Contact(s):           

Tamara Hamilton, Marketing Coordinator,

Umpqua Dairy Products, Co.             (541) 672-2638

Molly Murphy, Quality Chekd Dairies, Inc. 

(800) 222-6455 ext 2007

NATIONAL CHAMPS – TWO YEARS RUNNING!

QUALITY CHEKD PRESENTS UMPQUA DAIRY WITH

THE 2007 IRVING B. WEBER AWARD FOR QUALITY EXCELLENCE

Naperville, Ill.—April 25, 2007—Quality Chekd Dairies, Inc. proudly announces Umpqua Dairy Products, Co., Roseburg, Oregon as the 2007 recipient of the National Irving B. Weber Distinguished Award for Quality Excellence.  Umpqua Dairy once again earned the highest annual scores for leadership, customer satisfaction, production quality, marketing communications, staff development and overall business ethics.  The award-winning Umpqua Dairy was presented with a trophy and a check in recognition of this top achievement at the QCS Leadership Conference held April 22-24 2007, at the Denver Marriott Tech Center, Denver, Colorado.  This is the fifth national award Umpqua Dairy has received in the last 11 years from the Quality Chekd organization (Wayne Gingrich Award (1996), Irving B Weber Award (1998, 2004, 2006 & 2007)).

The Irving B. Weber Award, the highest acknowledgement a Quality Chekd dairy can receive, recognizes one member dairy for excelling in overall company achievement.  The Weber Award, named for the organization’s first president of the board, is modeled after the U.S. Commerce Department’s esteemed Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

"Winning the Weber Award shows how deddicated our people are,” said Doug Feldkamp, President, Umpqua Dairy Products, Co.  “As this is the highest recognition achievable, it generates great pride and motivates us to continue to set the bar for quality.”

To be eligible for the invitation-only Weber Award, each dairy first has to surpass requirements in each of the following categories:  leadership and commitment to total quality improvement; human resource development and management; facility and improvement projects; marketing programs; customer satisfaction programs; efficient inventory and loss control programs; and outstanding plant sanitation.

“The Irving B. Weber Award is the highest distinction granted to a Quality Chekd member dairy,” said Peter Horvath, managing director, Quality Chekd.  “Umpqua Dairy’s efforts put forth in achieving this great accomplishment are to be commended.”

Other finalists for the Weber award included Alqueria Dairy, Bogotá, Colombia and Hiland-Roberts Ice Cream Company, Norfolk, NE. Each dairy received a trophy bearing this recognition.

                Headquartered in Roseburg, Umpqua Dairy has distribution centers in Eugene, Portland, Coos Bay, Grants Pass, Central Point, Salem, Klamath Falls and Redding, CA.   The award winning line of dairy, ice cream and juice products are distributed throughout Oregon, Washington and Northern California.  A tradition of unsurpassed quality, freshness and customer service makes Umpqua Dairy the number one choice for delicious, refreshing dairy products in the northwest.

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About Quality Chekd

Quality Chekd is a member-owned organization of 29 dairy processors located throughout the United States, Mexico, Guatemala and Colombia.  Headquartered in Naperville, Illinois, Quality Chekd provides member dairies with the support services they need to assure that consumers receive the highest quality dairy products possible.  Quality Chekd member services include quality and food safety testing, training and education, marketing and procurement.  For more information, please visit http://www.qchekd.com.