The Edgerton Examiners are key to The Edgerton Award program. Examiners are volunteers who review the business application and complete a thorough on-site assessment.  The final product of this review is a feedback report that identifies the strengths of the business and the opportunities that can lead to improvements in the overall performance.

Examiners come from various industry sectors—manufacturing, service, small business, health care, and education. Their diverse backgrounds and experiences contribute immeasurably to the success of the program. In 2007 Edgerton Examiners contributed over 1,000 in their review of applicants in the Edgerton program.

2008 Examiners and Judges Recognized at Business and Industry Day
Jolene Hansen; Dr. Linda Wysong Becker;Tim White, President of Nebraska Diplomats; Lieutenant Governor Rick Sheehy; Brian Van Ormer, Dr. Michael Horn; Dave McCracken, ASQ Chair

2007 Examiners and Judges
Dr. Michael Horn
Dr. Linda Wysong Becker
Dr. Ann Fetrick
Jolene Hanson
Toni Herrera
Ron Hein
Becky Nickel
Cynthia Schroeder
Brian Van Ormer
Sharon Vandegrift
Dean Wilson
Robert Yazowski

ESTIMATED TIME REQUIRED FOR EXAMINERS
 
Application Review
 Independent review & prepare scorebook
 Dec. 20 - Jan. -15
 16 hours
 
 Consensus Review 
 Jan. 15-30
 4 hours
 
Site Visit  Conference call to identify site issues
 Jan. 15-30
 3 hours
 
 On-site visit
 Feb. 
 8 hours
 
 Update scorebook with findings
 Feb. 15-28
 2 hours
 
 Consensus phone call
 Feb. 15-28
 4 hours
 
 Finalize scorebook
 March 15
 8 hours
 
Total Hours   45 hours
 

Costs. Training expenses are $125. The Edgerton Award Program reimburses travel for the on-site assessment and lunch is provided by the applicant business.

Training. Examiner training is offered in October. Examiner candidates receive instruction in the use of Edgerton Award criteria (based on the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria). They also refine their skills at conducting assessments, interviewing, and writing reports.

Ethics. Each examiner signs a confidentiality statement. Examiners pledge to avoid conflict of interest, respect confidentiality, and maintain a professional, respectful and responsible relationship with each Edgerton applicant.

Benefits. Edgerton examiners are able to see how other businesses solve problems, conduct process improvements, benchmark, and report market results. Examiners network with other professionals from diverse backgrounds and see firsthand how businesses prepare to be leaders in their industry. Skills in analyzing and consensus building are further developed as each team of examiners work to provide an objective and useful feedback report. Examiners bring new insights to their own businesses and are typically reinvigorated to pursue continual quality improvement. Experience as an examiner is excellent preparation for employees of businesses who may apply for future award consideration, or businesses that are seeking to improve existing quality systems.