GRQC is your trusted partner on the path to sustained excellence.
GRQC helps area organizations achieve sustained performance excellence by helping their leaders and teams learn and adopt best practices in improvement processes and organizational culture. We offer a broad range of easy-to-access services to meet the needs of all organizations, regardless of size, sector or experience with continuous improvement.
Join us for upcoming events!
Wed, Jan 22Little influences our daily lives like the accuracy of the local weather forecast!
Wed, Feb 12Including real-world examples from local non-profits' 2024 Day of Quality projects
Coming in 2025:
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January - Technology and Human Experience in Weather Forecasting
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February - Bonus webinar - Process Flow Mapping Techniques for Excellence in Service Organizations
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February - The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub - What it Means for Rochester and Upstate NY
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March - Managing Stress and Promoting Wellness - A Healthcare Perspective
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April - International Hospitality and Service Innovation - Integrating technology, information systems and analytics
And more. Check back for details!
2024 Performance Excellence Awards Recognizes 22 Award Winners, Including Three Platinum Award Recipients
An enthusiastic crowd descended on the Memorial Art Gallery October 16 for the 2024 GRQC Showcase and Performance Excellence Awards. The attendees networked with friends and colleagues in beautiful surroundings, learned about this year's winning projects and several organizations highlighted in the exhibit hall, and enjoyed an informative keynote address by Christina Gullo of True North Executive Solutions, LLC. And for the second consecutive year, three organizations won the coveted George K. Hansen Platinum Award!
Click below to meet this year's winners.
Click below to view photos from this exciting event.
Teams from Hillside, Rochester Regional Health, and UR Medicine won the George K. Hansen Platinum award, which indicates a level of excellence so extraordinary that it is normally awarded only every few years. It was a bittersweet moment for many in the hall - joy over celebrating the extraordinary accomplishments of these local organizations, tempered by sorrow over the passing of George Hansen, who contributed so much to Rochester's quality community over the years, and whose name the award bears.
The GRQC Performance Excellence Award Program helps organizations in all sectors of the economy gain valuable insights into strategic areas of their operations, connect with like-minded leaders in high performing organizations, and earn formal recognition for achieving excellence through continuous improvement methodologies. A GRQC review team, including experienced Malcolm Baldrige examiners and past Empire State Advantage and Partners in Performance Excellence examiners, evaluates each application using a simplified version of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award scoring guidelines. “GRQC is a beacon to local organizations seeking to be the best versions of themselves,” said Mark Gruba, who served as the emcee for the event.
Click below to view the list
of award winners and their projects.
More Learning Opportunities for You - Announcing a Pilot Partnership with PEN
Our continuing commitment to you is to offer a broad range of services that cut across improvement disciplines and address the challenges you face. This includes collaborating with other professional organizations so we can offer you a robust portfolio of solutions.
We are excited to announce a trial partnership with PEN (Performance Excellence Network) of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota! PEN has a similar history, purpose, and portfolio of services as GRQC. This includes hosting ~20 webinars per year; recent PEN webinars have addressed Diversity-Equity-Inclusion, Building Accountability, Team Building, Employee Engagement, Baldrige, and Reducing Stress. Click here to learn more about PEN.
We are now making future PEN webinars available to you! Through the end of 2024, GRQC and PEN will co-announce and share invitations to each other’s webinars. Combined with the Performance Excellence Forums (PEFs) we host each year, you will now have an expanded number of learning opportunities! We look forward to the cross-sharing of knowledge and best practices between our two organizations.
You will receive notification of the PEN webinars through the same channels we use to announce the GRQC PEFs, and you can register on our website. Click here for information about PEN's upcoming webinars.
We encourage you to take advantage of this expanded set of learning opportunities! We will track how much interest is shown in the PEN webinars and decide at year-end on whether to continue and/or expand our PEN partnership.
Learn About Partner Programs and Events
January PEN Webinars
We are pleased to invite you to these upcoming Thursday morning webinars from Performance Excellence Network (PEN).
Improving Productivity in 2025: (Re)Discover How Lean Drives Remarkable Results - January 9
As we move into 2025, organizations are again focused on increasing productivity and efficiency and reducing waste. Unlock the secrets of Lean and see how it delivers measurable results in very different sectors – manufacturing and healthcare — insights that can translate to any other sector or industry.
The discussion will feature two Lean experts, Didier Rabino, President of Lean Management Systems (and formerly of Fairview), and John Collodora, Senior Advisor at Value Capture LLC (and formerly of Fairview and Andersen Windows). They will first (re)introduce Lean principles and then dive into two real-world case studies to explore the concepts and value of Lean:
Whether you’re in manufacturing, healthcare, or another sector, this discussion will provide actionable insights to help you achieve performance excellence in 2025!
Click here for more information and registration.
The Best Leaders are Yet to Come: Who are They and How Will We Know When We See Them? January 23
The Baldrige community has something that no other leadership community has: established, proven leaders who have national role-model organizations to become honored performance excellence and results-driven, Baldrige Award recipients. But what is it about them that separates those leaders from most other leaders? What predictive analytics can we use to “know them when we see them” (or — better yet — to learn from and emulate them)?
