Category: News

SweetRush Wins Three Golds at the 2018 Horizon Interactive Awards

by Danny Brenes

The company earned top honors in two categories with three projects at the 2018 Horizon Interactive Awards.

San Francisco, Calif., April 23, 2019. — The Horizon Interactive Awards recently announced its 2018 winners, recognizing the past year’s best of the best in interactive media production. SweetRush came out on top in two categories, taking home three Golds.

The winning projects and categories are:

  • Make That Sale! –  Gold winner in the “Website – Training / E-Learning” category with client-partner Bridgestone Americas
  • Barrow Brainbook – Gold winner in the “Website – Training / E-Learning” category with client-partner Dignity Health
  • Lifestage Navigation – Gold winner in the “Video – Instructional” category with client-partner Age Wave

For SweetRush, this is a great wrap-up to the 2018 awards season. This puts the total number of wins at 35, with 30 Gold awards.

Above all, this is an acknowledgment of the company’s breadth and depth of capabilities. SweetRush works with clients in various industries, creating learning solutions for diverse subject matter. On top of that, the company uses a variety of delivery modalities and instructional and creative techniques. For these three awards alone, the solutions were produced for:

  • The automotive, health care, and finance industries
  • Retail sales associates, youth athletes, and banking professionals
  • Sales training, medical education, and empathy building
  • Using interactive eLearning, gamification, 3D avatars, and video

The Winning Projects

Make That Sale! is a program developed to help retail tire sales associates work more effectively with customers and close more sales. The program integrates video storytelling, 3D animation, and interactivity. SweetRush created an engaging way for associates to practice the most difficult steps of sales: presenting the right recommendations and overcoming objections to close the sale. In short, the program uses a game show feel, combining character development with humor.

The Barrow Brainbook is a multimedia-rich, interactive learning experience on how to prevent, recognize, and respond to concussions targeted to student athletes. Further, the program presents vital medical information to students in a fun way that keeps them motivated to learn. For instance, the program showcases a Sports Center-like television show hosted by two 3D, fully animated avatar-coaches.

The Lifestage Navigation video introduces a holistic, customer-centric, online learning solution for bank associates. The program helps them develop empathy for their clients. The video features exceptional use of line and color to represent the six life stages of banking clients.

Striving for New Solutions

“Working in the Learning and Development industry means continually striving for creative solutions that capture the hearts and minds of learners,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, SweetRush’s Chairman and Cofounder. “At SweetRush we take pride in leveraging new tools and techniques that enhance our learning programs. Nevertheless, we never lose sight of what’s really important: the learner audience and meeting our clients’ business and instructional objectives. These three prestigious Horizon awards confirm that we’re on the right path.”

The full list of 2018 Horizon Interactive Awards winners can be found on the organization’s website. The winning entries showcase the industry’s best interactive media solutions. These include websites, mobile applications, print media, interactive displays, public exhibits, online advertising, video, email, and more.

The 2018 Horizon Interactive Awards saw over 800 entries from around the world, including 37 of the 50 U.S. States and 20 other countries.

SweetRush Teammates Rise to New Challenges, Reflecting Continuous Employee Growth and Success

by Danny Brenes

Shelby Shankland, Matt Leo, and Nic Zappanti have stepped up to take on new roles within the company after years of awesome partnership, reflecting employee growth.

San Francisco, Calif., April 23, 2019. — Three SweetRush team members are taking on new challenges within the company that will bring new efficiencies and innovations to our clients. As SweetRush continues to expand its offerings and its work with ever-more client-partners, the company is also experiencing employee growth, which has opened new doors for these long-time teammates.

These three rising stars, Shelby Shankland, Matt Leo, and Nic Zappanti, were chosen to take on new responsibilities because of their incredible client-oriented instincts and strong work ethics. All three are sure to bring continuous improvements to their teams.

We invite you to get to know them through their stories below!

