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Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center is the first fitness center in the state to receive a prestigious Tennessee Quality Award. The advanced Tennessee Quality Achievement Award will be presented to the Center during the annual Tennessee Quality Awards dinner on February 16 at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs. More than 1,000 representatives of participating Tennessee companies, organizations and support groups are expected to attend.

The Quality Achievement Award is given to organizations that have, through commitment and the practice of quality principles, demonstrated significant progress in building sound processes deserving of recognition. These organizations have many practices from which other organizations can learn. Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center is one of only 10 organizations receiving this advanced Level Three honor. This marks the first year the Center has applied for the award.

Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center General Manager Jim Aldmon said, "I’m excited by the level of involvement of our staff in the continuous improvement of our processes. Our mission is to provide high quality fitness and wellness services for our community and the framework of the Tennessee Quality Award process fosters continuous quality improvement."

"While it’s very rewarding to be recognized at the Quality Achievement level, the true value of this program is in the self-review and improvement opportunities that become evident through the application process. Ultimately, our members and the entire community benefit from our involvement," said Aldmon.

Awards will be given to a total of 64 businesses and institutions named winners in the seventh year of this statewide program, designed to stimulate the quality of products and services in Tennessee through quality management practices. Twelve organizations will be recognized at Level One Quality Interest; 40 firms have won awards in the Level Two Quality Commitment category; 10 awards will be presented in the advanced Level Three Quality Achievement; and two companies will be recognized as winners of the prestigious Excellence award.

Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist said, "The quest for quality distinguishes our state as a place where innovators flourish, consistently high standards are set, and a highly trained workforce provides a foundation for business success. The Tennessee Quality Award program encourages companies to strive for the highest level of productivity through quality management practices."

"The search for success in business has become a search for excellence. I applaud the 1999 Tennessee Quality Award winners. They represent the best of Tennessee,” said Marie B. Williams, director of the Tennessee Quality Awards program. She added, "Fort Sanders Health & Fitness Center has done a great service to Tennessee by setting high standards for others to follow. They have had the courage to change and the diligence to work."

Under the Tennessee Quality Award program, a board of skilled examiners made up of more than 200 experts on quality representing business, industry, trade and professional organizations, assesses all applicants against seven criteria. Examiners conduct site visits, monitor progress, and make recommendations to the judges for selection of winners.

Patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards standards, the seven criteria are: leadership, strategic planning, customer and market focus, information and analysis, human resource focus, process management, and business results. Unique to Tennessee is an optional global competitiveness criteria.

Unlike the Baldrige Award, which recognizes winners only in the manufacturing and service industry categories, the Tennessee Quality Awards program is open to all business and industry as well as governmental agencies and public and private educational institutions.