UA’s Alabama Productivity Center Announces Recipients of 2008 Alabama Quality Awards for Excellence

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama Productivity Center at The University of Alabama today announced 10 organizations as recipients of the 2008 Alabama Quality Award, the state’s honor for quality and performance excellence.

The highest level of recognition, Level 3- Alabama Excellence Award, was awarded to McGuffey Health Care, Gadsden.

The Level 2 Award- Progress Toward Excellence was awarded to Just 4, a Title 1 Pre-School in Mobile, in the education category. Mayer Electric Supply, Birmingham and Turenne PharMedCo, Montgomery received the Level 2 award for the service sector.

The Level 1- Commitment to Excellence was awarded to Brookshire Healthcare, Huntsville; Capitol Health and Rehab Center, Montgomery; Northside Health Care, Gadsden; and Shelby Ridge Nursing Home and Rehab Select, Alabaster for the healthcare sector. Troy University, Troy received the award for the education sector.

In addition to the three levels of recognition, the Alabama Productivity Center administers the Award of Excellence for Continuous Productivity and Quality Improvement for previous winners of the Alabama Quality Award. This year’s recipient is DCH Health Systems, Tuscaloosa.

The Alabama Quality Award is modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The AQA recognizes and honors organizations that use effective productivity and quality improvement strategies, techniques or practices which can be shared with other organizations to help contribute to the overall economic well-being in the state of Alabama.

The award is based upon performance criteria that include the following: excellence in leadership; strategic planning; attention to customers and other stakeholders; market focus; process management; and analysis of organizational performance. Companies use the criteria as a self assessment tool to determine at which level of the AQA they should apply.

“For most organizations, the most valuable aspect of going through the award process is the feedback that an organization receives, both external and internal,” said Dr. David Miller, director of the Alabama Productivity Center. “Externally, the award process provides an audit of whether the organization is doing the right things the right way. Internally, the process forces an organization to do a self assessment by going through the steps of preparing an application.”

The awards will be presented at the Alabama Quality Award Annual Conference and Award Ceremony the evening of Dec. 4.

“The conference itself is an effective benchmarking and learning opportunity,” said Miller. “Organizations share their best practices; teams showcase their approaches to problem solving; and national award winners describe their quality-based strategies and tactics.”

For additional information, contact Linda Vincent at the Alabama Productivity Center, 205/348-8994 or Linda@proctr.cba.ua.edu.

The Alabama Quality Award is administered by the Alabama Productivity Center, an Alabama Technology Network center and a nonprofit organization established in 1986 by The University of Alabama and Alabama Power Company. The Center’s purpose is to find ways to use University research and educational resources to stimulate economic development within the state.