2003 - 2004 AWARD RECIPIENTS


The winners of the WSQA Awards for 2003-2004 have been announced.

Today, the Washington State Quality Award (WSQA) announces the recipients of the 2003 Washington State Quality Award, Path to Performance Excellence. Governor Gary Locke will present the awards at a ceremony in Olympia in May. WSQA has been recognizing organizations since 1994. Multiple levels of the award were established in 2001 to recognize progress along an organizations performance improvement path. The levels of the award from the highest to the lowest are Excellence Level, Leadership Level, Achievement Level and Certificate of Commitment. WSQA uses the national standard, the Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Criteria to evaluate organizations for the award. This year WSQA recognizes the following Washington organizations for their accomplishments on their path to performance excellence.

WSQA Leadership Level (Significant Progress toward Excellence) The Boeing Company, Derivative Airplane Programs The Derivative Airplane Programs, located in Seattle, Washington is part of the Airlift and Tanker Program who received the national Baldrige Award in 1998. The organization has 139 employees and provides airplanes and support services to the government. They provide derivatives of Boeing's commercial airplanes and associated support systems to the US Government. Over 1000 aircraft are in service. The Derivative Airplanes Group has customer satisfaction as a founding value. Customer satisfaction value is evidenced in their key processes of business acquisition, integrated planning and enterprise management. Customer satisfaction ratings are at industry best practice levels. The group's new orders have increased steadily from 1999-2004 and exceed plans. back to the top

WSQA Achievement Level (Commitment and Systematic Approaches for Excellence) City of Kent Public Works Operations The Public Works Operation is a major organizational unit of 100 employees with in the City of Kent located in King County. They provide high quality maintenance of essential municipal utility services and infrastructure to the citizens of Kent. The Public Works Operation maintains the streets, water system, utilities and sewer and also maintains the fleet of city owned vehicles. The Public Works Operation (PWO) has adopted a private sector Performance-Based Work Plan Budgeting process that enables a "management by fact" approach. PWO has been able to accomplish more with decreasing funding due to the tight economy. They plan out to 20 years and have shifted to a focus on 80% preventative maintenance and 20% reaction to problems and emergencies. back to the top

WSQA Certificate of Commitment (Applying Performance Excellence Principles) Richland School District #400 Richland School District has 17 sites and 1133 employees located in Benton County in the Tri-Cities area of eastern Washington. The district serves 10,000 students in grades K-12. They have three grade level configurations: eight schools are K-5, and three schools each of 6-8 and 9-12. Richland School District has a clear commitment to collaboration through out the organization using community and stakeholder participation as they focus on student learning. Using technology of computer networks, student achievement levels are assessed real-time so that instruction can be modified. In addition to student learning the district is committed to providing a safe-learning environment including a comprehensive approach to risk management increasing the districts emergency preparedness. back to the top

Other Washington organizations that WSQA has recognized