Garland, Texas – October 25, 2004 -- The Garland Water Utilities Department has been recognized for performance excellence.  The Garland Chamber of Commerce selected the City water utility as the recipient of the 2004 Garland Excellence Award.  This annual award is presented to organizations that serve as role models for quality, customer satisfaction, and performance excellence in Garland.
 
The Water and Wastewater Utilities Department is a municipal water distribution and wastewater collection utility owned by the City of Garland.  The mission of Garland Water Utilities is to provide a safe and abundant supply of potable water sufficient to meet the needs of each of our customers, and to transport customer wastewater to treatment facilities at the lowest practical costs. 
 
Jack May, Managing Director for the Department, said, “We’re pleased that our employee’s efforts are being recognized for the hard work that they do.  They must do it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and they must do it in all kinds of weather.  Most people take access to safe water for granted until something goes wrong.  And, frankly, we run our business so that they can take it for granted”.  The Water and Wastewater Utilities Department plans to continue striving for excellence; keeping to the tradition of the last 113 years.
 
The Garland Excellence Award is based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria and process.  The award is an annual recognition of organizations in Garland who are members of the Garland Chamber of Commerce, have made a commitment to a journey toward performance excellence, and have successfully begun to apply quality principles in their day-to-day operations. 
 
“We believe that by helping Garland companies achieve success, we help the city as a whole become more successful,” says Paul Mayer, president of the Garland Chamber of Commerce.  “The Garland award criteria are based on the best practices of the most successful organizations in the nation.  To achieve this award, companies go through a series of detailed assessments conducted by judges from outside the region.”