Illinois Performance Excellence (ILPEx), the recognition program of the Illinois Manufacturing Extension Center (IMEC) is awarding the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), with the Gold Award for Achievement of Excellence for 2017 – the program’s highest honor.
Ranking from bronze to gold, this distinguished, independent, statewide award program recognizes organizations in various industries, at different levels. This is IMRF’s first Gold Award. IMRF joins Community Consolidated School District 15 in Palatine as the only public-sector entities in Illinois to have received the Gold Award.
"What a tremendous honor for the entire organization – for the IMRF Board of Trustees and the entire staff," Executive Director Brian Collins said. "It really reflects our hard work and our commitment to achieving our mission, our vision, and our values."
Designed to help for-profit and non-profit bodies with expertise development, ILPEx is a full-service training and assessment program with a goal of improving Illinois organizations. Established in 1994, the ILPEx Recognition Program is Illinois’ Baldrige Performance Excellence Program affiliate. The program recognizes companies that achieve elements of business excellence in leadership, strategy, customers, measurement, workforce, operations, and results. With a Bronze Award in 2009 and Silver Awards in 2012 and 2014, this is IMRF’s fourth recognition from ILPEx. 
"With three previous awards, IMRF is a prime example of an organization that is dedicated to continuous improvement and enterprise excellence," said Ben Krupowicz, Executive Director of ILPEx. "From the executive director’s office to the call centers to the field representatives, their teams have collectively moved from Bronze to Gold status in eight years. Their commitment to being the best in Illinois is notable, measurable, and worthy of recognition. IMRF’s people-focused approach to serving its constituents is good news for people in every county in Illinois and that’s worth celebrating."
IMRF and other award recipients will receive their official accolades at the Awards for Excellence Ceremony and Conference on Enterprise Excellence on Thursday, February 22, 2018. The evening is "a celebration of organization-wide dedication to performance improvement and demonstrates the true distinction of excellence," according to ILPEx.
"This award is not attributable to any one person; it’s an organization-wide recognition," Collins continued. "However, it’s not about the award, it’s about the journey. I’m proud to say that this award illustrates what we’re doing for our members along the way. In fact, the true recipients of this award are the members and retirees of IMRF who benefit from the dedication from each and every staff member who works to make IMRF a world-class organization," Collins said.
In addition to the awards ceremony, ILPEx is hosting a special, informational conference on the same day at Hamburger University in Oak Brook. The Conference on Enterprise Excellence features recognized organizational leaders sharing how they create their competitive future through process improvement and benchmarking against high-performing organizations.
Open to potential performance improvement strategists and seasoned Baldrige experts, the one-day conference will feature a variety of recognized leaders who have led their teams to award-winning status. Developed with their input, ILPEx says this conference will address challenges, hot topics, and other relevant statewide issues.
IMRF is a proud participant of the conference, annually, and recommends attendance for anyone seeking inspiration for improved operations. As a Gold Award recipient, participation in the ILPEx program and associated events, has helped IMRF with progress in the following areas:
- Strategic planning
- Benchmarking against industry leaders
- Acting on customer feedback
- Employee engagement
- Social media
- Cyber security
Online registration is available through February 22 and starts at $129 per person. In addition to professional development, attendees will have the opportunity to network with peers and leaders, while launching their own paths to performance excellence.
