The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development was dedicated on May 4, 1989 as the headquarters for the Dallas County Community College District's services to business and industry. The Bill Priest Institute was named for the founding chancellor of the DCCCD, Dr. Bill J. Priest.

The $9.1 million, 150,000 square-foot facility was originally home to five programs: North Texas Small Business Development Center, Dallas Small Business Development Center, Center for Government Contracting, Business and Professional Institute and the Edmund J. Kahn Job Training Center (named in memory of the husband of the Institute’s primary benefactor, Louise Kahn). The Bill Priest Institute also operated the International Trade Resource Center at the World Trade Center.

On June 4, 1990, the Business Incubation Center began leasing office space and providing support services to eight small businesses. In 1992, the Technology Assistance Small Business Development Center opened its doors to the small business community, followed by the Environmental Assistance Small Business Development Center in 1995.

In 1992, the Institute began incorporating the Texas Award for Performance Excellence criteria, which represent the essential components of a world-class management system. Through implementing the criteria, the Bill Priest Institute assessed its strengths and weaknesses and reorganized in 2000 to allow for resource sharing among previously separate programs. The result is a state-supported institution that saves taxpayer money by operating more efficiently and providing the best products and services to our customers through continued quality improvement.

In May 2002, the Quality Texas Foundation recognized these world-class quality management practices by announcing the Bill Priest Institute received the prestigious Texas Award for Performance Excellence, which is patterned after the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Institute is the first post-secondary educational institution to be honored with the award since the program’s inception in 1994.

Following recognition as recipient of the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, the Bill Priest Institute has continued involvement with Quality Texas through various staff activities such Examiners, Board of Overseers, Board of Directors and other volunteer committees. Since 2003, the Bill Priest Institute has managed training programs for the Quality Texas Foundation.

As further evidence of our commitment to quality, we are pleased to be a member of the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers (NCATC). This exclusive organization, comprised of two- and four-year colleges, universities and leading training institutions, is dedicated to improving the way education and training is applied to technology and innovation. Our staff participates as speakers at conferences and as regional coordinator for this organization.

In 2005, the Bill Priest Institute’s president, Dr. Glen Bounds, retired after 35 years of service in our college district. This change in leadership brought with it a strategic merger of the Bill Priest Institute with El Centro College. The alignment of our services and programs has resulted in a greater capacity to serve Dallas County’s people and organizations. We are committed to helping individuals and organizations learn and grow. As we work to impact economic development, we remain focused on three key concepts: Respect, Relationships, and Results. We strive to make a positive difference each and every day.

As we continue to evolve and expand our services to meet growing needs of our customers, we are pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the Center for Performance Excellence. This new strategic direction will bring together companies in collaborative consortiums. Following assessment, Consortium Members will begin their personalized performance excellence journey that centers on opportunities to improve and methods to expand or develop new business strategies. We will leverage our expertise and collaborate with strategic training partners to move customers to new and higher levels of performance excellence.

We feel fortunate to foster and be part of a culture that encourages people to take ownership of their actions, initiate improvements, and demonstrate a passion for service to our various stakeholders. It is an especially exciting time for us because we have moved well beyond preaching quality to our clients into fully implementing these principles ourselves. Most importantly, our quality journey has helped us maintain our focus on customers. We trust you’ll recognize our commitment to quality in everything we do at the Bill Priest Institute for Economic Development.