In this discussion, faciliator Ken Cohen, founder/CEO of The Synergy Organization, will share the results of his evidence-based national research that reveals the unique leadership characteristics of CEOs and Presidents whose organizations have received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Come explore what the best of the best leaders are doing to lead their organizations — insights we all can use to improve our own leadership effectiveness.
Click here for more information and registration.
Upcoming Programs at MCC
Monroe Community College is offering several programs this fall that may be of interest to GRQC members and friends. Here is a listing.
AI Certificate for Corporate Management - AI Certificate for Corporate Management (monroecc.edu)
Certified Stratasys Operator (3-D Printing) – https://campusce.monroecc.edu/monroecc/course/course.aspx?C=938
Universal Robots Operator Training - Professional Development | Economic & Workforce Development Center (workforceforward.com)
RIT|Certified - Upcoming Belt Programs
Yellow, Green and Black Belt certification via an academic (for-credit) pathway are available every semester. Use the following links for information about these programs:
Click here to visit the RIT|Certified website and search for courses.
View presentations and videos from recent
GRQC programs
Leading with Purpose: Empowering Leadership for Lasting Organizational Change
Visionary education leader Dr. Shaun Nelms offers a practical, hands-on guide for leaders looking to implement distributed leadership models that prioritize equity and empower their teams. He provides clear and actionable strategies to transform complex systems and address issues that lead to stagnation in the workplace. Emphasizing the importance of involving diverse stakeholders in decision-making, the program helps leaders build trust, create a shared vision, and foster collaboration within their organizations.
Through real-world examples and case studies, the program equips leaders with the tools to navigate potential challenges during implementation. This resource is essential for those committed to fostering more equitable and inclusive work environments through distributed leadership.
While many of the examples and stories in today’s program come from the education sector, the principles are applicable to leaders in any sector who are committed to fostering more equitable and inclusive work environments through distributed leadership.
Click below to view the Zoom recording of this event.
Healthcare Forum 2024 - Artificial Intelligence in Rochester Healthcare: Current Reality and Future Promise
Learn about the current and future potential of AI to help improve health and support providers of care throughout the Rochester region. Topics and presenters include:
AI in Healthcare: From Automation to Intelligent Systems
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Kathleen Fear, PhD, Senior Director, Digital Health & AI and Director of Data & Analytics, Health Lab, UR Medicine
How can AI promote public health?
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Marielena Velez de Brown, MD, Commissioner of Public Health, Monroe County
Algorithms, Integrity, and Ethics: The Human Side of AI
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Everett Weiss, MD, Physician, Special Care Nursery and Medical Director, Health Informatics, Rochester Regional Health
Promoting Provider Wellness and Quality Care: AI’s Role in Reducing Cognitive Burden for Ambulatory Providers
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Kristina Haralambides, FNP-C, Lead Director Provider Informatics, UR Medicine
AI integration into provider workflows
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Sara Fraser, CPC, CRC, CPC-I, Senior Director, Coding Operations & Strategic Development at Cognisight, LLC, and GRIPA
AI in Action at UR Medicine
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Kathleen Fear, PhD, Senior Director, Digital Health & AI and Director of Data & Analytics, Health Lab, UR Medicine
Click below to view the Zoom recording for this event.
GRQC Resource Center
GRQC is your resource for tools and templates, case studies, local consulting resources, and links to industry-leading websites to aid you in your pursuit of performance excellence and quality improvement. Click on the links below to access information.
Download favorite tools of GRQC Board members
Dowload presentations from recent GRQC events.
Visit these websites for useful tools and templates.
Check back often to access new material that you can use!
Tools You Can Use - Free From GRQC!
GRQC has assembled a searchable library of tools developed by our members, partners and friends, and is offering them free to website users. Find tried and tested tools, templates and information about a wide variety of quality processes: control charts, FMEA, Lean, Pugh matrix, and many others. You can search the library by keyword or by sector (business, healthcare, education, etc.). When you find what you need, simply click on the tool name to download it to your PC.
Click the button below to go to the webpage Homegrown Tools in the GRQC Knowledge Center, and take advantage of the expertise of our members and friends.
Find Resources You Can Use On The Job
Be a Part of GRQC's Mission - Volunteer!
Would you like to partner with GRQC to advance performance excellence in the community without making a long-term commitment? We have just the thing for you – volunteering to help one of our committees! GRQC has eight committees that help us achieve our strategic objectives. These committees are staffed by GRQC Board members and volunteers. We invite you to visit our new Volunteer Opportunity website page and reach out to any of the committee contacts to lean more or to express your interest. Volunteer opportunities are open to GRQC members and non-members alike. We’d love to have you join us!
Become a GRQC Member
GRQC benefits its members through a wide variety of program activities and membership services, including:
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Participation in GRQC Workshops and Programs.
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Participation in GRQC’s community projects.
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Interaction with leaders and innovators regarding best practices in quality.
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Contributing to making the Greater Rochester area a community of excellence.
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Opportunities for networking with other organizations on the journey to excellence.
Our Champion and Advocate Level Members
