San Francisco, Calif., Jan. 24, 2024— SweetRush, a trailblazer in learning and development, is ushering in a new chapter with Danielle Hart stepping into the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

SweetRush Cofounders, which include former CEO Andrei Hedstrom and Board Chairman Arturo Schwartzberg, will continue to serve SweetRush in full-time roles that focus on enhancing the company’s culture, leadership, and our L&D craft and solutions.

Andrei Hedstrom, SweetRush Cofounder and former CEO, shared, “As a leader who cares deeply about being in service to the potential of others, I take great pleasure in passing this role to my trusted friend and colleague. I have great love and respect for Danielle because of how much she cares about our team, our craft, and our client partners. I have sought to lead SweetRush as a human-centered business and to elevate our craft and culture to bring a great service to our clients. I believe our big rainbow heart will only get more vibrant and magnetic with Danielle as our new CEO!”

SweetRush Cofounder and Board Chairman Arturo Schwartzberg shared, “Danielle is known to the entire team as trustworthy, knowledgeable, incisive, and deeply caring. She has earned the trust of Andrei, me, and the entire team. All of us feel energized as we double down on growing a healthy, caring, and innovative company.”

SweetRush’s Next Chapter Parallels Transformation in L&D

The L&D industry is experiencing a long-sought shift: the recognition that learning is no longer a mere liability reduction tool but rather a core driver of business value and success. Executive leaders recognize that L&D is an essential part of business strategy: to attract and retain top performers, to align skills and performance to the roles needed today and in the future, and to foster behaviors that build strong cultures. 

“If you are working in the L&D field, you are not only helping your company be successful, but you are playing a pivotal role in improving people’s lives by imparting knowledge and skills and fostering positive change,” says Danielle. “Learning is a catalyst for change, and learning professionals play a crucial role in driving that change. I am grateful every day to be in this field, and I have unending appreciation for my peers who are part of this community.”

Danielle’s Journey of Change at SweetRush

Danielle takes the helm as she also celebrates her 20-year anniversary at SweetRush. “I’m excited and honored to serve SweetRush and our people in this new role,” says Danielle. “I’m grateful for the trust of our Cofounders, Andrei Hedstrom and Arturo Schwartzberg, and for the trust of our remarkable team—smart, experienced, dedicated people, united by a culture of caring, putting their hearts into creating exceptional solutions for L&D leaders and their learners.”

Danielle was one of SweetRush’s first employees, starting as a Project Manager in 2004. She later became the company’s first Solution Architect, establishing tools and processes to provide clients with expert and caring consultation. 

In 2014, Danielle put her focus on SweetRush’s marketing efforts, building a robust team from the ground up that has been remarkably successful in building SweetRush’s brand. Danielle authors an annual L&D and Learning Experience Design Trends Report (survey open now!), and, under her leadership, SweetRush and its clients have earned hundreds of prestigious awards and global recognition from their peers. 

More recently, Danielle joined SweetRush’s executive team and expanded her role to oversee sales and marketing efforts. In her new role as CEO, she joins SweetRush’s Board of Directors.

She continues: “I am equally thankful that our clients look to us as a strategic partner, helping them solve complex challenges, embrace new technologies, and serve their people in unprecedented ways. Our work is needed now more than ever, and we have a responsibility to use our craft to improve people’s lives and move the industry forward.”

Change and Transformation at SweetRush

Over the past two decades, SweetRush’s brand has become synonymous with innovative learning solutions: from pioneering advancements in AI and WebXR technologies to crafting sophisticated, personalized learning journeys that deeply engage learners, always doing so with heart.

SweetRush has earned the trust of an impressive client base, with strong portfolios of impact in finance, technology, retail, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and nonprofits. This has not only made SweetRush a resilient company but has pushed the team to meet the diverse needs of world-class clients and their learners and to stay at the forefront of industry trends.

With Danielle at the helm, SweetRush will continue to embrace change, extend caring, and amplify the impact of learning professionals.

