U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Undersecretary of Commerce and NIST Director Walter Copan Presents Five Organizations with Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

Share

Noting that the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is "the pinnacle of recognition for business and organizational excellence," Walter Copan, U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director, presented five U.S. organizations on April 8, 2018, with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's only presidential award for performance excellence and innovation.

The five honorees are:

“This year’s recipients have put the criteria to work day in and day out to consistently produce outstanding results,” said Copan. "Baldrige works, and it works for any organization committed to their customers, their employees and their mission."

5 people standing on a stage
2017 Baldrige Award Winner: Bristol Tennessee Essential Services. From left-to-right: Robert Fangmeyer, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program; George Benson, Chairman of Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award; R. Michael Browder, Chief Executive Officer, Bristol Tennessee Essential Services; Larry Clarke, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bristol Tennessee Essential Services; and Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director
Credit: Hamilton Studios
5 people standing on a stage
2017 Baldrige Award Winner: Stellar Solutions. From left-to-right: Robert Fangmeyer, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program; George Benson, Chairman of Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award; Celeste Ford, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Stellar Solutions; Mike Lencioni, President and Chief Operations, Stellar Solutions; and Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director
Credit: Hamilton Studios
5 people standing on a stage
2017 Baldrige Award Winner: City of Fort Collins. From left-to-right: Robert Fangmeyer, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program; George Benson, Chairman of Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award; Darin Atteberry, City Manager, City of Fort Collins; Wade O. Troxell, Mayor, City of Fort Collins; and Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director
Credit: Hamilton Studios
5 people standing on a stage
2017 Baldrige Award Winner: Adventist Health Castle. From left-to-right: Robert Fangmeyer, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program; George Benson, Chairman of Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award; Kathy Raethel, President, Adventist Health Castle; Steve Bovey, Quality Supervisor, Adventist Health Castle; and Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director
Credit: Hamilton Studios
5 people standing on a stage
2017 Baldrige Award Winner: Southcentral Foundation. From left-to-right: Robert Fangmeyer, Director, Baldrige Performance Excellence Program; George Benson, Chairman of Foundation for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award; Katherine Gottlieb, President and Chief Executive Officer, Southcentral Foundation; James Segura, Chairman, Board of Directors, Southcentral Foundation; and Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director
Credit: Hamilton Studios
Walt Copan at a podium
Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director, at the 2017 Baldrige Award ceremony.
Credit: Hamilton Studios

 

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. Eligibility for the award was expanded in 1998 to include education and health care, and again in 2007 to include nonprofit organizations.

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in conjunction with the private sector, raises awareness about the importance of performance excellence in driving the U.S. and global economy; provides organizational assessments, training, tools and criteria; educates leaders in businesses, schools, health care organizations and government and nonprofit organizations; shares the best practices of national role models; and recognizes those role models with the Baldrige Award.

A recording of the live event, which occurred in Baltimore, appears on the NIST Facebook feed.

Performance excellence and Baldrige award
Released April 9, 2018, Updated April 10, 2018