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The Relentless Pursuit of Improvement
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Business New Haven
7/7/2003
By: BNH
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Quality awards cite 'cream of the crop' among state enterprises
The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award (CQIA) Partnership, the mission of which is to create and recognize Connecticut's first Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence winner by 2005, has announced award winners of the CQIA Innovation Prize.
Platinum award-winners ATMI of Danbury and Z-Medica of Newington "represent the pinnacle of Connecticut business's innovation, dedication and technology sophistication," according to CQIA officials. Fifty other
Connecticut businesses have earned Gold and Silver innovation awards.
"Connecticut's growth depends on innovative organizations," says Sheila Carmine, executive director of the CQIA Partnership. "Out of the nearly 243,000 businesses in Connecticut, these are the select companies who represent the creativity, ingenuity and drive that will lead Connecticut's economic growth.
"Based on the inventiveness and dedication of Connecticut's businesses as recognized by the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership, we predict that innovative companies in the technology and health industries are those most likely to drive Connecticut's economic growth," she added.
Of the winning companies, said Carmine: "It's companies like Platinum award-winners ATMI - which develops the key materials that are the building blocks to make every advanced computer chip - and Z-Medica - which develops life-saving blood-clotting products, that represent the best of Connecticut. Companies like these will grow Connecticut's reputation as the country's center of business innovation and success will lead to Connecticut's first Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence Winner by 2005."
Local Gold award-winning companies include: 454 Life Sciences in Branford; New Haven-based SBC/SNET; and JobLinks, of Waterbury.
Area Silver award-winners include: Aquarion Water in Bridgeport; Seymour-based Basement Systems; F.W. Serra in Shelton; New Haven-based Metaserver; and SARAH, in Guilford.
At the 16th annual Conference on Quality & Innovation in October at Foxwoods Resort Casino, the CQIA Partnership will highlight methods that Connecticut businesses can use to drive creativity and growth, with an emphasis on continuing quality improvement. The day-long event will offer seminars, instruction, and group discussions of successful business techniques with speakers from Connecticut winning organizations as well as the president of a small, family-run business that is one of the most recent Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence winners.
The Baldrige Award is given by the President of the U.S. to businesses of all types and sizes as well as to education and health-care organizations that apply and are judged to be outstanding in seven areas: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management and business results.
Congress established the award program in 1987 to recognize U.S. organizations for their achievements in quality and performance and to raise awareness about the importance of quality and performance excellence as a competitive edge.
The 16-year old, not-for-profit CQIA Partnership sponsors three annual awards: The CQIA Innovation Prize recognizes accomplishments during the initial stages of the "quality journey" for all Connecticut organizations.
The Connecticut Breakthrough Quality Award recognizes Connecticut organizations that are ready to launch their first rigorous quality improvement, measurement, and business-impact initiative.
And the Connecticut Leadership Quality Award recognizes Connecticut organizations that are ready to move from the breakthrough to the leadership level in quality performance and market competitiveness.
The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award, the nation's first state-level quality award, was founded in 1987 utilizing the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence criteria in an effort to advance innovative programs that improve quality, performance and marketplace competitiveness.
Since 1987, the CQIA has been the State's annual quality awards, recognizing Connecticut manufacturing and service companies that excel in managing quality improvement for business success and growth.
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