 

For media inquiries, please contact:

Carolina Montero, Director of Marketing
[email protected]

Since 2020, PMQ has earned 14 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards,12 Gold awards and an Horizon Interactive Gold Award

San Francisco, Calif., Dec. 18, 2023 — SHRM, the foremost expert, convener, and thought leader on issues impacting today’s evolving workplaces., and SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning solutions, collaborated to create an interactive, gamified, and highly engaging virtual leadership development program: The SHRM People Manager Qualification (PMQ). 

As “the voice of all things work,” SHRM’s experts know that people managers have the greatest potential to impact an organization’s culture and well-being. As SHRM President and CEO Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., explains, “There is no relationship in the workplace more powerful than the one between people managers and employees.”With their outsized influence on team members’ engagement, satisfaction, and psychological safety, managers must develop nuanced skills such as communication, empathy, performance management, and situational judgment. Yet managers often step into leadership roles without guidance or training, which has a deleterious effect on their teams: SHRM’s 2022 Global Culture Report reveals that one in three workers worldwide state that their manager’s can’t lead a team.

PMQ is the SHRM-SweetRush team’s ingenious response to the urgent need facing SHRM’s extended enterprise of 325,000 members in 165 countries. To serve the 27 performance objectives and 110 behavioral indicators defining successful management, the team crafted a scenario-based virtual learning solution in the form of a series of animated episodes, organized into “seasons,” just like learners’ favorite streaming shows.  

The binge-worthy PMQ series follows six diverse characters, all new people managers, who represent a range of ethnicities, gender identities, bodies, abilities, and personalities. Along the way, they share experiences and support and illustrate examples—and nonexamples—of management skills, behaviors, and emotional intelligence. Branching assessments put the learner at the center of the action in a “season finale” that forces them to think on their feet to solve authentic management challenges. 

Mary Harding, SweetRush Account Manager, shares, “SHRM is, and has always been, a team that likes to dream big for their audience, and PMQ is no exception. This leading-edge program features excellent content delivered in a relevant and engaging way. SHRM and SweetRush work side by side to provide new and experienced people managers with a learning experience that taps into real-life situations.” 

PMQ’s innovative approach to people management training has been recognized with numerous creative and L&D industry awards, Since 2020, PMQ has earned 14 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards, including 12 Gold awards, as well as a Horizon Interactive Gold Award. 

Ninety-six percent of learners rate PMQ a great tool for new people managers, characterizing it as “binge-worthy,” “actionable,” and “confidence-building.” One learner enthusiastically adds, “The content was real! It was almost as if someone was watching my life and creating content from it. The information learnt is timely, useful and applicable.” 

As the world of work continues to evolve, the SHRM-SweetRush team looks forward to serving people managers and their teams with fresh, relevant solutions that help them thrive together. 

About SHRM

SHRM creates better workplaces where employers and employees thrive together. As the voice of all things work, workers and the workplace, SHRM is the foremost expert, convener and thought leader on issues impacting today’s evolving workplaces. With nearly 325,000 members in 165 countries, SHRM impacts the lives of more than 235 million workers and families globally. Learn more at SHRM.org.

About SweetRush
SweetRush’s focus on team culture and craft is reflected in loyal clients, uniquely low turnover of teammates, a 20+-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients creating custom solutions for talent empowerment and people success has earned us gold awards from our peers and high rankings on top industry lists.

We are over 200 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our service areas include Custom Learning (including eLearning, mobile, gamification, and virtual training), Talent Solutions (temporary talent to augment our clients’ L&D teams), XR/Immersive Tech (VR, AR, AI, and emerging technologies), Transforming Leaders & Culture (expert coaching and consulting to create connected, unified cultures, leaders, and teams), and Good Things (amplifying the impact of nonprofits and the social impact space). Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Learn more and get in touch with SweetRush at www.sweetrush.com. 

 

 

San Francisco, Calif., Dec. 15, 2023 — SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning solutions, adds two Learning in Practice Gold Awards from Chief Learning Officer to its growing list of accolades for 2023.  

• Excellence in Blended Learning – Gold 
• Excellence in Technology Innovation – Gold

SweetRush shares these awards with its client-partners Capgemini and Bayer.

