Vice President Biden, Secretary Locke to Present 2008 Baldrige Awards

RSVP: This event is OPEN PRESS. Media must RSVP with the NAME, POSITION (Reporter, TV Camera, Photog, etc.) MEDIA OUTLET, PHONE and EMAIL for each person planning to cover the event to Gail Porter (301-367-7385, gail.porter [at] nist.gov (gail[dot]porter[at]nist[dot]gov)) or Michael Newman (240-602-5365, michael.newman [at] nist.gov (michael[dot]newman[at]nist[dot]gov)) by December 1st at 6:00 p.m. EST. At the event, you will be required to wear your outlet's media credential at all times, either around the neck or pinned to clothing.

Satellite Feed and Webcast: A satellite broadcast of the ceremony will be available for broadcast TV stations to downlink. The ceremony also will be webcast.

Webcast Address:
500K: mms://wms.003F.edgecastcdn.net/20003F/ectvhi
100K: mms://wms.003F.edgecastcdn.net/20003F/ectvlo

Satellite Downlink Data: Test time: 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EST Ceremony time: 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. EST

Media Interviews: Executives of Baldrige Award recipients will be available for interviews between 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. EST. Reporters may request interviews by 6:00 p.m. EST, December 1, by contacting Michael Newman (301-975-3025, michael.newman [at] nist.gov (michael[dot]newman[at]nist[dot]gov)) or sign up on the day of the ceremony at the media registration table.

Background: 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 and expanded in 1998 to include education and health care and in 2007 to include nonprofit organizations. The award promotes excellence in organizational performance, recognizes the achievements and results of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance strategies. Since 1988, 75 organizations have received Baldrige Awards.

Some highlights of the 2008 Baldrige Award recipients:

• Cargill Corn Milling North America (CCM), a business unit within privately held Cargill Inc., is a manufacturer of corn- and sugar-based products serving food, feed and fermentation markets.
• • CCM's Earnings After Tax, a key financial goal for the business unit, increased from approximately $65 million in fiscal year (FY) 2003 to $170 million in FY 2007.
  • CCM sustained a manufacturing cost of approximately $2 per bushel from FY 2006- 2008 even though energy costs increased by 50-80 percent, chemical costs rose by 30 percent and maintenance costs increased by 10 percent.
     
• Poudre Valley Health System (PVHS) is a locally owned, private not-for-profit health care organization serving residents of northern Colorado, western Nebraska and southern Wyoming.
• • PVHS patient loyalty has been demonstrated by satisfaction ratings for both inpatients and outpatients that approach 90 percent.
  • In 2008, Modern Healthcare Magazine named PVHS as one of "America's 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare."
     
• Iredell-Statesville Schools (I-SS) is a K-12 public school system located in southwestern North Carolina within a diverse community and economy.
• • In spite of a lower budget and per pupil expenditure (ranked 107 out of 155 in North Carolina), I-SS outperforms comparative districts at the state and national level.
  • The district has provided teachers with both face-to-face and virtual opportunities to collaborate on improving student learning, transforming the culture from a "focus on teaching" to a "focus on learning."

Additional information on the Baldrige Award and the 2008 recipients is available at www.baldrige.nist.gov.