The Rose Bowl is often referred to as “the granddaddy of them all.” Since 1902, it’s where champions of the nation’s top-rated college football teams were determined, and is often considered the most prestigious of all the bowl games. If there was ever a “granddaddy” of performance excellence programs, in my estimation it’s the Baldrige, which was established by Congress in 1987 to promote quality awareness.

From this the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award was created to recognize successful U.S. organizations for their quality and business achievements. Now in its 25th year, the award is America’s highest honor for innovation and performance excellence. Even with reduced financial support from the government, the Baldrige Award continues to flourish, which is a tribute to Baldrige Performance Excellence Program director, Harry Hertz, and his talented management team.

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