President and Commerce Secretary Announce
Recipients of Nation’s
Highest Honor
in Quality and Performance Excellence
 November 25, 2003
President
George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Donald L. Evans announced
seven organizations as recipients of the 2003 Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award, the nation’s highest honor for quality and performance
excellence. This is the most Baldrige Award recipients since the
program started in 1988 and the first time that recipients were
named in all five Baldrige Award categories.
The 2003 Baldrige Award recipients are:
- Community Consolidated School District
15, Palatine, Ill. (education);
- Medrad, Inc., Indianola, Pa. (manufacturing);
- Boeing Aerospace Support, St. Louis, Mo. (service) (Boeing Airlift
and Tanker Programs, Long Beach, Calif., received the Baldrige
Award in 1998 in the manufacturing category);
- Caterpillar Financial Services Corp., Nashville, Tenn. (service);
- Stoner Inc., Quarryville, Pa. (small business);
- Baptist Hospital, Inc., Pensacola, Fla. (health care); and
- Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, Kansas City, Mo.
(health care).
“I am pleased to join President Bush in congratulating this
year’s recipients of the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National
Quality Award,” said Secretary Evans. “They represent
America’s best and are setting a high standard for corporate
and social responsibility. Their dynamic, principled leadership
has built our economy into the world’s largest engine of progress
and prosperity.”
The 2003 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from among 68
applicants. All seven were evaluated rigorously by an independent
board of examiners in seven areas: leadership, strategic planning,
customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource
focus, process management, and results. The evaluation process included
about 1,000 hours of review and an on-site visit by teams of examiners
to clarify questions and verify information in the applications.
“This recognition is so meaningful to the recipients because
they know the evaluation for the Baldrige Award was objective and
scrupulous in identifying performance excellence. Every step of
the process is structured to apply the knowledge and expertise of
the board of examiners in ensuring that only the most outstanding
applicants are recognized,” said Harry Reedy, chair of the
Baldrige Award panel of judges and vice president and director of
quality, State Street Corporation.
The 2003 Baldrige Award recipients are expected to be presented
with the Baldrige Award in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., early
next year.
Named after the 26th Secretary of Commerce, the Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance
the competitiveness of U.S. businesses. The award promotes excellence
in organizational performance, recognizes the quality and performance
achievements of U.S. organizations, and publicizes successful performance
strategies. The award may be presented to five types of organizations:
manufacturers, service companies, small businesses, education organizations
and health care organizations. The award is not given for specific
products or services. Since 1988, 58 organizations have received
the Baldrige Award.
The Baldrige program is managed by the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST) in conjunction with the private sector. As
a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce Technology
Administration, NIST develops and promotes measurement, standards
and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade and improve
the quality of life.
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