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Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

Quest for Excellence Conference

Learn how your organization can achieve outstanding performance. Join us at the premier showcase of Baldrige Award recipients March 29–April 1, 2026 (Sunday–Wednesday), Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Baltimore MD. Official Conference of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, brought to you by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program at NIST.

The 36th Quest for Excellence, March 30-April 2, 2025, Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Baltimore, MD, Prepare. Adapt. Innovate. Thrive.
Learn more about the Quest for Excellence® Conference

#BaldrigeQuest

The 36th Quest for Excellence® Conference

The 36th Quest for Excellence® Conference was held March 30-April 2, 2025, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, in Baltimore, MD.

Thank you to all who joined us to learn role-model best practices from Baldrige Award recipients, nationally recognized thought leaders, and representatives from other high-performing organizations.

Conference highlights included:

  • Baldrige Award Ceremony, Sunday, March 30
    Recognizing the 2024 Baldrige Award recipients
  • Opening Keynote Presentation by Tucker Bryant
    Poet and Innovation Keynote Speaker, formerly with Google.
  • Monday and Wednesday Morning Plenary Sessions 
    Featuring leaders of the 2024 Baldrige Award recipients, who shared their Award-winning strategies for success.
  • Monday Luncheon Keynote Presentation by José Pires
    Founder and CEO of Global Excellence & Innovation, an executive leader and advisor for companies ranging from startups to Fortune 50 organizations.
  • Tuesday Morning Business Executive Plenary Session 
    Featuring Ron Norris, Director of Innovation for Georgia-Pacific and Mike Koralewski, Chief Supply Chain Officer for First Solar.
  • Wednesday Morning Keynote Presentation by Rami Goldratt
    CEO at the Goldratt Group and son of Eliyahu Goldratt, author of “The Goal”.
  • Concurrent Sessions on Monday and Tuesday 
    Featuring former Award recipients and other high-performing organizations spoke on relevant topics of interest, such as leadership and social responsibility, community engagement, strategy, customer engagement, operations and operational continuity, and workforce issues.

Future Quest Conference Dates

March 29-April 1, 2026
Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Baltimore MD

April 4-April 7, 2027
Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, Baltimore MD

What Quest Attendees Are Saying

learned more in three days at Quest...than ten years in leadership

2024 Quest for Excellence Conference Attendee
________________________________

This whole process has been mind-blowing as a leader. 
I learned more in three days at the Quest conference than I have in ten years in a leadership capacity.
 

Become a Baldrige Sponsor Today!

The Baldrige Program extends a sincere thank you to Baldrige Foundation donors and the 36th Quest for Excellence® Conference sponsors (listed below). Sponsor support helps to defray conference costs and make Quest a better conference experience for all attendees. 

36th Quest Conference Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Event Sponsors

Item Sponsors

Become a Baldrige Sponsor Today!

Mac Baldrige Society Member Donors

The Baldrige Foundation thanks the following Members of the Mac Baldrige Society for their generous contributions as Trustees of the Institute for Performance Excellence.