A Long-Time Friend: Shelby Shankland

Shelby Shankland, who is now Cultural and Organizational Transformation Manager at SweetRush, joined the company back in 2007. She started out copy editing and doing quality assurance, and eventually began working in build management, which is a project management role focusing on internal production. After some time with the team, she moved up to become the Build Manager Team Lead.

She held on to this position, but Shelby is not one to simply stay put, training to be a Project Manager and in short order taking on a significant roster of clients. At the same time, outside of SweetRush, she studied to become a life coach in 2015. This would be a move that would prove pivotal to her eventual new role.

In 2017, Ashley Munday joined SweetRush as the director of a new branch of services for the company: Cultural Transformation and Change Management. Soon, Ashley and Shelby became good friends, and cultural transformation became an interest for Shelby.

As the volume of work for the Culture division grew—Ashley was, after all, a one-woman team—it became apparent that it needed a manager to help oversee finances, process, and best practices. Shelby was a natural fit!

“When I was preparing to become a life coach, I discovered a great passion for working with individuals, for helping them realize their full potential and achieve their professional goals by synchronizing their passion, their effort, and their work,” says Shelby. “This is what I know I can bring to the table for clients. I believe I’m changing the world one heart at a time. I’m thrilled to do so for SweetRush and for our clients.”

In addition to her work at SweetRush, Shelby brings her abundant energy to her life-coaching clients, a local college where she teaches, her local orchestra, and, of course, her family: husband Scott and two children.

Here Come the Nerds: Matt Leo and Nicole Zappanti

Matt Leo and Nicole (Nic) Zappanti are two self-professed nerds—and two living examples of employee growth. These friends are incredibly talented people. They’re also veterans within the SweetRush ranks and are taking on new leadership roles at the same time.

Nic’s journey at SweetRush will mark 11 years in July. Despite her long tenure with the company, she still clearly remembers her first day of work.

Back when SweetRush had a physical office in San Francisco, Nic came in and found on her desk a pack with cookies and an apology note from her new teammates: “Sorry for what’s about to come. There’s a crazy project coming up and you’re gonna be swamped.”

Instead of feeling scared, she still considers it the best way to start at a new job. That’s also a pretty fair summary of Nic’s attitude in general.

Nic’s focus has mainly been the role of Build Manager. With time, she started gaining more and more responsibilities in that department. She showed tremendous employee growth and eventually being named Assistant Team Lead for Shelby.

When Shelby moved to her new position in the Cultural Transformation and Change Management division, it was a natural evolution for Nic to step up. She took over Shelby’s role as the Build Management Team Lead.

“I’m so freaking excited about this new position! My main focus is to make processes easier and less manual for everyone, both for clients and our internal team,” she says. “Automation helps to smooth the way we communicate with our clients, which means better and more efficient ways to work. I also love to check in on teammates, make sure they are comfortable and happy. It’s not just a matter of employee growth: happier people make better work.”

Outside of work, Nic loves the simple things: hanging out with family, working in the backyard. As she puts it, her biggest goal in life is using her powers for good.

Half Audio, Half Development, All Matt

Matt joined the company seven years ago. His background was in audio engineering, having worked as an intern in music recording studios and radio stations. Through a friend, he heard of an audio position at a company he had never heard of before: SweetRush.

Matt joined the team first to record voiceovers. He quickly branched out into development and started assisting the Development team. Pretty soon, he found himself splitting his time between the Audio and Development teams.

As SweetRush grew, so did the demands of Matt’s two teams. The demand for audio rose not only in volume of work. The professional quality of voices and the variety of accents and ages represented rose as well.

The employee growth of the Audio team allowed Matt to take on a more managerial role: looking for better and more creative solutions for clients’ needs, supporting other teams within SweetRush, and vetting contractors.

“I became the Audio Team Lead, though in a sense I feel like I always was,” Matt says. “It’s been really exciting to see this team grow throughout the years, and having been here from the beginning, I can see that not only are clients more aware of just how powerful audio can be in an L&D project, but how much more in demand SweetRush has been getting.”

Matt has also taken on a consultant role for the Development team, especially for storyboards review.

