Three Canadian small businesses were recognized with Canada Awards for Excellence recently, that country’s equivalent to the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Winners in the CAE’s small business category were M & M Meat Shops Ltd. (head office), Print Audit and Strus & Associates Inc.

“As a core part of Canada’s economic engine, these smaller businesses are to be applauded for such outstanding performance,” says Cameron Hyde, National Quality Institute chairman and president and general manager for North American agent operations for Xerox Corp. “For these winners, excellence is a way of life and central to the way their operations are managed.”

M & M Meat Shops Ltd. services the largest retail chain of specialty frozen foods in Canada: 378 franchised stores in 10 provinces and the Yukon. The company highly values employees’ shared belief in the company’s commitment to quality, and its strategic direction makes all employees responsible for its implementation. It also provides extensive training, marketing resources and a comprehensive communications program, along with a formal wellness program that keeps absenteeism to a minimum and promotes professionalism, productivity and teamwork.

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