PRIORITIZING PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE

Two-time Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Recipient

Elevations Credit Union is a two-time recipient of the only U.S. presidential award for performance excellence — the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. This award is a testament to the passion and commitment we bring to our members and the communities we serve.

About the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award

The award is the only presidential recognition for performance excellence that a US organization can receive.
An independent team of examiners found Elevations to be best in class for continuously improving our products and services for members.
Organizations are measured using the Baldrige Excellence Framework, which focuses on leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, workforce focus, operations focus, and results.
Thousands of organizations worldwide — in the fields of education, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit/government service, and small business — use Baldrige to guide their operations, improve performance, and produce sustainable results.
We are the first and only credit union to receive this award and the only Colorado organization to receive it twice.

Learn more about the award.

Path to performance excellence

Elevations has always aspired to operate and innovate at an exceptional level. In 2009, we decided to aim for the highest award with the most demanding requirements in performance excellence — the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. No other credit union had ever achieved this award, and at the time only three other Colorado companies had garnered this recognition.

Winning the Baldrige is not for the faint of heart. It requires years of making improvements across every part of an organization.

In November of 2014, our President and CEO, Gerry Agnes, received a personal call from the US Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, letting us know that we had done it. We were one of only four 2014 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipients.

We were honored to become a two-time Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient in 2020 — the first in Colorado history.

Honoring Pete Reicks, our Baldrige quarterback

The dedication and enthusiastic leadership of Chief Strategy and Performance Officer Pete Reicks shaped our organization and culture to be deserving of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award twice in a six-year period. It is with full hearts that we honor Pete's legacy following his passing on May 18, 2021, including this profile of his amazing contributions and personal story.

An ongoing journey

The Baldrige Excellence Framework is a key part of our strategic plan, inspiring our entire team to improve our processes, our products, and our service.

While this is a tremendous accomplishment, our loyal and growing base of satisfied members is the real reward. That is, and always will be, how we ultimately measure our success.

“The Baldrige framework has inspired our team to continuously enhance our processes, products and services.” — Gerry Agnes, President & CEO of Elevations Credit Union

In the News

“Elevations Credit Union: A Most Excellent Quest Continues” (Feb. 2, 2021 in Blogrige)
“What You Can Learn From Elevations CU's Award-Winning Success With Its Quality Initiative” (Feb. 1, 2021 in CU Management)
“Agnes leads Elevations Credit Union to 2 Baldrige Awards” (Jan. 8, 2021 in BizWest)
“How Elevations Credit Union Won the Coveted Malcolm Baldrige Award — Twice” (Dec. 15, 2020 in CU Broadcast)
“Elevations Credit Union Wins Second Baldrige Award” (Dec. 3, 2020 in Credit Union Times)
“Credit union in Colorado receives national award from DOC” (Dec. 1, 2020 in Mortgage Professional America)
"What You Can Learn from a Baldrige Award-Winning Credit Union" (March 1, 2018 in Blogrige)
"With Humility and Hard Work, Elevations Credit Union Keeps Climbing Higher" (March 23, 2016 in Blogrige)
"Elevations CU Wins Academy Award of Business" (April 24, 2015 in Credit Union Times)

Sharing our approach

As a two-time Baldrige recipient, we are committed to sharing the best practices we’ve learned from our performance excellence journey. We’ve pulled together a number of these resources below to help you and your organization on your path to performance excellence.

Resources

Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence

We’d like to extend our gratitude to Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence (RMPEx) for supporting our performance excellence journey with valuable feedback. This nonprofit delivers Baldrige-based guidance and support in partnership with a community of role model organizations. We encourage organizations interested in pursuing Baldrige to connect with RMPEx.

Learn more

Colorado’s Path to Performance Excellence

We produced and hosted “Colorado’s Path to Performance Excellence” in 2016. This engaging panel discussion for local business leaders along the Front Range featured Colorado Baldrige recipients. The event was moderated by an editor from the Harvard Business Review and included closing comments from Governor Hickenlooper.

INQUIRIES & REQUESTS

Committed to sharing best practices

For media inquiries, please email [email protected]. For organizations looking to share best practices, please email [email protected] or call (800) 429-7626 x 4000.