“Creating award-winning, break-the-mold learning programs really speaks to how deeply our clients care for their learners and their dedication to the art of learning and development,” said Danielle Hart, SweetRush’s Chief Brand Officer. “We always look forward to our next collaboration!”

Excellence in Blended Learning recognizes vendors that have deployed a variety of tools in support of a client’s learning program that delivers engaging learning combining multiple modalities. SweetRush wins Gold for Connected Manager, an innovative leadership development program co-created with client-partner Capgemini, that helps Capgemini’s leaders experience connected, collaborative teamwork in a fresh, exciting way.

Excellence in Technology Innovation recognizes vendors that have rolled out an innovative learning technology for a client, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, apps, video, social collaboration tools, or games and simulations. SweetRush takes Gold for Jumpstart, a cutting-edge learning portal developed for client-partner Bayer to create a more engaging and immersive new hire experience that solves the pain points of virtual onboarding.

The Learning in Practice Awards recognize industry leaders who have demonstrated excellence in the design and delivery of employee development programs. “This year, our 66 winners have demonstrated innovation and creativity, commitment, and flexibility across the board,” said Ashley St. John, Chief Learning Officer’s Chief Content Officer and Editor-in-Chief. 

The SweetRush team congratulates its client-partners and all Learning in Practice award winners who work to transform L&D’s impact and outcomes. 

To speak to SweetRush about its award-winning approach to learning and development, visit the company website.

About SweetRush
SweetRush’s focus on team culture and craft is reflected in loyal clients, uniquely low turnover of teammates, a 20+-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients creating custom solutions for talent empowerment and people success has earned us gold awards from our peers and high rankings on top industry lists.

We are over 200 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our service areas include Custom Learning (including eLearning, mobile, gamification, and virtual training), Talent Solutions (temporary talent to augment our clients’ L&D teams), XR/Immersive Tech (VR, AR, AI, and emerging technologies), Transforming Leaders & Culture (expert coaching and consulting to create connected, unified cultures, leaders, and teams), and Good Things (amplifying the impact of nonprofits and the social impact space). Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Learn more and get in touch with SweetRush at www.sweetrush.com. 

 

U.S. Chamber Foundation and SweetRush bring the industry-leading Talent Pipeline Management® Academy online via TPM Co/Lab™, empowering a broader learner audience with the skills to develop local talent pipelines and meet industry needs.

San Francisco, Calif., December 11, 2023  –  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, a leading national organization dedicated to strengthening communities through education and workforce initiatives, and SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning solutions, announced their scaling of a learning program that provides tools to address the nationwide skills gap.

The U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Talent Pipeline Management® (TPM) framework is a talent development strategy that offers data-driven, outcomes-based methodologies to prepare current and future talent for the workforce by ensuring that workers’ skills align with employers’ needs.

The TPM Academy® is a program empowering state and local chambers of commerce, employers, and education and training providers to learn to apply the TPM strategies and create a talent pipeline based on industry needs. Whereas traditional education-employer partnerships tend to rely on solutions developed by the supply side, TPM puts employers in the driver’s seat as they communicate their most critical job needs to their education and training partners. Through the U.S. Chamber Foundation-SweetRush relationship, this training experience is now available online and on demand via TPM Co/Lab™, an online learning community, to benefit more communities in their use of the transformative workforce approach.

“The U.S. Chamber Foundation team were collaborative partners who were closely invested and involved from initial solutioning all the way through to implementation,” says SweetRush Solution Architect Joe Henderson. “Together, we took a highly successful existing program—TPM Academy—and scaled it for a virtual- and blended-learning audience. Throughout this journey, they remained dedicated to continuous improvement, refining and enhancing the program to better meet the evolving needs of the audience. Working together on TPM Co/Lab has been a pleasure, and we’re gratified at the opportunity to support U.S. Chamber Foundation’s goal of empowering employers to build talent pipelines in their industries and communities, all while striving for ongoing improvement and innovation.”

With three different learning modalities—in-person, blended, and fully online—learners throughout the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s vast extended enterprise can find a TPM Academy format that fits their schedules and preferences.