In his personal time, Matt is a big PC gamer. Or rather, was. Lately, however, he hasn’t had much time for video games, as he’s learning to be a father. His first child will turn one year in a couple of months. “Besides the sleep deprivation, it’s pretty awesome,” he says.

Congratulations, Shelby, Matt, and Nic, on your new roles from all your teammates at SweetRush!

SweetRush to Showcase Solutions at 16th Financial Services Learning & Talent Development Innovations

by Danny Brenes

Seventeen years ago, SweetRush’s first client was in financial services, and they are still a client today and will be in attendance at the conference. These are the kinds of relationships upon which SweetRush and its client-partners thrive.

San Francisco, Calif., March 13, 2019 — SweetRush will be on hand to share insights about how custom learning solutions are transforming learning and talent development in the financial sector at the upcoming 16th Financial Services Learning & Talent Development Innovations conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, April 10–11.

SweetRush’s capabilities and strong track record of tackling complex business and performance improvement challenges for financial services clients has earned them the trust of many of the world’s largest and most successful financial institutions, who will be at the show.

“Our financial services client-partners are charged with the financial health and welfare of their customers,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman at SweetRush. “Their reputation in the marketplace is a direct reflection of how well their employees do their jobs. This makes performance improvement and behavior change initiatives critically important.”

In the past two years, SweetRush and its clients have garnered 38 Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards, including 26 Golds in 24 categories, reflecting the wide scope of SweetRush’s capabilities—all of which will be shared with attendees at the conference.

“When a client hires a learning vendor-partner, that vendor becomes an extension of the client’s L&D organization. To be successful, vendors need to understand the client’s line of business needs and be able to speak knowledgeably with subject matter experts,” said Schwartzberg.

A Full Display of Capabilities

At the show, SweetRush will be showing its five branded services:

For those curious about emerging technologies and eager to experiment with immersive learning, SweetRush’s SPARK service offers virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed realities, and artificial intelligence. “There’s a big buzz but a lot of confusion about these new modalities, which is why we’ve created a one-day workshop to inform Learning and Development professionals about how to leverage these technologies,” says Schwartzberg.

SweetRush’s Talent Solutions offering helps provide talent to augment its clients teams—and does so in a unique way, backing up and supporting the talent.

Many of SweetRush’s clients who have recognized the critical need for culture and leadership development are turning to SweetRush’s Cultural Transformation team to engage with their teams, leadership, or the enterprise through high-energy workshops, targeted communications, and change management.

When it comes custom and engaging large-scale, complex and/or blended learning solutions, nobody does it better than SweetRush’s Custom Learning team, which brings its vast experience working for financial institutions to its clients.

And finally, all of SweetRush’s clients are supporting nonprofits and foundations, as is SweetRush’s Good Things division, which has supported 19 organizations over the past two years. SweetRush is always eager to talk about collaboration when it comes to doing good.

See you at the show!

For more details on the 16th Financial Services Learning & Talent Development Innovations conference.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 17-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 150 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

Learning Rush Alert: Our Best L&D Articles of 2018

by Danny Brenes

Take a look at the best L&D articles of 2018 we prepared for you. Look out for more during 2019!

We’ve grown. 2019 marks the tenth anniversary since we became an all-virtual company, and oh boy, have we grown. Our team has multiplied and expanded across the planet during this decade, and more and more clients turn to us, trusting in our capabilities and collaborating with us to develop some of the world’s best learning programs. We’ve also branched out: we’re developing strong muscle in cultural transformation, change management, staff augmentation and emerging technologies.

The more ambitious our work becomes, the more we look forward to sharing our experiences and best practices. Which is why our content creation has also grown exponentially. 2018 was a great year for SweetRush content, and this is proof: here are our best L&D articles of 2018.

Please enjoy and be on the lookout: we’re ready to bring you many more valuable insights in 2019. If you want to stay up to date with the best of our content, don’t miss this chance to subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Cultural Transformation & Change Management

7 Practices You Can Use to Create a Learning Culture

How do you foster a learning culture that motivates your team members? Follow these recommendations by Ashley Munday, our Former Director of Cultural and Organizational Transformation. Read more. 

