Awards Presented to Three Organizations at Baldrige Ceremony

WASHINGTON DC, March 13 – Vice President Dick Cheney presented the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award to the three 2006 recipients—Mesa Products, Incorporated; North Mississippi Medical Center and Premier, Incorporated.

At the ceremony in the historic Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Mr. Cheney said, “It is only fitting that the American economy, which inspires people everywhere, should also be the source of quality measures recognized throughout the world. It's become a tradition here in the United States and in many other countries to mark progress according to the standards of the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Awards. Almost any organization knows that it's likely to perform better, provide a better product or service, be a better place to work and be a better corporate citizen if it sets Baldrige goals and applies Baldrige principles.“

Representing the American Society for Quality at the ceremony was ASQ President Ron Atkinson.  ASQ performs administrative tasks for the Baldrige Award under contract with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.