In every format, the TPM Academy program empowers learners to engage in the six TPM strategies. Strategy 1 starts with employers identifying one or more talent challenges and forming a “collaborative.” Next, Strategies 2 through 4 provide a systematic process for employers to gather and share their workforce data in a format that can facilitate new career pathway partnerships or improve existing ones by getting data on talent needs, specific skills, and talent suppliers—making them better, more clear communicators of their demand. Strategies 5 and 6 help employer-led collaboratives put their data to work by co-designing internal and/or external talent pipelines, making them more resilient to external disruptions and shocks like an economic recession or a pandemic, and continuously improving them with trusted provider partners. The TPM Academy approach to creating a talent pipeline has been recognized with numerous learning and development awards, including three 2023 Brandon Hall Group Gold Awards for its unique approach to blended learning for the extended enterprise. Employers such as Detroit’s DTE Energy and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation have revitalized their talent pipelines with the TPM strategy.

“SweetRush has been an invaluable partner in taking the next step in our evolution to transform our in-person TPM Academy trainings to an engaging, interactive online learning experience,” said Jaimie Francis, vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. “Their stellar team helped us navigate how to create the best experience for our learners so that they are empowered with the tools and information necessary to co-design talent supply chains to help students and workers access and succeed in career pathways. We look forward to continued collaboration and bringing this learning experience to more communities across the world in search of workforce strategies and solutions.”

The U.S. Chamber Foundation-SweetRush team continues to be inspired by the opportunity to help employers, workers, and education providers meet the demands of the perpetually evolving business environment. The team looks forward to continued support of the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s extensive learner audience as they build the talent pipelines that strengthen the economy, one TPM implementation at a time.

Learn more about the TPM Academy and TPM Co/Lab.

About the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation harnesses the power of business to create solutions for the good of America and the world. We anticipate, develop, and deploy solutions to challenges facing communities—today and tomorrow. Learn more about the U.S. Chamber Foundation’s work at uschamberfoundation.org/.

About SweetRush

SweetRush is trusted by many of the world’s most successful companies to help them improve the performance of their employees and extended enterprise. SweetRush is known for exceptionally creative and effective solutions that combine the best of learning experience design with highly engaging delivery.

SweetRush services include custom L&D solution design and development, high-performing staff-augmentation talent staffing, certification development, cultural alignment, and innovative learning technologies such as VR, AR, and AI. SweetRush’s work has earned a long list of awards and accolades in collaboration with its world-class clients. Discover more at www.sweetrush.com.

San Francisco, Calif., November 29, 2023  – Bridgestone Americas, a global leader in tire technology and service, and SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning solutions, announced the launch of an award-winning, mobile-friendly, high-engagement sales training and performance program: Consumer Tire Education (CTE). 

The brainchild of a multi-year collaboration between Bridgestone and SweetRush, CTE has reached over 30,000 sales associates throughout Bridgestone’s extended enterprise of independent tire dealerships and retailers.  CTE’s innovative approach to sales training has been recognized with over 80 learning and development awards, including a 2023 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Award for Best Advance in Learning in the Flow of Work. 

“The Bridgestone team’s embrace of gamification, immersive technologies, and innovative mobile learning modalities proves that sales, product, and customer service training can be not only engaging and fun but also a competitive differentiator within a crowded marketplace,” shares SweetRush Solution Architect Danielle Silver. 

CTE leverages a range of leading-edge learning modalities and technologies to earn the attention of tire sales associates at independent retailers and help them acquire consultative selling skills and Bridgestone product knowledge. This mobile-friendly, flow-of-work learning program combines a suite of 40 engaging microlearning courses and five games, which feature animated video, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), storytelling, and humor.

Thanks to CTE resources, tire sales associates are learning to: 

• Uncover customer needs and preferences, and recommend the correct tire based upon their vehicle type, typical driving conditions, and driving styles.
• Share the competitive advantages of Bridgestone safety and performance technologies. 
• Leverage customer-facing AR-enhanced “sell sheets” during the sales process to bring Bridgestone tire technology to life. 

