Two Manufacturers, Two Service Companies Win 1999 Baldrige Awards

President Clinton and Commerce Secretary William M. Daley today announced two manufacturers and two service companies as winners of the 1999 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement.

The winners are: STMicroelectronics, Inc. - Region Americas (Carrollton, Texas; manufacturing); BI (Minneapolis, Minn.; service); The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. (Atlanta, Ga.; service); and Sunny Fresh Foods (Monticello, Minn.; small business/manufacturing).

"President Clinton and I congratulate the men and women of the four organizations that we have named today as the 1999 recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. While they are very different organizations, each with their own blueprint for excellence, all four have in common a focus on the future and a passion for performance improvement. They are role models for excellence in the 21st century," said Daley.

"While no award recipients were selected in the new education and health care categories, I am very pleased with the enthusiastic response we have received from these two communities. I am confident that in the future we will have recipients in both education and health care," said Daley.

Sunny Fresh Foods is the first food manufacturer to receive the Baldrige Award. This is the second Baldrige Award for the Ritz-Carlton; the first was in 1992.

Named after a former Secretary of Commerce, the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was established by Congress in 1987 to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. businesses by promoting quality awareness, recognizing the quality and performance achievements of U.S. organizations, and publicizing successful performance strategies. In 1999, new categories for education and health care were established. The award is not given for specific products or services. Since 1988, 37 organizations have received a Baldrige Award.

The Baldrige program is managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the Department of Commerce's Technology Administration, in conjunction with the private sector.

Following are brief descriptions of the 1999 Baldrige Award recipients:

STMicroelectronics, Inc. - Region Americas

Headquartered in Carrollton, Texas, STMicroelectronics, Inc.-Region Americas designs, develops, manufactures, and markets semiconductor integrated circuits for consumer electronics and automotive, medical, telecommunications and computer applications in the United States and around the world. ST has more than 3,000 employees located in 37 sites around the United States and Canada, including its Texas headquarters; manufacturing facilities in Carrollton, Phoenix and Rancho Bernardo, Calif.; a design and prototype facility in Montgomeryville, Pa.; and other design and sales offices in San Jose, Calif.; Lexington, Mass.; Schaumburg, Ill., and Livonia, Mich. ST is a business entity of STMicroelectronics N.V. based in St. Genis, France.

Contact: J.P. Rossomme, manager, public affairs and communications; (602) 485-2262; email: Jean-Pierr.Rossomme [at] st.com (Jean-Pierr[dot]Rossomme[at]st[dot]com)

BI

BI helps its customers achieve their business goals by enhancing the performance of people —generally a customer's distributors, employees or consumers. BI designs and delivers performance improvement programs integrating communications, training, measurement and rewards. Products and services include design and implementation of training; helping customers with organizational change and strategic planning; customer-loyalty programs; and sales incentive programs. BI employs more than 1,400 "Associates." Most are located at its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn.; others are at facilities in Eden Valley, Minn.; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and in 21 sales offices around the country.

Contact: Nancy Martinson, Vice President of Human Resources; (952) 844-4170 email: nancy.martinson [at] biworldwide.com (nancy[dot]martinson[at]biworldwide[dot]com)

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., manages 36 luxury hotels worldwide. Based in Atlanta, Ritz-Carlton has about 17,000 employees. In 1998, Ritz-Carlton had sales of more than $1 billion. The Ritz-Carlton is the only service company to receive a Baldrige Award twice. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc.

Contact: Stephanie Platt, corporate director of communications, (404) 237-5500; email: Stephanie.Platt [at] ritzcarlton.com (Stephanie[dot]Platt[at]ritzcarlton[dot]com)

Sunny Fresh Foods

Sunny Fresh Foods manufactures further processed egg products, including pasteurized refrigerated and frozen egg products, fat-free egg products, peeled hard-cooked eggs, and pre-cooked egg products such as omelets, french toast, and frozen scrambled and diced eggs. With headquarters in Monticello, Minn., Sunny Fresh Foods has about 380 employees located in Minnesota, as well as in Panora, Iowa and Lake Odessa, Mich. The company, which markets to food service customers, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cargill, Inc.

Contact: Laura Huston, manager, business process improvement, (612) 742-2918; email: Laura_Huston [at] cargill.com (Laura_Huston[at]cargill[dot]com)

Baldrige Award applicants undergo a rigorous examination process that takes almost six months and reviews achievements and improvements in every aspect of the organization's business, from strategic planning to human resources to customer satisfaction and performance and business results. Applications are reviewed by an independent board of examiners primarily from the private sector. Each applicant receives a "feedback" report citing strengths and opportunities for improvement.

President Clinton and Secretary Daley are expected to present the Baldrige Award to these organizations in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., early next year.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration, NIST strengthens the U.S. economy and improves the quality of life by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards through four partnerships: the Baldrige National Quality Program, the Measurement and Standards Laboratories, the Advanced Technology Program and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

NOTE TO REPORTERS: Further information and photos are available www.nist.gov/public_affairs/news.htm or by calling (301) 975-2762.

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