With the recession finally in our rearview mirror (so they say), most companies are beginning to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and at least try to get back to business. But the past year has left its mark: Employees are in a funk.

(HEIDENHAIN: Schaumburg, IL) -- With the new TS 249, HEIDENHAIN Corp.

 Story update 10/7/2010: We edited the last sentence of the first paragraph to reflect an amendment from the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program.

You can check a person’s vital signs—pulse, respiration, and blood pressure—manually or by attaching sensors to the body.

Editor’s note: This is the first of a series of columns from Larry Williams, author of the soon-to-be-released book Customer Service A to Z.

(Pilgrim Software: Tampa, FL) -- Pilgrim Software Inc., a global provider of enterprise risk, compliance, and quality management (ERCQM) software solutions, is the recipient

(Buker Inc.: Antioch, IL) --The Lean Manufacturing Assessment, a new booklet produced by Buker Inc., offers manufacturing companies the opportunity to benchmark themselves in their lean efforts against the “best in class” lean manufacturing standards.

(Spectronics Corp.: Westbury, NY) --The MAXIMA ML-3500 series ultraviolet lamps use advanced micro-discharge light (MDL) technology, plus a unique filter and bulb/reflector, to deliver

(Six Sigma Management Institute: Scottsdale, AZ) -- Business leaders, improvement experts, Six Sigma professionals, and consultants are cordially invited to attend “The Social Convergence of Six Sigma,” a two-day leadership event to