“I’m extremely proud of the industry-leading training that our team has produced for sales associates. This program has been a game-changer for how we educate and build loyalty with our sellers and independent dealers,” said Richard Plant, Executive Director of Product and Technical Training at Bridgestone.

Learners are equally enthusiastic, with one learner sharing, “The Bridgestone education program has benefited me in so many ways, from being knowledgeable on the products to understanding the basics a tire sales associate may need.” 

The Bridgestone-SweetRush team looks forward to continued success, collaboration, and innovation as they identify fresh opportunities to meet the evolving needs of tire sales associates. 

About Bridgestone Americas

Bridgestone Americas, Inc. is the U.S.-based subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader in tires and rubber, building on its expertise to provide solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. Headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., Bridgestone Americas employs more than 45,000 people across its worldwide operations. Bridgestone offers a diverse product portfolio of premium tires and advanced solutions backed by innovative technologies, improving the way people around the world move, live, work and play. For more information, visit www.bridgestonetire.com.

About SweetRush

SweetRush is trusted by many of the world’s most successful companies to help them improve the performance of their employees and extended enterprise. SweetRush is known for exceptionally creative and effective solutions that combine the best of learning experience design with highly engaging delivery.

SweetRush services include custom L&D solution design and development, high-performing staff-augmentation talent staffing, certification development, cultural alignment, and innovative learning technologies such as VR, AR, and AI. SweetRush’s work has earned a long list of awards and accolades in collaboration with its world-class clients. Discover more at www.sweetrush.com.

San Francisco, Calif., November 27, 2023 — Bayer, a global leader in health care and agriculture, and SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning solutions, announced the launch of three award-winning, innovative learning programs: JumpStart, Rise & Thrive, and the Enhanced Approach to Potential Identification (EAPI). Combined, these programs have extensive reach and impact throughout Bayer, and they have been honored with 20 learning and development awards, including 10 awards at the recent 2023 Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards.

“I love engaging with the Bayer team—their unwavering commitment to exploring the extraordinary empowers us to deliver exceptional results,” said John-Carlos Lozano, SweetRush Chief Creative Officer.

JumpStart uses cutting-edge learning technology to create a more engaging and immersive new hire experience that solves the pain points of virtual onboarding. Working together, Bayer and SweetRush created the JumpStart onboarding portal to: 

• Welcome new hires in the critical moments between offer acceptance and Day One on the job.
• Unify the process of onboarding, enrolling in benefits, and learning about Bayer’s culture, history, mission, and innovations.
• Provide a Bayer-exclusive social network that introduces users to fellow new hires and helps them form friendships that make work meaningful.
• Offer just-in-time nudges and invitations to live virtual learning events.

The JumpStart and Rise & Thrive (below) learning programs were led by Renee Landry, Bayer North America Learning Lead. “Bayer JumpStart, Bayer’s new onboarding portal, created an exciting experience for our new hires. We developed a solution to increase new hires’ sense of connection and belonging in a creative way,” said Landry.

At the 2023 Brandon Hall Group awards, JumpStart received two Gold awards for learning technology implementation and innovation, and an award for Best New Hire Onboarding Program.

Rise & Thrive is a one-of-a-kind, dynamic development program for Bayer’s leaders. Recognizing that new skills, behaviors, and mindset shifts were needed to lead in the “new normal” of hybrid work, Bayer, SweetRush, and Third Factor collaborated on a groundbreaking learning program. 

Rise & Thrive features:

• A focus on the foundations of habit-building: triggers, actions, and reflection on outcomes
• A unique and innovative combination of microlearning, TED Talk-style videos, Spotify playlists, and weekly “curiosity” dares
• Bold new concepts and actionable best practices that leaders can immediately implement to inspire their teams, build trust and inclusivity, balance and prioritize workloads, and empower every team member

In the words of one participant, “As a manager, I have been to training classes, I have read hundreds of management books, and I have had a personalized coach, but [Rise & Thrive’s] are the most articulate, bite-sized, and helpful real-time management training/coaching pieces that I have ever had. Each one has inspired me to go back, slow down, and focus again on doing the basics well. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!”

