Colorado group adopts Baldrige principles.

• Author: Taylor, Mike
• Position: Small Biz - Colorado Performance Excellence, Baldrige National Quality Program

As THE FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR of Colorado Performance Excellence, Tom Mauro has paid visits to Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Boulder, Fort Collins, Denver, and Grand Junction. He's talked to businesses, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, schools and hospitals.

"I've been basically on my horse," says Mauro. "Just going around the state."

CPEx is a new non-profit organization modeled after the Baldrige National Quality Program; its purpose is to advance and recognize the efforts of Colorado organizations committed to performance excellence and quality. Its first event was a forum on Oct. 10 called "Reaching the Peak ... a journey for continuous improvement," at the Marriott Denver Tech Center. The session drew 170 people from as far away as Burlington and Aspen.

Along with educational breakout sessions, the forum featured keynote speaker Dr. Harry Hertz, the director of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Program, and a second keynote speaker, Don Evans, president and CEO of Greenwood Village-based OMI Inc., a division of CH2M Hill. In 2000, OMI became the first and only Colorado-based company to receive the Malcolm Baidrige National Quality Award.

...