QCS Leadership Awards Gala Honors Food and Beverage Manufacturers and Supply Partners
CHICAGO, IL / AGILITYPR.NEWS / November 08, 2019 / The 2019 QCS Leadership Conference provided a forum where food and beverage manufacturers and suppliers from throughout the United States and South America could learn new information, ideas, and strategies for remaining competitive in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. The conference theme, “Turning Complexities Into Competencies," addressed the challenges the member-owners have in purchasing, production quality, food safety, human resources, and sales and marketing. This year's conference had record attendance, including 75 first-time attendees.
According to QCS Purchasing President Ken Klug, “Our role is to provide our member-owners and supply partners with tools they can use to collaboratively address the complexities of the ever-changing food and beverage industry.”
QCS Purchasing, LLC, and Quality Chekd Dairies, Inc., immersed attendees in opportunities for networking and learning at the annual three-day QCS Leadership Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, October 27-29. The event concluded on Tuesday evening with an awards dinner and gala that recognized outstanding production, exceptional marketing, and excellence in leadership.
Also, members and supply partners earned recognition at the awards gala during the conference for production excellence, marketing excellence, and outstanding service to the industry.
The top award of the evening, the Quality Chekd Irving B. Weber Distinguished Award for Quality Excellence, which recognizes overall quality, was awarded to Hiland Dairy Foods Company of Kansas City, Missouri. The processing plant earned the award through its strong commitment to quality excellence in the categories of leadership, culture, production, sustainability, and business ethics.
Three dairy processors received Quality Chekd Production Excellence Awards, based on criteria that include a plant audit, as well as evaluation of all plant processes and systems for product quality evaluation results:
- Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Anderson, Indiana: Production Excellence Award, Fluid Milk Category
- Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon: Production Excellence Award, Cultured Products Category
- Umpqua Dairy Products Company, Roseburg, Oregon: Production Excellence Award, Ice Cream Category
The 2019 QCS Leadership Awards recognize the member companies and supply partners that, over the previous calendar year, have done the most to support the vision of QCS Purchasing. Two member companies earned the 2019 QCS Leadership Award:
- Nuestro Queso Hispanic Cheese Makers, Chicago, Illinois
- Producers Dairy Foods, Inc., Fresno, California
One supply partner company was also given the 2019 QCS Leadership Award:
- W.W. Grainger, Lake Forest, Illinois
QCS Purchasing also introduced the Best Collaboration Award for 2019. This award celebrates partnerships between a member and a supply partner to solve a problem or achieve the desired outcome and goes to a variety of joint efforts such as a new packaging innovation, a new product launch, a cost-saving initiative, or and operational improvement. The 2019 QCS Best Collaboration Award was given to two member companies and one supply partner whose collaboration resulted in a new bulk merchandising solution:
- ORBIS Corporation, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
- Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Edwardsville, Illinois
- United Dairy, Inc., Martins Ferry, Ohio
Finally, the 2019 QCS Outstanding Marketing Awards recognized member and supply partner organizations that launched substantial, creative efforts and campaigns between Aug. 1, 2018, and July 31, 2019. QCS awarded Outstanding Marketing Awards to the following category winners:
Member Marketing Awards:
- Alquería Dairy, Bogotá, Colombia, Outstanding Marketing Campaign (tie)
- Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Springfield, Missouri, Outstanding Marketing Campaign (tie)
- Hiland Dairy Foods Company, Springfield, Missouri, Best Print Collateral
- Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Edwardsville, Illinois, Best Digital Marketing
- Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc., Edwardsville, Illinois, Best New Packaging
Supply Partner Marketing Awards:
- W.W. Grainger, Lake Forest, Illinois, Outstanding Marketing Campaign
- International Food Products Company, Fenton, Missouri, Best Digital Marketing
Next year’s QCS Leadership Conference will be in San Diego, California, Oct. 11-13, 2020. For more information about the QCS Leadership Conference, please visit www.qcsleadershipconference.com.
About Us
About QCS Purchasing, LLC
QCS Purchasing, LLC, is a member-owned, not-for-profit buying group for companies engaged in food and beverage production. By aggregating purchases of common supplies, QCS Purchasing provides members with access to high-quality goods and services at the lowest possible total cost. Established in 2005, the number of purchases QCS Purchasing manages has increased each year of its existence. More than 150 national supplier-partners provide solutions to a wide variety of categories. For more information about the QCS Purchasing organization or membership, please visit QCSPurchasing.com.
About Quality Chekd Dairies, Inc.
Quality Chekd works on behalf of dairy processors by providing them with services to improve business success, as well as providing consumers with safe, delicious dairy products. Food safety is first, and Quality Chekd has established quality assurance (QA) measures and evaluations, laboratory resources, and employee training and planning that include and surpass government regulations. Members have access to human resources tools, marketing trends and information, and purchasing opportunities to help them maintain costs. All of these services are part of the Quality Chekd trademark, which signifies product excellence. For more information about the Quality Chekd organization or membership, please visit QChekd.com.
Contacts