What Performance Excellence Northwest (penw) does

Performance Excellence Northwest (PENW) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1994 as the Washington State Quality Award (WSQA) and rebranded to its current name in 2017. It operates as the Pacific Northwest regional affiliate of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program in partnership with the Alliance for Performance Excellence, serving organizations across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. PENW delivers performance assessment, training, and recognition services grounded in the Baldrige framework for organizations pursuing operational excellence, with a Full Application assessment priced at $9,995.

The organization runs a small paid staff of 1-10 employees supplemented by 200+ trained volunteers who serve as examiners, coaches, and program contributors. Its revenue model combines membership fees, assessment and feedback services, training and education programs, and event revenue, including an annual Learning Symposium that in 2026 will mark its 30th consecutive year. PENW also promotes member participation in the broader national Baldrige Conference, scheduled for October 12-13, 2026 in New Orleans.

As a regional Baldrige affiliate, PENW occupies a structurally defined niche with no direct in-region competitor for the Baldrige framework. Leadership transitioned in June 2025 with the appointment of Laura M. Kinney as Executive Director. The organization has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities and does not pursue external funding rounds; its operating model is sustained through program fees, memberships, and volunteer-driven service delivery rather than capital-intensive growth.

Name

Performance Excellence Northwest (penw)

Legal name

Performance Excellence Northwest

Website

https://performanceexcellencenw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Performance Excellence Northwest is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Pacific Northwest regional affiliate of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, delivering assessment, training, and recognition services to organizations across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington under the Baldrige framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organizational Performance Consulting

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Effectiveness & Continuous Improvement Reviews (EDADAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Accreditation Standards, Benchmarking & Framework Organizations (EDADACAJ), Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK)

Keywords

• Organizational development services
• Performance excellence framework
• Peer-based assessment services
• Lean Six Sigma training
• Executive leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Oswego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Organizational and individual membership programs providing access to PENW services, learning resources, and community of practice
2. Application Assessment Services: Full Application feedback report service priced at $9,995 for comprehensive organizational assessment
3. Training and Education Programs: Examiner training, Executive Fellows program, Lean Six Sigma certification, and other educational services
4. Event Revenue: Annual Learning Symposium and other events generating registration fees

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Performance Excellence Northwest provides organizational education, development, and peer-based assessment services built around the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework. It trains leaders and examiners, supports organizations in applying continuous-improvement practices, and assesses Lite and Full Applications through trained examiner teams that provide feedback and executive briefings.

Product overview

Performance Excellence Northwest (PENW) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that provides organizational behavior and development services to improve workplace performance and commitment. The company offers a portfolio of educational and assessment services built around the Baldrige Excellence Framework. Its core service lines include: (1) Learn - educational services delivered on-site, virtually, and on-demand covering Performance Excellence, Examiner Training, Lean Six Sigma, Executive Fellows, and Spanish-language programs; (2) Perform - collaborative application programs including Pathways to Excellence, Communities of Practice, and Executive Collaborative; and (3) Excel - peer-based assessment services including Lite Application (15-20 pages, entry-level) and Full Application (50 pages, comprehensive) programs that provide feedback reports based on examiner reviews. The organization also hosts annual Symposium events, monthly Third Thursday Webinars, and provides on-demand video content. PENW serves organizations across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington through membership programs and volunteer examiner networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Partners in Performance Excellence: A regional Baldrige nonprofit serving MA, NY, RI, DE, NJ, Eastern PA, and CT. Laura Kinney serves as Chair of the Board and acting President for this entity.

