Quality Conference Relocates to Gulf Coast for 2010

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —The 23rd annual Alabama Quality Award conference and ceremony will be held Dec. 1-3 at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach.

The AQA conference is typically held in Tuscaloosa, but after the April 20 oil spill conference organizers wanted to help the hard-hit Gulf Coast economy, so they decided to relocate the conference to Orange Beach.

Dozens of Alabama businessmen and businesswomen will be attending the conference that features keynote speaker Ken Jackson, president of Dudley C. Jackson Inc.

A graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Jackson has received numerous awards and distinctions, including 2001 Executive of the Year from the “Birmingham Business Journal,” and Outstanding Civic Leader for 2002 by the Alabama Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

There will also be sessions discussing “How to Manage an Organization in Tough Economic Times.”

The 2010 awards will be presented the evening of Dec. 2.

The Alabama Quality Award (modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award) has been administered by the Alabama Productivity Center, located at The University of Alabama, since 1986. The Award recognizes and honors organizations whose past or recent innovations in areas of production, service or management have resulted in increased productivity and quality.