The Secret Sauce in Organizational Change Management

Change done well builds trust. Change done poorly erodes trust and your organizational culture. Here are six steps to help you get organizational change management right. Read more.

3 Elements of a Powerful Vision for Organizational Change

70 percent of change management initiatives fail. Often it’s because team members aren’t motivated by the vision for organizational change. When writing our change story, it’s easy for us to assume that others see the importance and share the urgency. However, the change story is the critical first step. Read more.

Custom Learning

Training Gen Z: Unlock a Generation’s Potential

Gen Z is quickly becoming one of the most prominent age groups in the workforce. What are their characteristics? How do you train them? Learn best practices that will help you unlock their potential. Read more.

Infographic: 2018 Instructional Design and Learning Trends

What were the trends that we heard about the most during the past year? Explore them all in this infographic. Read more.

Use Detours to Drive Adaptive Learning

Deviations—or detours—can vastly enrich your eLearning programs. Learn how to use detours as a relatively simple way to accomplish adaptive learning in this in-depth article. Read more.

What Bart Simpson Teaches Us About Detours in Adaptive Learning

Not convinced to read the previous article? What if I told you I finally understood the importance of detours by rewatching an episode of The Simpsons? Read more.

 

Sales and Retail Training

Educational Marketing: Win the Hearts and Minds of Sales Associates

What is the “moment of truth” in sales that can create a happy and loyal customer? For many brands, it is the interaction between the sales associate and the customer. Make the most out of that sweet spot through educational marketing. Read more.

The Perks of Offering Training Programs for Retail Employees

What’s the trick for turning millennials and Gen Z—who are becoming the largest age group in the industry’s workforce—from casual workers to loyal associates? Training programs! Read more.

How Mobile Sales Enablement Makes Loyal Salespeople

Here’s a story on the benefits of training sales associates to love your brand—and how to do it through mobile sales enablement. It’s also a story about the best shoes I’ve ever owned, and how loyal retail associates mean better sales for product manufacturers. Read more.

 

Talent Solutions

Interviewing SweetRush Style

We’ve all had positive and negative experiences when it comes to job interviews. At SweetRush, we’re all about creating a positive experience—ensuring that every interview is enjoyable for everyone involved! It’s an important part of our staff augmentation service and growing our own team. Read more.

 

Emerging Technologies

Lessons Learned in Developing VR Training: A Client’s Perspective

Developing VR training is somewhat like being pioneers in the Wild West: The territory is largely unknown, and much of the focus of this new technology is outside of learning. Here we give you the perspective of on of our client-partners to help you make the most of your VR training. Read more.

VR As a Medium for Empathy: What Aerosmith Got Wrong

VR gives users the unique experience of actually walking in someone else’s shoes. Learners can then have a better understanding of what others go through, thus developing empathy toward them. You know who didn’t think about this, 25 years ago? Aerosmith. Read more.

Infographic: Emerging Technology Trends Influencing the L&D Field

Get all the basics of the emerging technology trends that are having an impact in the field of L&D, with valuable insights from our team of experts. Read more.

Presence in Virtual Reality: Get the Virtual Bang for your Real Buck

Presence in virtual reality is vital to create immersion, but you also need to manage your budget and invest it effectively. Just ask Nintendo. Read more.

Working Virtually

A Virtual Team’s Success Factors: The SweetRush Story

Since 2009, SweetRush’s has been an all-virtual company, and a successful one too. Here’s our story in the words of our Cofounder and Chairman, Arturo Schwartzberg. Read more.

Working From Home Isn’t a New Idea: It’s All About Family

At the time of the American Revolution, 75 percent of colonists were farmers, and others owned small shops in the front of their home. Technically, working from home isn’t a new concept in the history of family life. However, its benefits definitely changed one of our instructional designer’s lives. Read more.

***

We hope we led you to some valuable insights through this 2018 round up! We are already preparing a ton of new, exciting content for all of you; don’t miss any of it, subscribe to our monthly newsletter. Stay tuned and have an amazing 2019!

