Baldrige Award

Consulting Team Member
Kenneth Leach

Ken Leach, is Vice President of Quality Management at PROMAX. Mr. Leach’s background is unsurpassed with regard to assessment of companies vs. the Baldrige criteria and guiding them to significant improvements as a result of most effectively utilizing the Baldrige criteria. Besides guiding his own company, Globe Metallurgical to winning one of the inaugural Baldrige awards in 1988, he has guided a total of 14 additional Baldrige winners, accounting for over 30% of the total winners to date.

• Employment History
• 2003-Present  PROMAX,Vice President of Quality Management
• Assist companies utilize the Malcolm Baldrige criteria for Performance Excellence most effectively. Perform training and assessments relative to the criteria.
• 1990-Present            Leach Quality Inc.            President
• Assist companies utilize the Malcolm Baldrige criteria for Performance Excellence most effectively. Perform training and assessments relative to the criteria. Clients have won 14 Malcolm Baldrige awards and realized significant improvements in financial performance, market share, cost reductions, productivity, quality and other efficiency factors.
• 1993-1996            ADAC Laboratories            Vice President of Quality & CQO
• Guided ADAC, a $400 Million manufacturer of diagnostic imaging equipment in Milpitas, CA from “ground zero” implementation in using the Baldrige criteria in 1993 through winning the Baldrige Award in 1996. Oversaw implementation of continuous improvement processes that resulted in cost reductions equivalent to over 10% of their gross sales volume, an improvement in domestic market share from 18% to 44%, and improvement in European market share from 5% to 25% and a 600% increase in the price of their stock. Involvement in 1993 began with the same type of assessment proposed in this document.
• 1985-1990            Globe Metallurgical            Vice President of Administration
• Responsible for Quality and Human Resources in this $100 Million manufacturer of silicon metal and ferrosilicon products. Wrote winning Baldrige application in 1988. Significant cost reductions, market share improvements, etc.

• Educational Background
• 1984-1985            Auburn University                        Montgomery, AL
• Advanced Studies
• 1973-1977            West Virginia University            Morgantown, WV
• Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration

• Specialized Training
• Served four years as a Senior Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige national Quality Award. Attended training each of the years from 1989-1992.
• Serve as a Judge for the Georgia Oglethorpe Award since its inception in 1998. Have assisted in delivering examiner training each of the past three years using the MBNQA training materials.

Malcolm Baldrige Winners Associated with Ken Leach

1988 Globe Metallurgical Cleveland Small Business

1990 Wallace Company Houston Small Business

1991 Solectron Corporation Milpitas, CA Manufacturing

1991 Marlow Industries Dallas Small Business

1992 AT&T Universal Card Jacksonville Service

1993 Ames Rubber Hamburg, NJ Small Business

1994 AT&T CCS Basking Ridge Service

1996 ADAC Laboratories Milpitas, CA Manufacturing

1996 Dana Commercial Credit Toledo Service

1996 Trident Precision Mfg. Rochester, NY Small Business

1997 Merrill Lynch Credit Corp. Jacksonville Service

1999 Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. Atlanta Service

2000 Dana Spicer Driveshaft Toledo Manufacturing

2002 Motorola CGISS Schaumburg Manufacturing

2002 SSM Health Care St. Louis Health Care
 

Other Award Winners
1989 Globe Metallurgical Cleveland Shingo Prize
1989 Globe Metallurgical Cleveland U.S. Senate Product...
1995 Merrill Lynch (IGS) Jacksonville Quality Cup-USA Today
1999 SerVend International Sellersburg, IN Quality Cup-USA Today