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A nurse welcomes two new arrivals at Poudre Valley Hospital, part of the Poudre Valley Health System honored with the 2008 Baldrige National Quality Award.
The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and President Bush today announced that three organizations are the recipients of the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest Presidential honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence.
The organizations honored include Cargill Corn Milling North America (Wayzata, Minn.) in the manufacturing category, Poudre Valley Health System (Fort Collins, Colo.) in the health care category, and Iredell-Statesville Schools (Statesville, N.C.) in the education category.
"I am pleased to join President Bush in announcing these three outstanding organizations that have been named to receive this year's Baldrige Award," said Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez. "Quality, innovation and competitiveness are essential to maintaining America's global leadership and providing our citizens with world-class products, health care and education. Each of the recipients we honor today serves as a role model embodying the values of excellence, principled leadership and commitment to employees, customers, partners and community."
The 2008 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from a field of 85 applicants. All of the applicants were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer and market 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 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 its inception in 1988, 75 organizations have received Baldrige Awards.
For more details, see "Commerce Secretary Gutierrez Joins President Bush in Announcing 2008 Baldrige National Quality Awards."