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 these upcoming events
Tue, Sep 15Courtyard Marriott DowntownLearn about the 2026 Day of Quality teams' projects
Tue, Oct 20Memorial Art GalleryUpstate New York's premier event recognizing quality and performance excellence
Learn About Partner Programs and Events
Upcoming PEN Programs
We are pleased to invite you to these programs presented by Performance Excellence Network (PEN).
Getting Leadership Aligned Around Systems, Not Silos - August 20
Many leadership teams genuinely want alignment. Yet decisions, priorities, and metrics can unintentionally reinforce siloed thinking.
Organizations rarely struggle because people do not care. More often, teams are working hard, making sound decisions within their own areas, and still creating unintended consequences elsewhere in the system.
What We'll Explore
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Why silos persist even when collaboration is a stated priority
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How leaders can better understand organizational interdependencies
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Common barriers that prevent systems thinking from becoming part of daily leadership practice
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Ways leaders can improve alignment across functions, teams, and initiatives
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Practical tools and perspectives for supporting collaboration around shared outcomes
Join Dr. Irina Fursman of HueLife for a practical discussion on how leaders can strengthen system-level thinking, improve cross-functional alignment, and better understand the cause-and-effect relationships that shape organizational performance.
Click here for more information and registration.
Applying AI and Improvement Tools to Real Workflows - September 3
Organizations across sectors are exploring AI tools, yet many professionals are still working through a practical question: how can these tools be used to improve real work? From preparing meeting summaries and drafting communications to organizing information and supporting process improvement efforts, AI has the potential to help teams work more effectively when applied thoughtfully and intentionally.
In this webinar, Jan Lehman and her team from CTC Productivity will share practical approaches for using Microsoft Copilot and foundational AI techniques within everyday workflows. Participants will explore where AI can support common work activities, how to write more effective prompts, and how to identify opportunities to reduce repetitive work while maintaining sound judgment and oversight. The discussion will also cover differences between Microsoft 365 Copilot free and paid experiences and considerations for organizations beginning or expanding their AI adoption efforts.
Participants will leave with:
· An understanding of where AI tools can support everyday work
· Practical examples of using Microsoft Copilot within common workflows
· Basic prompting techniques that improve results
· Ideas for identifying repetitive tasks that may be good candidates for AI support
· Greater confidence in evaluating how AI can complement improvement and productivity efforts within their organization
New Course Offerings at MCC
The Economic & Workforce Development Center of Monroe Community College offers easy-to-access programs for people with a wide variety of learning needs, schedules and budgets. Here are some of their offerings.
New sessions of the LSS Green Belt and Black Belt start in March. Here are links to full descriptions of both courses:
To ensure quality, cost control and on time project delivery, Project Management skills are essential not only for those leading key projects but also for project team members. MCC’s Corporate College is offering the following Project Management courses in February 2026:
Fundamentals of Project Management
Project Management Body Knowledge Best Practices
Click here for a listing of all of the Professional Development courses.
The Finger Lakes Workforce Development Center is designed to focus on rapid training, retraining and upskilling of technical middle-skilled workers in demand by local employers. Through innovative partnerships and technical programming, the FWD Center is a catalyst in developing our region’s economy. Employers and individuals, click here for more information.
New Courses from RIT|Certified
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:
We are launching four courses that would enable someone to gain entry into the semiconductor industry (three begin in March, one in May). Through four integrated courses, learners will explore the principles of semiconductor technology and its impact on society, gain hands-on knowledge of integrated circuit design, dive into thin film processes and vacuum systems, and master CMOS processing fundamentals. Participants will learn how to analyze, design, and troubleshoot fabrication processes while building a strong foundation in the physics and chemistry that drive semiconductor manufacturing.
Integrated Circuits Technology
Complementary Metal-Oxide Processing
Networking Technologies equips people with core networking skills and knowledge aligned with the CompTIA Network+ certification. Participants will learn how to install, configure, and troubleshoot networks across various environments, as well as how to support essential operations and apply security best practices.
Click here to visit the RIT|Certified website and search for courses.
GRQC Partner Programs & Events
View presentations and videos from recent
GRQC programs
Process Improvement and Strategic Leadership: Lessons from the US Military
Many of today's most frequently used quality improvement tools and leadership practices were first developed and/or widely deployed in the US Military. The list includes Total Quality Management (TQM), After Action Reviews (AAR), and many others. Yet, many organizations overlook the military as a source of information on how the application of best practices in process improvement and leadership can drive improved results.
Matthew Heinsler, a seasoned Air Force leader and engineer, shares his expertise on process improvement and quality control within one of the world’s most complex and mission-driven organizations. Drawing on his engineering background and extensive leadership experience, Matthew shows how disciplined design principles, rigorous quality standards, and best practice frameworks can be applied to achieve operational excellence. He highlights real-world examples from his Air Force projects, showing how thoughtful process improvements not only enhance efficiency and reliability, but also strengthen accountability and mission readiness.
Click below to view the presenter slides from this event.
Click below to view the Zoom recording of this event.
Deep and Calm: Leading Resilient Organizations
Change comes in waves: leadership transitions, funding shifts, staff turnover, community crises. Are you leading your organization through it with clarity and intention - or just reacting to the current.
Gerianne Puskas brings neuroscience and real-world leadership experience into a practical, engaging conversation about what genuine organizational resilience looks like. You'll walk away knowing how chronic stress quietly affects leadership decision-making, how to honestly assess your own resilience patterns, and how to shift into the kind of grounded, steady leadership that keeps your people moving forward, even when the water gets rough.
This isn't a pep talk. It's a framework, a self-assessment, and strategies you can put to work the very next day.
Click below to view the presenter slides from this event.
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
