U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has named seven organizations as recipients of the 2010 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence through innovation, improvement and visionary leadership. This marks the first year that three small businesses have been selected at one time and only the second instance in the award’s 23-year history that a total of seven organizations are being honored. Recipients of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for 2010 and their application sector are:

1. Healthcare:  Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, IL
2. Manufacturing:  MEDRAD, Warrendale, PA
3. Manufacturing: Nestle Purina PetCare Co. , St. Louis, MO
4. Small Business:  Studer Group, Gulf Breeze, FL
5. Small Business:  K&N Management, Austin, TX
6. Small Business:  Freese and Nichols, Inc., Fort Worth, TX
7. Education:  Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD

Congratulations to these recipients for demonstrating role model performance excellence.