OAK BROOK, Ill. -- 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 staff," retiring Executive Director Louis W. Kosiba said. "It 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, ILPEx is the Illinois state program based on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The program recognizes companies that achieve elements of business excellence in leadership, strategy, customers, measurement, workforce, operations, and results. Earning 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 one-day conference will feature recognized leaders who have led their teams and organizations to high performance in the areas of leadership, strategy, customer engagement, operations, workforce, and technology. Register to attend here.
"This award is not attributable to any one person; it’s an organization-wide recognition," continued Kosiba. "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," said Kosiba.
Learn more about ILPEx and the Baldrige criteria, here. For interviews with Louis W. Kosiba about how continuous improvement of public organizations positively impacts taxpayers across Illinois, contact Nisa Neely at nneely@imrf.org or 630-706-4511.
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