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A true measure of the team’s partnership with suppliers came on the
question of one part’s specifications. When this particular part is manu-
factured in North America, a thickness of 3.8 millimeters is required. The
suppliers suggested that the part could be produced with a thickness of 2.9
millimeters and function just as well and at considerable savings. Without
their early involvement and attention to detail, the planned refrigerator
would probably have ended up at the required specification, but too large
and too expensive.
When it came to inaugurating the new plant, some of the suppliers
came to the dedication—at their own cost. That’s how involved they felt
in the project.

Our Featured Organization:
Downtown School of Des Moines, Iowa

BATTLING STUPIDITY IN AMERICA

In April 1983, the National Commission on Excellence in Education
declared the United States “a nation at risk”. One staggering report read,
“The educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by
a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and
people.” Sadly, over the past few decades, most schools have done pre-
cious little to eliminate these crises.
One notable exception is the Downtown School of Des Moines, Iowa.
Downtown School was born out of a partnership between the Des Moines
Business Alliance and the Des Moines School District. Local business
leaders dreamed of a school without failure, where no child is left behind,
where students are self-motivated to achieve long-term goals, and where
teachers are geared to unleash the potential of each and every student. The
partnership team shared the conviction of the National Commission on
Excellence in Education.
In February 1990, the Des Moines Business/Education (B/E) Alliance
was established as a partnership between the Des Moines Public School
System and the local business community. Jan Drees, executive director
of the Alliance and principal of Downtown School, spent three years
researching what worked and what had failed in other institutions. Her
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