'Efficiency' award nominees being accepted

Nominations for the Iowa Partners In Efficiency Award will be accepted through Friday, Sept. 30.

This award was established to recognize the employees or the work units in any political subdivision of local, county or state government that, through the use of Lean tools and techniques, significantly and measurably increased productivity, promoted innovation, and improved the delivery of public services to benefit the citizens of Iowa.

This annual award will be presented for the third time during the Iowa Business Council's 26

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Annual Partnership Meeting in Des Moines on Jan. 30, 2012.

An application and additional details can be accessed at www.iowabusinesscouncil.org or http://lean.iowa.gov/.

Representatives of the Lean Government Collaborative will judge the entries.

The purpose for creating this award is:

• to publicly acknowledge and highlight outstanding efforts at efficiency, productivity, cost avoidance, and waste elimination in government;
• to improve regulatory processes and performance targets;
• to drive economic competitiveness;
• to foster better work environments; and,
• to develop leaders and innovators with a bias for action.

“The Business Council is pleased to recognize the visionary agencies of government in Iowa that have conducted Lean events, the results of which are providing significant benefits to their departments and the constituencies they serve,” said IBC Board Chair Tom Aller, president of Interstate Power & Light – an Alliant Energy company.  “The Partners In Efficiency Award seeks to identify and encourage those public sector leaders who have adopted continuous process improvement as an operational strategy.  Lean Enterprise consistently succeeds in enhancing operational productivity and delivering effective results.”

The Iowa Business Council (IBC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, self-funded organization whose 24 members are the top executives of 20 of the largest businesses in the state, the three Regent university presidents, and Iowa's largest banking association.

Founded in 1985, the Council's purpose is to focus the personal commitment of its members in active leadership roles on major initiatives that offer opportunity to enhance Iowa's economic vitality and improve the lives of Iowans. Council members identify economic issues, evaluate options, and assist in implementing solutions through collaborative public/private partnerships. 

Collectively, these companies and institutions employ nearly a quarter million Iowans and have committed billions of dollars in capital investment to the state. Annually, several hundred million dollars in financial contributions and thousands of volunteer hours are directed to numerous charitable causes around Iowa.  IBC members also lead in technology innovation with billions of dollars spent and grants procured for research and development.

The Business Council focuses its efforts primarily in areas related to advanced technology, continuous process improvement, economic and workforce development, education excellence, health care and wellness, and operations continuity and security.  Its representation reaches across the state – from borders north and south to rivers east and west.  For more information, please visit the IBC Web site at

www.iowabusinesscouncil.org.