Annual Report to Members 1995-96

Mankato Area Council for Quality, Inc.

Purpose

Mankato Area Council for Quality is dedicated to the improvement of quality in business, industry, education, and government as a means of improving customer satisfaction, growth, competitiveness, and profitability in a global economy.
The Council will provide current information to business, labor, education, government and the general public on the importance of quality management and techniques for improving quality, productivity, and service.

From the President

It has been exciting this year to observe the growth and maturation of so many quality improvement efforts in the region. Some have begun to develop a better sense of impact of their certification processes, others are close to registration, and others are still testing the waters. Regardless of your organization's unique approach to improvement, we hope you know there is a place for you in the Quality Council.
I have realized how fortunate I am to have been associated with this hardworking Board, its officers, committee chairs, and committee members. I hope you will consider the effort and commitment of these volunteers as you review our work.
We've heard many of you express a need to move beyond "Quality 101." I think you will agree as you review our Education Committee report that we've done that, and we've added diverse material, speakers, and media to our programming. We've benefited from our relationships with our regional education partners; South Central Technical College, Mankato State University, and Minnesota Technology, Inc. Our educational programming has even branched out to include work site learning opportunities, so that Industrial Psychology graduate students can balance their academic learning with the realities of the workplace.
Our financial position is strong, and we are preparing for an exciting celebration of quality in October. Our membership report understates the contribution made by our membership committee in updating our records and improving our billing process.
My sincere thanks to all of you who have worked to serve the Council in some way this year.

David Oliver
1995-96 MACQ President
September, 1996

Goals

Corporate Individual Lifetime Total

35 8 1 44

Kato Sanitation National Farmers Organization Kelly Dotson, Dotson Co. Jeb Falgren, Dotson Co.

Membership Event

Education Committee

Committee Membership

Jodi Miller, Chair	Rockwell Automation - Kato Engineering
Karen Silver	PerfecSeal
John Daninger	Jones Metal Products
Robert Feist	Taytronics
Gloria Rasmussen	Manpower
Ken Morris	Minnesota Technology
Missi Priest	CWC

Programs
October 1995 - July 1996

Month	Topic	Attendance
October	"Continuous Improvement I" video conference "Equipment Retrofitting" video conference	17 6
November	"Continuous Improvement II" video conference	39
December	"Paradigm Pioneers" video facilitated by Lee Anderson	35
January	"Tooling up for the Internet" video conference with hands-on "surfing time" at the SCTC computer training center.	35
February	"Scoreboards - A Continuous Improvement Tool" facilitated by Lee Anderson	35
March	"Processing Complaints" panel discussion featuring customer relations techniques from Herbergers, Snell Motors, and Mankato Corporation	25
April	"Internal Customer Service" as MSU Postal & Printing Services	25
May	"The Power of Vision" video facilitated by Lee Anderson	20
June	"Focusing Quality by Applying the Theory of Constraints" Led by Ken Morris, Minnesota Technology	30
July	"Work Flow Analysis at MnDot"	25

- We held 4 - 3.5 hour video conferences this year, which were very successful. These were sponsored in partnership with Minnesota Technology, and effectively replaced the full day seminar which had been held in the past.
- We held 7 - 1.5 hour lunch educational programs, which were also well attended. The education committee appreciates the expertise and focus which local quality consultant Lee Anderson brought to these meetings.
- We used the resources found at the Goddard Library in Rochester, with the Minnesota Technology Quality Resource Collection. We borrowed videos featuring Joel Barker and his understanding of people involved in change processes. This is and excellent resource for us, and for Council Members. You only need a library card.
- The education committee saw a need to focus on quality tools and to vary our program offering from the exclusive use of "on-site" quality story meetings that had been successful in the past. We saw our membership looking for more comprehensive, in-depth programs on improvement tools.
- We tried to keep the program varied, so we concentrated on quality topics that would be of interest to many different segments of our membership, to reflect the diversity of our member organizations, and the diversity of their individual approaches to improvement.

Plans