Hiland Dairy Foods Company Honored for Quality Excellence

Quality Chekd Dairies has announced Hiland Dairy Foods Company of Springfield, Missouri as the 2013 recipient of the Irving B. Weber Distinguished Award for Quality Excellence. In earning the highest scores of all Quality Chekd members in customer satisfaction, production quality, business ethics, leadership, staff development and marketing communications, Hiland Dairy received a distinctive trophy and a $25,000 check for their efforts. “What an honor. We could not be more proud to be this year’s Weber Award winner,” says Gary Aggus, president of Hiland Dairy. “Every department played a role in earning this prestigious prize, and it clearly signifies the importance we place on delivering top quality products and superior service day in and day out. Winning this award was a total team effort.” Quality Chekd, a member-owned organization of independent dairy processors, presented the Weber Award to Hiland Dairy Foods Company at its 2013 QCS Leadership Conference held April 21st – 23rd at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside in New Orleans, Louisiana. Named for Quality Chekd’s first board president, the Weber Award is modeled after the esteemed Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Peter Horvath, president of Quality Chekd says, “The Irving B. Weber Award is the highest award we present to our members as it represents a comprehensive review of an entire business operation. We want to extend our sincerest congratulations to Hiland Dairy for their obvious commitment to excellence that resulted in this award. We are pleased to count Hiland Dairy as one of our members.” Hiland Dairy is an 11-plant operation with locations in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. As a full-service dairy, Hiland’s quality products include milk, ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream and dips, half and half, whipping cream, orange juice, butter and cheese. The company serves customers in several states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming. Eligibility for the Irving B. Weber Award requires Quality Chekd member dairies surpass benchmarks in each of the following categories: leadership and commitment to total quality improvement; human resource development and management; facility improvement projects; marketing and customer satisfaction programs; inventory efficiencies and loss control programs; and outstanding plant sanitation.