Bill Kalmar

Writer and speaker

William J. Kalmar has extensive business experience, including service with a Fortune 500 bank and the Michigan Quality Council, of which he served as director from 1993 through 2003. He served on the Board of Overseers of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program and has been a Baldrige examiner. He was also named quality professional of the year by the ASQ Detroit chapter. Now semiretired, Kalmar does freelance writing for several publications. He is a member of the USA Today Vacation Panel, a mystery shopper for several companies, and a frequent presenter and lecturer.

Thu, 04/07/2022 - 12:02
‘Private Caller’ Please Do Not Call Disappear into the quagmire from which you emerged
Thu, 02/27/2014 - 11:13
Many of us, I’m sure, have subscribed to the National Do Not Call Registry. Having done so we’re not supposed to receive calls from telemarketers. Unfortunately, the registry still allows calls from politicians, charities, survey companies, and…
Attitude of Gratitude Christmas ‘goodwill to men’ does exist!
Tue, 12/10/2013 - 11:46
I witnessed something the other day that was extraordinary and confirmed that, despite some troubling times, we remain a society of thoughtful, caring people. It was early morning, and I had just entered a local Panera Bread Company for my daily…
A Simple ‘Thank You’ Will Suffice Nov. 11 is Veteran’s Day
Thu, 11/07/2013 - 09:35

Like most of us, I like to occasionally receive a simple “thank you” for something I have done. I think during this holiday season we should turn the tables a bit and bestow a hearty thanks to a segment of our population that at times does…
A Legendary Retirement The man at the helm for 18 of Baldrige’s 25 years
Thu, 05/30/2013 - 15:15

June 3, 2013, marked the retirement of one of the legends in the quality arena, namely Harry Hertz, director of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. Harry has been director since 1995 and during his tenure the Baldrige Program has…
Doctoring, Life-saving, Policing—and a Little Teaching Teachers are our unsung heroes
Wed, 05/29/2013 - 10:34

Not a day goes by that we don’t hear about the quality of our nation’s educational system. Test scores are lower. Enrollment in the sciences is not up to expectations. Our students are lagging behind students in other nations. Some schools…
Working for Free Should debt-burdened interns be expected to earn insight instead of dollars?
Tue, 05/14/2013 - 09:11

Within the next couple of weeks, scores of college students and senior high-school students on summer vacation will join the workforce. Many will have jobs at summer resorts, while others will perhaps work as life guards, as wait staff at…
Made in 1943 Feeling fit and mad for glad
Tue, 03/12/2013 - 11:55
Recent articles in the news have concluded that “72 is the new 30.” Evidently breakthroughs in medicine, better eating habits, regular exercise, refraining from smoking and alcoholic beverages, and adopting a positive attitude have dramatically…
Animal Magnetism and Valentine’s Day True love has no boundaries
Wed, 02/06/2013 - 09:53
Now that Super Bowl Sunday and all the hoopla associated with it has come to a conclusion, we sports fan can look forward to the opening of baseball training camps and of course March Madness, the annual National Collegiate Athletic Association (…
Please Don’t Shake My Hand for the Next Month I’m sick of sick people
Mon, 02/04/2013 - 10:50

Have you noticed the number of people with the flu, or flu symptoms, or an upper-respiratory infection? It is the time of year when America succumbs to the current illness bug, and millions of people will be coughing and sputtering and…
Four Ways Not to Fix a Computer Program Instead, do the legwork, gather information, and stay wary
Thu, 12/13/2012 - 16:19
Over the Thanksgiving holiday the Microsoft Word program on my laptop went kaput. I was unable to open any previous columns I had written, so I couldn’t write any new scintillating, informative columns for Quality Digest Daily that readers have…