Business Briefs

DR. LISA MCTAVISH of Clarian Arnett Health, Rossville, has been appointed to the 2007 Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive.

As an examiner, Dr. McTavish is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the Award. The board is composed of approximately 500 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and health care organizations and government.

Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition. All members of the board must take part in a preparation course based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring and evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.

Awards may be given annually in each of six categories: Manufacturing, Service, Small Business, Education, Health Care, and Nonprofit (new for 2007).

To help mark the one-year milestone of EMBARQstanding alone as a public held company, EMBARQ employees are engaging in a variety of celebrations internally. Externally, the company will kick-off a nationwide food drive; food will be aggregated in about 100 of the company's major work sites. Some work sites also will build food sculptures with the donated items. Upon conclusion of the food drive, donated items will be given to local food pantries.

Dan Hesse, EMBARQ chairman and CEO, summarized the company first 12 months by saying, "In one short year, EMBARQ has made unprecedented strides in new products, customer service, and company performance."

EMBARQ is the fourth-largest communications company in the U.S.