition: A privately held company headquartered in Frederick, Integrated Communication Solutions provides IT services to the federal government with its core business areas of Information Security, Network Services and Managed Services.  Founded in 1989 with a vision to be a leading small business with a national presence, the company has four sites across the country and 109 employees serving its customers.  The organization follows the simple formula of listening to its customers, standing by its commitments and delivering effective solutions on time and on budget.  ICS’s continuous improvement program centers around its FADE approach, a four-step variation of the PDCA model.

Since 1983, Maryland’s U.S. Senators and the University of Maryland have joined together to help Maryland organizations achieve excellence and world-class results using the Maryland Performance Excellence Awards process to inspire, coach and recognize role model organizations for their successful implementation of systematic processes and achievement of outstanding results. The awards program provides an opportunity for organizations to improve their performance through self-assessment, writing an application, receiving an external analysis, participating in workshops and conferences, benchmarking with other high-performing organizations and sharing best practices.