SweetRush Unveils VR Content Distribution for Corporate Learning at LT2019

by Danny Brenes

SweetRush heads to Europe to present its array of Learning and Development (L&D) services and a new platform for VR content distribution for corporate learning on the show floor.

San Francisco, Calif., January 22, 2019 — Attending Learning Technologies (London, February 13–14) for the first time, SweetRush will demonstrate to 8,500 attendees why many consider the company to be the world’s most creative L&D vendor.  

A Solution to the Challenge: VR Content Distribution for Corporate Learning

SweetRush will display all its capabilities, and key personnel will be in attendance to connect with current European client-partners and engage with new ones.  

And rolling out at the show is the SPARK VR Platform. Always pushing the envelope in learning engagement, SweetRush created its SPARK division to focus on virtual reality and emerging technologies. Coming off a number of high-profile and successful projects (and garnering the prestigious Gold award at the CLO Learning and Practice Awards for a VR project), SweetRush discovered that each of its corporate learning client-partners faced a daunting VR content distribution challenge, which was inhibiting adoption of this new and exciting immersive technology.

Research showed there was no off-the-shelf solution, so SweetRush created the SPARK VR Platform to allow enterprise clients to download and update VR experiences quickly and easily.

“The platform allows clients to easily distribute VR anywhere in the world. It has a consumer-focused, user-friendly interface, with a rolling carousel and an intuitive front end,” says John Cleave, PhD, Learning Technologist at SweetRush. “It also lets us do smart downloads, so when there’s an update, users don’t need to reinstall the whole VR experience again. They simply click, and the app updates the few files it needs to. It’s a great solution for VR content distribution for corporate learning.”

A First-Time Booth and Seminar Round Out the Show!

“Learning Technologies is one of the largest trade shows for L&D worldwide, and we’re excited to have this stage to introduce ourselves to the European L&D community. And, like everything we do, we’ve put a lot of care and love into our first-ever booth design,” said SweetRush Director of Marketing Danielle Hart, who will be in attendance. “Anyone who is interested in learning innovation and creative thinking should be sure to stop by—I promise you will enjoy connecting with the SweetRush team.”

VR Content Distribution for Corporate Learning

 

SweetRush is known for creating highly engaging and effective solutions, and these will be on display in the booth. And on the first day of the conference, SweetRush will give a fast-paced, 30-minute presentation in Theatre 1 at 2:00 p.m. (14:00), showcasing its five services: Custom Learning, SPARK (emerging technologies), Cultural Transformation (and change management), Talent Solutions (staff augmentation), and Good Things (supporting nonprofits).

This presentation will be conducted by John-Carlos Lozano, Chief Creative Officer; Annie Hodson, Solution Architect; and Ashley Munday, Director of Cultural and Organizational Transformation.

“If you’re attending the show, please come by and say hello. We’d love to make your acquaintance. We will be at Booth E05; you can’t miss us as we are directly to your left as you enter,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder of SweetRush.

For more details and to connect with the SweetRush team, please visit our Learning Technologies information page.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 17-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 150 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

 

 

SweetRush Wins Two 2018 Learning Technologies Awards

by Danny Brenes

SweetRush makes a smashing debut at the 2018 Learning Technologies Awards, one of the most prestigious Learning and Development (L&D) competitions in the United Kingdom.

San Francisco, Calif., November 29, 2018 — Learning Technologies recently announced the winners of its 2018 awards, and SweetRush took home two silvers, highlighting its strengths in custom content design, eLearning, mobile learning, and learning games.

SweetRush was recognized in the Best Learning Technologies Project – International Commercial Sector category and in the Excellence in the Design of Learning Content – International Commercial Sector category, along with its client-partners Bridgestone and Mondelēz respectively.

SweetRush’s collaboration with Bridgestone is an innovative, all-encompassing learning ecosystem for extended enterprise sales associates. According to Learning Technologies, “The judges were gripped by highly engaging and creative learning to a diverse audience.”

