Scottsdale Welcomes National and International Leaders in Performance Excellence

Phoenix, AZ, September 20, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Beginning the last week in September, 2012, the Valley of the Sun will host special guests from Thailand and New Zealand followed by visitors from across the United States– all arriving for the Baldrige Regional Conference and additional events. The Conference, put on by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and hosted by Arizona Quality Alliance, will be held on September 28, 2012 at the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Paradise Valley in Scottsdale, Arizona, and will feature Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipients sharing their journeys in performance excellence. Approximately 250 are expected to attend. Preceding the Conference, the groups from New Zealand and Thailand will be meeting with local Quality leaders from companies and organizations throughout the Valley to explore best practices, knowledge and expertise in relation to productivity and innovation. The Alliance for Performance Excellence will also be holding a Summit on Strategic Discussions September 26-27, before the Conference.

The New Zealand group, part of the Performance Excellence Study Awards (PESA) program, is a joint government/business initiative to foster the use of performance excellence criteria by New Zealand organizations. Since its formation, PESA has adopted the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) criteria. Part of the NZ PESA program is an annual visit to study U.S. Baldrige and State award recipients with the aim of sharing knowledge and ideas.

The FTPI (Thailand Productivity Institute) also makes an annual journey to visit and study several state award recipient organizations, and this year they have selected Arizona. They will be working directly with the Arizona Quality Alliance and the award recipients of their Governor’s and Pioneer Awards for Quality along with Showcase in Excellence Award recipients to learn about specific process improvement methodologies that have helped their organizations achieve success.

“I am proud to host so many individuals and organizations with a passion for quality, process improvement and excellence,” stated Karen Shepard, executive director of the Arizona Quality Alliance.

The Baldrige Performance Excellence Program is the nation's public-private partnership dedicated to performance excellence, which seeks to improve competitiveness and performance in U.S. organizations for the benefit of all U.S. residents. The Baldrige Program manages the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and develops and disseminates the evaluation criteria in an effort to raises awareness about the importance of performance excellence in driving the U.S. and global economy and recognizes national role models by honoring them with the only Presidential Award for performance excellence.

The Arizona Quality Alliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that advances improvement and excellence in organizations, communities and individuals throughout Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The AQA is administered by a professional staff under the leadership and guidance of its members and elected Board of Directors. The AQA is also a member of the Alliance for Performance Excellence, a national network of state programs that advance improvement in organizations by using the Baldrige Criteria.