Rise & Thrive received two Gold awards for leadership development and development program for frontline leaders, and an award for Best Learning Team for Bayer, SweetRush, and Third Factor.

Enhanced Approach to Potential Identification (EAPI)

Blending the latest talent management thought leadership with tried-and-tested industry best practices, the Enhanced Approach to Potential Identification (EAPI) is a process and methodology that enables Bayer leaders to identify the potential of its employees accurately and consistently.

 

Fully integrated with the company’s talent management strategy, EAPI is helping Bayer prepare for the workplace of tomorrow as it feeds into the company’s succession planning and talent review processes. A comprehensive leadership toolkit, developed collaboratively with solutions-partner SweetRush, ensures the methodology is applied consistently by leaders across the organization with step-by-step instructions and clear guidelines for its correct application.

“We at Bayer had a vision for identifying potential that needed to transcend borders and cultures—not an easy task for any company, but especially not easy at a 100,000-person company. SweetRush has been a great and successful partner in supporting us to implement the enhanced approach for Potential Identification across 83 countries with a very creative, interactive, and well-designed self-learning approach in eight different languages,” said Nicola Bianchi, Global HR Head of Product Supply at Bayer.

EAPI and the Leadership Toolkit received four Brandon Hall Group awards for succession planning, leadership development, and competencies and skills development.

“Our Bayer partners have a creative mindset and seek solutions that are innovative and appealing to their learners—and these are our ideal clients,” said Danielle Hart, SweetRush Chief Brand Officer. “Creating three award-winning, break-the-mold learning programs speaks to how deeply they care for their learners and their dedication to the art of learning and development. We always look forward to our next collaboration!”

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of 50.7 billion euro. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euro. For more information, go to www.bayer.com. 

About SweetRush

SweetRush is trusted by many of the world’s most successful companies to help them improve the performance of their employees and extended enterprise. SweetRush is known for exceptionally creative and effective solutions that combine the best of learning experience design with highly engaging delivery. SweetRush services include custom L&D solution design and development, high-performing staff-augmentation talent staffing, certification development, cultural alignment, and innovative learning technologies such as VR, AR, and AI. SweetRush’s work has earned a long list of awards and accolades in collaboration with its world-class clients. Discover more at www.sweetrush.com.

San Francisco, Calif., November 14, 2023 — SweetRush wraps up a year of innovation and collaboration with recognition by Training Industry as a Top Advanced Learning Technologies Company.

Training Industry defines advanced learning technologies as “innovative and cutting-edge technology solutions and tools that enhance and enrich the learning experience.” These include “artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), accessibility tools (e.g., ADA compliance), haptic/biometric devices, and more to solve business problems in innovative ways.”

SweetRush’s leading-edge learning innovations this year include the launch of WebXR content, which empowers client-partners to create immersive experiences for every learner—with or without a headset. The XR team has also pioneered two solutions that make immersive experiences more compatible with any organization’s current learning ecosystem: the LMS Integration Tool (LIT) and the LIT Analytics Dashboard. 

Adrián Soto, SweetRush Director of Immersive Technologies, shares: “Our team is dedicated to helping clients navigate the immersive and advanced technology landscape. Whether it’s for a pilot project or long-term strategy, we’re here to deliver the top-notch research, strategic insight, and development expertise that empowers them to leverage cutting-edge technology to create outstanding learning experiences.”

One of those experiences includes an immersive conversation simulation, recently co-created with a global hospitality leader. This engaging experience combines WebXR with AI voice recognition that responds to learner input and provides real-time feedback.

The team approaches every client engagement as a consultative partnership characterized by end-to-end strategy mapping that begins with a thorough business and learning needs analysis. Together with agency-level creative design, focus on research and development, and deep knowledge of learning technologies, this strategy mapping process is one of SweetRush’s major value-adds.

Danielle Silver, SweetRush XR Solution Architect, adds: “Our team’s success is truly a testament to the innovative spirit of our client-partners. They’re always eager to push the boundaries and embrace immersive and advanced technologies to help learners excel in their current roles and meet the future of work.”

