(NIST: Washington) -- President Barack Obama and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke recently announced that five organizations are the recipients of the 2009 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for innovation and performance excellence.

The 2009 Baldrige Award recipients—listed with their category—are:

• Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, Kansas City, Missouri, (manufacturing)
• MidwayUSA, Columbia, Missouri, (small business)
• AtlantiCare, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, (health care)
• Heartland Health, St. Joseph, Missouri, (health care)
• VA Cooperative Studies Program Clinical Research Pharmacy Coordinating Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, (nonprofit)

“The road to greatness in America has been, and always will be, traveled by those who embrace change and work hard every day to be the best; the organizations we honor today with the Baldrige National Quality Award exemplify that spirit,” President Obama said. “This year’s recipients have shown how quality, innovation, and an unending quest for excellence help strengthen our nation and brighten the future of all Americans.”

“We are thrilled to congratulate the five outstanding organizations that have been named to receive this year’s Baldrige Award,” added Secretary Locke. “They inspire other organizations to be more accessible, more efficient, more customer-focused, and more financially sound. They have raised the bar for innovation and organizational excellence and in the process, help to improve our economy and quality of life.”

The 2009 Baldrige Award recipients were selected from a field of 70 applicants. All of the applicants were evaluated rigorously by an independent board of examiners in seven areas: leadership; strategic planning; customer focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; work force focus; process management; and results. The evaluation process for each of the recipients included about 1,000 hours of review and an on-site visit by a team of examiners to clarify questions and verify information in the applications.

The Baldrige National Quality Program (BNQP) and the Baldrige Award promote innovation and performance excellence across the country and around the world in a number of ways. For example:

• The use of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence, the guide designed to help organizations of all types improve their operations, is widespread. More than 10 million copies of the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence—described by one industry CEO as “probably the single most influential document in the modern history of American business”—have been distributed since 1988, and more than 2 million copies were downloaded last year alone.
• Nearly 5,000 public and private-sector leaders have served on the independent board of examiners that reviews applications for the Baldrige Award. Each applicant receives 300 to 1,000 hours of review and a detailed feedback report from these experts.
• More than 40 U.S. states and more than 45 countries have implemented programs based on the Baldrige criteria.

The 2009 Baldrige Award recipients are expected to be presented with their awards in a ceremony in Washington, D.C., next year.