For Immediate Release
June 8, 2017
At the Louisiana Quality Foundation Award Ceremony June 6 at the Louisiana Governor’s
Mansion, two high-performing organizations received awards for their leadership, innovation
and sustainability. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards was on hand to congratulate and
celebrate these organizations’ high performance.
The New Orleans Track Club (NOTC) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting
health and fitness. Their Purpose is to promote health and well-being. Their Mission is to
produce and promote running events, both as a competitive sport and as one of the best athletic
activities for achieving physical and mental fitness.
The NOTC is a membership organization open to all: fast, slow, and in-between, who share a
passion for the sport. The NOTC was founded in 1963 and since then, the NOTC has grown to
over 2000 members including runners, walkers, and wheelchair athletes. The NOTC provides
running-related events at professional standards, a family-friendly environment, and competition
that emphasizes the pursuit of individual competitive excellence, the joy of individual and team
participation, and a healthy lifestyle.
Accepting the award for the New Orleans Track Club was President Lauren Jewett, center right,
joined by Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson, LQF President Gordon
Payne and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
Ear, Nose, & Throat (ENT) of New Orleans provides complete care for those of all ages in the
Greater New Orleans area. ENT of New Orleans’ “Patient First” culture drives delivery of all
healthcare services through multiple avenues: inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory surgery are
offered at the ENT of New Orleans and West Jefferson Medical Center.
ENT of New Orleans is committed to excellence in patient care and providing comprehensive
and cost-effective treatment with the greatest respect for patients. ENT provides the highest
quality medical care to patients, as well as helping patients understand treatment and prevention
options.
Accepting the award was Ear, Nose and Throat of New Orleans Partner Dr. Greg Pippin, center
right, joined by (from left) Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson, LQF
President Gordon Payne and Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
The Louisiana Quality Foundation was formed in 1995 as a non-profit to be a nurturing
organization providing performance excellence based on the U.S. Department of Commerce
Baldrige Excellence Framework. The Louisiana Quality Foundation collaborates with the
national Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which manages the Baldrige Excellence
Framework and the national Baldrige Award, the only formal recognition of the performance
excellence of both public and private U.S. organizations given by the President of the United
States.
The purpose of the Louisiana Quality Foundation is to provide Louisiana organizations with a
structured approach to be globally competitive by creating high-performing, sustainable and
resilient business, government, schools, health care and non-profit organizations.
The Louisiana Quality Foundation serves Louisiana organizations at three application levels. At
Level 3, for organizations with mature performance enhancement systems, processes and
deployment, is the Louisiana Performance Excellence Award, consisting of a robust 50-page
application and site visit by an examiner team. The Level 2 award, for organizations with
established systems and the early stages of deployment, includes a 25-page application and site
visit.
In 2016, NOTC and ENT applied in the Louisiana Quality Foundation Performance Excellence
process at Level 1. In this process, the applicants answered questions in the Organizational
Profile of the Malcolm Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence, describing who their
customers are, the make-up of their employee groups, their competitive situations, and what they
do to continually improve. This important first level allows organizations to gain a better
understanding of their own challenges and objectives, their own performance improvement
systems, and their mission and vision.
Photos by James V. Payne