The award recognizes representatives throughout Alabama from small businesses, healthcare, service, manufacturing and non-profit sectors. The criteria for receiving this honor include excellence in leadership, strategic planning, attention to customers and other stakeholders, market focus, process management and analysis of organizational performance.

The Alabama Quality Awards is the state’s top honor for quality performance and excellence. The awards recognize organizations that use effective productivity and quality improvement strategies as well as techniques or practices. These then can be shared with other organizations to help contribute to the overall economic well-being in the state of Alabama.

The Alabama Quality Awards are modeled after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and administered on three levels of excellence by the Alabama Productivity Center, a nonprofit organization established in 1986 by the University of Alabama and Alabama Power Company. The awards will be presented at the Alabama Quality Award Annual Conference and Award Ceremony the evening of Nov. 29.