Illinois Performance Excellence Announces Six Recipients for Its 2012 Awards for Excellence

NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illinois Performance Excellence today announced that six organizations were selected by the Panel of Judges as the 2012 recipients of the Illinois Performance Excellence (ILPEx) Awards for Excellence. This annual award recognizes organizations within the State of Illinois identified as leaders, contributing to the economic development and ethical competitiveness in the state. ILPEx is Illinois’ only state-wide quality program patterned on the national Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which was established by Congress and President Ronald Reagan in 1987. The ILPEx Awards for Excellence has three levels of recognition with recipients meeting various stages of performance.

“Congratulations to all of the recipients of the ILPEx Awards for Excellence and for committing to an on-going journey to excellence”

“Congratulations to all of the recipients of the ILPEx Awards for Excellence and for committing to an on-going journey to excellence,” says Darcy Davidsmeyer, President and CEO of Illinois Performance Excellence. “Organizations that pursue the Baldrige management framework can demonstrate through the ILPEx awards process that they have adopted proven performance practices, principles and strategies that nurture excellence in all aspects of an organization – from client relations to workforce development to results. This year’s recipients are outstanding examples of organizations that understand the impact and benefit that comes from a shared vision and alignment of processes to get efficiencies, focus and sustainability.”

Two organizations were awarded the 2012 ILPEx Silver Award for “Progress toward Excellence” demonstrating sound and notable continuous improvement processes, they are:

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital – Park Ridge
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund – Oak Brook

Additionally, four organizations received the 2012 ILPEx Bronze Award for “Commitment to Excellence” for their earnest efforts to adopt and apply continuous improvement principles. These organizations include:

College of DuPage – Glen Ellyn
Concentric Rockford Inc. – Rockford
Health Research & Educational Trust - Chicago
St. Mary’s Hospital - Decatur

The recipient organizations will be honored at the ILPEx Quest for Excellence Conference and formally bestowed the awards at the 18^th annual award recognition ceremony, “Saluting Excellence,” both events to be held on Friday, March 22, 2013, in Naperville. The keynote speaker for this event will be Dr. Bruce Kintz, President and Chief Executive Officer, Concordia Publishing House which was awarded the 2011 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Dr. Kintz will share insights and experiences on Concordia Publishing House’s journey to excellence and its accomplishments.

The 2012 Board of Examiners -- made up of nearly 100 experts in business, education, health care and government -- spent more than 10,200 hours assessing this year’s applicants in seven categories: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; operations focus; and results. The ILPEx Panel of Judges is responsible for validating the integrity of the ILPEx award process and determining recognition levels for each applicant. The Panel is composed of experts selected from all industry sectors and represents various geographic areas of the State of Illinois.

About Illinois Performance Excellence

Illinois Performance Excellence (ILPEx) empowers organizations to understand and use the framework of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, moving to a systematic “view” which translates into alignment and sustainability. As a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization, ILPEx’s vision is to create a culture of excellence that is pervasive throughout Illinois. Four Illinois organizations have been honored with the prestigious Baldrige National Quality Award, they are: Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital – 2010; Community Consolidated School District 15 – 2003; Motorola Commercial, Government & Industrial Solutions Sector – 2002; Motorola. Inc. – 1988.

For more information on how your organization can benefit from services provided by Illinois Performance Excellence, visit www.ilpex.org, or call 630-637-1595 extension 3.

For more information on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, visit www.nist.gov/baldrige/.

Recipient Contact Information
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital – Park Ridge, Illinois
Antonia Hernandez
847-723-5637
[e-mail]
College of DuPage – Glen Ellyn, Illinois
James R. Bente
630-942-2409
[e-mail]
Concentric Rockford, Inc. – Rockford, Illinois
Martin Bradford	Jerry Rumple
Concentric Rockford, Inc.	Concentric Rockford, Inc.
815-387-4420	815-387-4594
[e-mail]	[e-mail]
Health Research & Education Trust – Chicago, Illinois
Marie Watteau	Matt Fenwick
AHA	HRET
202-626-2351	312-422-2820
[e-mail]	[e-mail]
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund
Linda Horrell
630-368-5375
[e-mail]
St. Mary’s Hospital – Decatur, Illinois
Jessica Michael
217-464-7530
[e-mail]