These collaborations result in effective, compelling solutions that make learning an experience to remember—and achieve industry recognition. To date, SweetRush’s partnerships have earned 130 Gold Brandon Hall Awards and 10 Gold CLO Learning in Practice Awards, as well as the creative MUSE and Horizon Interactive and industry-specific recognition by the LTEN Excellence Awards.

If you’d like to speak with SweetRush about how to leverage advanced and immersive technologies for your learning strategy, get in touch to be connected to a consultative expert!

About SweetRush
SweetRush is trusted by many of the world’s most successful companies to help them improve the performance of their employees and extended enterprise. SweetRush is known for exceptionally creative and effective solutions that combine the best of learning experience design with highly engaging delivery. SweetRush services include custom L&D solution design and development, high-performing staff-augmentation talent staffing, certification development, cultural alignment, and innovative learning technologies such as VR, AR, and AI. SweetRush’s work has earned a long list of awards and accolades in collaboration with its world-class clients. Discover more at www.sweetrush.com. 

About Training Industry, Inc.

Training Industry is the most trusted source of information on the business of learning. Our authority is built on deep ties with more than 450 expert contributors who share insights and actionable information with their peers. Training Industry’s courses, live events, articles, magazine, webinars, podcast, research and reports generate more than 10 million industry interactions each year, while the Top 20 Training Companies Lists help business leaders find the right training partners.

Aliso Viejo, Calif.,  November 9, 2023 — Fundamental Skills for Nurse Managers (FSNM), part of the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’s (AACN) suite of online eLearning programs, was honored for the third consecutive year at the Brandon Hall Group Human Capital Management Excellence Awards.

The eLearning course focuses on the technical and interpersonal competencies nurses need to be successful managers. To date, FSNM has been recognized with seven Brandon Hall Gold awards for its unique and comprehensive approach to leadership and skill development. 

AACN worked with SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning solutions, to develop the course and update its content to reflect current issues facing nurse leaders. This year alone, SweetRush received 40 Brandon Hall Group awards for its work with nine organizational partners, including AACN’s Gold-level awards for FSNM as Best Program for Upskilling Employees and Best Advance in Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The course provides learners with 16 hours of relevant, high-value content, delivered via concise eLearning modules, authentic branching scenarios, self-assessments and moment-of-need job aids. With relatable characters, realistic scenarios and storytelling, the robust leadership development experience provides participants with tools they can apply immediately in their daily work.

“Nurse managers play a key role in shaping the work environment, ensuring patient outcomes, and attending to the welfare of the staff,” said Herb Williams-Dalgart, AACN learning excellence director. “Their leadership is vital in guiding teams with varying experience levels, encompassing both seasoned nurses and novices, along with non-licensed support staff. It is essential for leaders to demonstrate essential skills, such as managing human and financial resources, as well as ensuring the safety and well-being of both patients and staff, as they step into management positions.”

SweetRush Director of Client Solutions Annie Hodson said, “We leverage a combination of instructional design, creativity and engineering to develop custom solutions for our client-partners, such as AACN. We’re inspired by their dedication to supporting nurses, which aligns perfectly with our mission.”

FSNM empowers new nurse managers with the following critical skills: 

• Getting Started: Understanding the behaviors and practices of their new position, identifying supportive resources and strategies for the first few days on the job, and using cultural competencies to lead a diverse team.
• Human Resources: Developing the management skills that will help engage and retain staff, support team members’ professional development and performance, and clarify scope of practice. 
• Financial Management: Collaborating with the finance department to understand the unit budget, and developing a staffing methodology that honors both the operational budget and patient needs.
• Quality and Safety: Creating a culture of safety, understanding regulations and accreditation, and enhancing the patient experience and quality of service. 
• Leadership: Managing change, advocating for staff, ensuring compliance and ethical practice, collaborating with physicians and other practitioners, and developing contingency plans.

Learners report a significant increase in knowledge and skills in all five areas, as well as an increase in their levels of confidence after applying the information and practices to their work. In the words of one learner, “Having this information as a new manager is crucial in developing relationships, teams, understanding the staff and work-life balance.”

