Sterling Award Intent Forms Due March 8

Orange County companies have less than a month to decide whether they want to enter the competition for the second annual Sterling Award, which recognizes quality at service and manufacturing firms based in the county.

Companies wishing to compete must obtain a page-long “intent form” and return it by March 8 to Shelley Murphy at KPMG Peat Marwick in Costa Mesa. She can be reached at (714) 850-4392.

Firms seeking the Sterling Award should know that the applications can run as long as 35 pages and are “very time-consuming and thorough,” said Phil Schimmel, chairman of the Sterling Award Council. The application forms won’t be ready until Monday and must be returned by May 20.

The awards program is patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award given each year by the U.S. Department of Commerce. More than 900 county companies expressed an interest in competing last year, but only about two dozen filed applications, a drop-off similar to the Baldrige competition, Schimmel said.

Awards are presented in six categories: large and small manufacturing companies, large and small service companies, nonprofit and public-sector organizations.

The Sterling Award is sponsored by the UC Irvine Graduate School of Management, St. Jude Medical Center, the city of Santa Ana and 14 companies, including Fluor Corp., Western Digital Corp. and The Times Orange County.

Intent forms and applications can be obtained by writing to Murphy at KPMG Peat Marwick, 650 Town Center Drive, Suite 1000, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.