Vice President Biden and Commerce Secretary Locke Present Baldrige Award to Five Organizations

On December 16, 2010, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Commerce Department Secretary Gary Locke presented five U.S. organizations with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest honor for organizational innovation and performance excellence.

The ceremony—the 22th in the history of the award—honored the 2009 recipients: Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, Kansas City, Mo. (manufacturing); MidwayUSA, Columbia, Mo. (small business); AtlantiCare, Egg Harbor Township, N.J. (health care); Heartland Health, St. Joseph, Mo. (health care); and Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, Albuquerque, N.M. (nonprofit).

The 2009 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from a field of 70 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.

For further information on the Baldrige Award see: http://www.nist.gov/baldrige/. 

View the award ceremony video.

	Top Left Photo (L-R): Vice President Biden; Anthony J. Brancato III, Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, President; Jane Fitzpatrick, Mgr, Quality, Continuous Improvement and Business Excellence; Secretary Locke Top Right Photo (L-R): Vice President Biden; Deanna Herwald, Vice President, Quality Management Systems, MidwayUSA; Matt Fleming, President MidwayUSA; Secretary Locke Middle Left Photo (L-R): Vice President Biden; David P. Tilton, President and CEO, AtlantiCare; Joan Brennan, VP, Quality and Performance Excellence, AtlantiCare; Secretary Locke Middle Right Photo (L-R): Vice President Biden; Thelma P. Salazar, Assoc. Center Director for Administrative Operations, Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center; Mike R. Sather, Center Director; Secretary Locke Bottom Photo (L-R): Vice President Biden; Mark Laney, President and CEO, Heartland Health; Alfred L. Purcell, Chairman, Heartland Health Board of Directors; Secretary Locke Click on each photo for a high-resolution version.  All photos by Ronald Bell.