FSNM is part of AACN’s extensive library of eLearning courses, delivering standard-setting education and expertise that nurses and healthcare organizations can trust.

Organizations and individuals can learn more about the course at www.aacn.org/coursefsnm.

About the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses

For more than 50 years, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) has been dedicated to acute and critical care nursing excellence. The organization’s vision is to create a healthcare system driven by the needs of patients and their families in which acute and critical care nurses make their optimal contribution. AACN is the world’s largest specialty nursing organization, with about 130,000 members and nearly 200 chapters in the United States. Learn more at www.aacn.org.  

About SweetRush

SweetRush is trusted by many of the world’s most successful companies to help them improve the performance of their employees and extended enterprise. SweetRush is known for exceptionally creative and effective solutions that combine the best of learning experience design with highly engaging delivery. SweetRush services include custom L&D solution design and development, high-performing staff-augmentation talent staffing, certification development, cultural alignment, and innovative learning technologies such as VR, AR and AI. SweetRush’s work has earned a long list of awards and accolades in collaboration with its world-class clients. Discover more at www.sweetrush.com. 

SweetRush leverages its expertise in immersive learning, game design, and simulations to create effective, engaging experiential learning solutions for world-class clients.

San Francisco, Calif., September 14, 2023 — In a year marked by technological innovation and opportunities to reach new learner audiences, SweetRush celebrates its second consecutive year on Training Industry’s list of Top Experiential Learning Technologies Companies. 

Other 2023 milestones for the SweetRush XR team include the launch of WebXR learning experiences, the LMS Integration Tool (LIT), and the LIT Analytics Dashboard, which help client-partners extend the benefits of immersive learning to learners across the enterprise and support a range of hands-on learning and skilling needs, from technical procedures to interpersonal skills. 

Most recently, the team combined a WebXR conversation simulation experience powered by a custom artificial intelligence (AI) tool that responds to learner input and provides real-time feedback. Adrián Soto, SweetRush Director of Immersive Technologies, characterizes this pairing as “a huge hit,” adding, ”We make such an effort to work with the latest technology to create amazing content. I can’t wait to see what’s next as we continue to create new and improved learning experiences combining AI and immersive technology.”

SweetRush’s consultative approach, which one client describes as “second to none,” is founded in beginning-to-end strategy mapping that addresses organization-wide business and learning needs. World-class client-partners like Coursera and Hilton are pioneering leading-edge WebXR experiences that bring heightened engagement and high-value skills to their diverse, extended learner audiences. 

Danielle Silver, XR Solution Architect, credits the team’s success to its “extraordinary client-partners, and their forward thinking and innovative cultures, who are always looking for ways to offer their audiences more engaging, impactful, and immersive ways of learning and growing.” 

Loyal client-partners wax enthusiastic about SweetRush’s agency-level creative design, focus on research and development, and ability to create award-winning immersive solutions that teach soft skills, customer service, safety and violence de-escalation, complex technical training, and many other unique use cases. 

These partnerships result in creative, compelling solutions that make learning an experience to remember—and have been recognized by 130 Gold Brandon Hall Awards and eight Gold CLO Learning in Practice Awards to date.

If you’d like to speak with SweetRush about its award-winning approach to experiential learning technologies, get in touch to be connected to a consultative expert!

About SweetRush

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and craft is reflected in loyal clients, uniquely low turnover of teammates, a 20+-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients creating custom solutions for talent empowerment and people success has earned us gold awards from our peers and high rankings on top industry lists.

We are over 200 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our service areas include Custom Learning (including eLearning, mobile, gamification, and virtual training), Talent Solutions (temporary talent to augment our clients’ L&D teams), XR/Immersive Tech (VR, AR, AI, and emerging technologies), Transforming Leaders & Culture (expert coaching and consulting to create connected, unified cultures, leaders, and teams), and Good Things (amplifying the impact of nonprofits and the social impact space). Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Learn more and get in touch with SweetRush at www.sweetrush.com.