Products and services

• PENW Executive Fellows An executive education program focused on leadership development through the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework.
• Examiner Training Training for individuals to become certified examiners who review applications and develop feedback reports using the Criteria for Performance Excellence.
• Lean Six Sigma Continuous-improvement methodology training that combines Lean and Six Sigma principles.
• Pathways to Excellence A structured program series for organizations early in their performance-excellence journey, including guidance for Lite Application submissions.
• Lite Application An entry-level assessment requiring a 15–20 page application based on Basic-level Performance Excellence Framework questions and reviewed by trained examiners.
• Full Application A comprehensive 50-page assessment application covering Basic, Overall, and Multiple levels of the Performance Excellence Framework and reviewed by 6–8 examiners; pricing starts at $9,995.
• Full Application Feedback Report A comprehensive report developed by examiner teams that summarizes organizational strengths and opportunities for improvement and is delivered with an Executive Briefing.
• Excellence Builder Program (Constructor de Excelencia) A Spanish-language program for understanding and applying the Excellence Builder framework.
• Advancing Excellence A program for organizations advancing their performance-excellence journey.
• Executive Collaborative A collaborative learning program for executives focused on implementing performance excellence.
• Membership Programs Organizational and individual membership offerings that provide access to PENW services, learning resources, and a community of practice under tiered plans.

Quantifiable outcome

• First-ever skilled nursing facility to achieve Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2016 (Mountain Valley of Cascadia)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Baldrige Performance Excellence ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational strategic partnership with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program. PENW is a key regional partner in the Baldrige ecosystem, providing examiner training, assessment services, and helping organizations pursue national award recognition. This partnership enables PENW to mirror the national assessment process at the regional level.
• Alliance for Performance ExcellencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Alliance for Performance Excellence partner. PENW is a member of the Alliance which connects regional Baldrige-based organizations across the United States. This partnership provides networking, best practice sharing, and collaborative initiatives including co-hosting the annual Baldrige Conference.
• Partners in Performance ExcellenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director Laura Kinney serves as Chair of the Board and acting President for Partners in Performance Excellence, a regional Baldrige non-profit serving MA, NY, RI, DE, NJ, Eastern PA, and CT. This represents personal leadership connection between regional Baldrige organizations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• American Society for Quality (ASQ): A global quality professional association offering certifications, training, and conferences (including Lean Six Sigma) that overlap with PENW's training programs. Broader than PENW but operates in the same organizational-quality professional development space.
• Baldrige Foundation: The fundraising and advocacy entity supporting the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. PENW is a strategic partner of the program the Foundation supports, and the Foundation provides some programming overlap with PENW's executive education and recognition activities.

Emerging players

• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): A leading healthcare-focused quality improvement organization offering training, certifications, and improvement programs. IHI competes with PENW for healthcare-improvement budget and mindshare, particularly in hospitals and health systems, PENW's primary vertical.
• National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ): A healthcare-specific professional association providing CPHQ certification, training, and resources targeting healthcare quality professionals. Adjacent to PENW's healthcare training and Lean Six Sigma offerings, particularly for individual healthcare quality practitioners.

Direct peers

• Florida Sterling Council: Florida's regional Baldrige-based quality organization offering the Governor's Sterling Award for organizational performance excellence. Provides nearly identical services (assessment, training, examiner network) as PENW within a different US state, making it a structurally comparable peer.
• California Council for Excellence (CAPE): California's Baldrige-based state quality program providing organizational assessments, training, and recognition services. CAPE is part of the same Alliance for Performance Excellence ecosystem as PENW and offers a directly comparable service portfolio.
• Texas Quality Award: Texas's regional Baldrige-based quality award program providing performance excellence assessments and training to Texas-based organizations. Same Alliance for Performance Excellence ecosystem as PENW.
• Partners in Performance Excellence: A regional Baldrige-based nonprofit serving MA, NY, RI, DE, NJ, Eastern PA, and CT. PENW's Executive Director Laura Kinney serves as Chair of the Board and acting President, evidencing tight organizational parallels as sister regional Baldrige programs within the Alliance for Performance Excellence.
• Arizona Quality Alliance: Arizona's regional Baldrige-aligned performance excellence program offering the Arizona Pyramid Award, organizational assessments, and training services. A peer in the Alliance for Performance Excellence network.
• Missouri Quality Award: A regional Baldrige-affiliated organization administering the Missouri Quality Award and offering performance excellence training, assessment, and education services to Missouri-based organizations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/performanceexcellencenw

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Performance Excellence Northwest (penw)