The U.S. Department of Commerce announced today that six organizations will be presented with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Baldrige is the nation’s only presidential award for performance excellence, recognizing U.S. organizations and businesses that have shown an unceasing drive for innovative solutions to complex challenges, visionary leadership and operational excellence.

“With an emphasis on efficiency and best practices, the Baldrige public-private partnership generates $1 billion per year in economic impact for the U.S. economy,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “The Baldrige Award embodies the competitive spirit and commitment to excellence that fuels our economic resurgence and drives our country forward.”

The 2019 honorees are as follows: 

• Adventist Health White Memorial, Los Angeles, California (health care)
• Center for Organ Recovery & Education (CORE), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (nonprofit)
• City of Germantown, Germantown, Tennessee (nonprofit) 
• Howard Community College, Columbia, Maryland (education) 
• Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, Oak Brook, Illinois (nonprofit)
• Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames, Iowa (health care)

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) manages the Baldrige Award in cooperation with the private sector. An independent panel of judges reviewed the evaluations performed by the Baldrige Board of Examiners and recommended this year’s award recipients from a field of 26 applicants.

The 2019 Baldrige Awards will be presented at a ceremony on March 24, 2020, during the Baldrige Program’s 32nd annual Quest for Excellence® conference, which will be held in National Harbor, Maryland.