A Message
To Our Customers, Sponsors, and Volunteers

We gratefully acknowledge the efforts and accomplishments
of the Board of Directors, Advisory Council, sponsors and contributors, and many volunteers who have carried an initial
dream forward to reality.

Starting With a Dream

Like many startup organizations, Colorado Performance
Excellence (CPEx) began as a dream of several visionary
leaders. As CPEx formed in 2000, the dream included:

• Development of Colorado’s premier quality and awards
  program based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality
  Award Criteria for Performance Excellence, joining 44 other
  states whose programs feed the National program

• Creation of a Colorado community of organizations and
  people whose interest in performance excellence and quality
  improvement compel them to measure results, to improve
  their organizations, and to share best practices
  

Turning a Dream Into Reality

The dream began to take shape in 2000 and 2001 with establishment of a Board of Directors, Advisory Council,
and generous contributions from founding members Operations Management International, Inc. (a 2000 Baldrige Award recipient), Xcel Energy, and the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care.

In 2002, the “first-ever” accomplishments of CPEx’s tremendous
leaders and volunteers included:

• Training Board of Examiners
  (13 Examiners and two Judges)

• Implementing awards application process for three award levels (Foothills, Timberline, and Peak)

• Naming award recipient, IBM Global Services
  (Foothills Award)

• Hosting Executive Education Forum on October 10,
  attended by more than 170 individuals representing
  70 diverse organizations

• Training 36 individuals and 18 organizations in CPEx’s
  organizational self-assessment and award application process

• Hiring Executive Director in mid-year
  

Envisioning the Future

We expected that CPEx, in its first full year of operations,
would achieve many “firsts.” And, we believed Colorado’s
business, government, education, health care, and non-profit organizations would show great interest in the performance excellence program offerings established by CPEx. What we
could not have anticipated was the outstanding foundation for
future success that the achievements of 2002 would generate.

From this foundation, 2003 will bring greater value to the customers and stakeholders of the CPEx participant community. Thank you
for your interest in CPEx and we look forward to your involvement and participation.