Partnering with Mondelēz, SweetRush helped create a blended learning solution that develops leadership skills and mindset. “For the judges this was a ‘ticks every box’ moment,” according to Learning Technologies. “The project displayed great creativity in the use of storytelling and in the visual design. The multi-faceted programme seeks to reinforce learning through reflection, professional coaching and performance support, appropriate to the hearts-and-minds challenge.”

“We’ve spent many years blending creative and instructional arts, resulting in eLearning and blended learning solutions that are not only award-winning but also connect with and engage learners, resulting in real change,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman of SweetRush. “All five of our service areas (Custom Learning, Talent Solutions, SPARK, Cultural Transformation, and Good Things) are in high gear, and we look forward to meeting our European peers at the upcoming Learning Technologies conference in London.”

The Learning Technologies 2019 conference will be held February 13 and 14 at the ExCeL London. Come meet the SweetRush team at Booth E05.

For the complete list of winners, visit the Learning Technologies website. Congratulations to all the winners!

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 17-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 150 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

 

SweetRush Honored as a 2018 Top 20 Gamification Company

by Danny Brenes

Training Industry recently published its selection of the best companies providing gamification for learning. SweetRush was included as a 2018 Top 20 gamification company for the fifth year in a row.

San Francisco, Calif., November 1, 2018 — SweetRush was recently included in Training Industry’s coveted Top 20 list of the highest-tier companies providing gamification services for Learning and Development. This year marks the fifth consecutive year SweetRush has been named a Top 20 Gamification Company.

Training Industry’s Top 20 list aims to better inform professionals about the best and most innovative providers of training services and technologies. Being selected for five consecutive years is another validation of SweetRush’s ability to create deliverables that truly engages today’s learners. It also comes on the heels of the Gold CLO Learning in Practice Award for Technology Innovation that the company won for its work in virtual reality, an amazing 21 Brandon Hall Excellence Awards—including 13 Golds—and topping eLearning Industry’s list of Best Content Development Companies, an industry-wide competition in which it also awarded SweetRush its first-ever Platinum award.

“The companies named on the Top 20 Gamification Companies list are selected after an assessment of their gamification features and capabilities; the innovativeness of their offerings; and an evaluation of their scope, size, and growth potential,” said Ken Taylor, President of Training Industry, Inc. “SweetRush qualified to be included as an industry leader based on the breadth of training topics for which it has developed gamified solutions, the extent of its geographic reach, and its standing as an overall innovator among gamification companies.”

“The gamified learning introduced by SweetRush has served customers in industries from transportation to hospitality to healthcare. Its capabilities include a speciality in 3D virtual reality, including kinesthetic learner feedback,” added Danielle Draewell, Market Research Analyst at Training Industry, Inc.

“We believe strongly that learning needs to be engaging if it is to be effective. For well over a decade, we’ve been incorporating both stand-alone games and gaming elements into our learning solutions. Time and again, we’ve seen how effective they are at increasing learner engagement,” says John-Carlos Lozano, Chief Creative Officer at SweetRush. “Making Training Industry’s list once was an incredible honor; you can imagine how thrilled we are to be included for the fifth consecutive year.”

The full Top 20 list and the Training Industry Watch List for Gamification are available on Training Industry’s website.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 17-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 150 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

 

 

SweetRush Wins Platinum Award and Tops Content Development Companies List

by Danny Brenes

SweetRush Wins First-ever Platinum Award And Tops eLearning Industry’s List Of Best Content Development Companies

San Francisco, Calif., October 16, 2018 — Each year, eLearning Industry evaluates hundreds of eLearning content development companies to make its top 10 list of those that stand out for their long-standing, enterprise-wide commitment to excellence.

However, this year, eLearning Industry decided to not just publish its top 10 list, but to create special awards for “leading firms whose presence has a truly impressive impact on the eLearning landscape,” eLearning Industry’s founder Christopher Pappas wrote.

SweetRush alone was recognized with the highest of those special awards, the Platinum eLearning Industry Award.

As written on the awards page, “SweetRush has captured a singular space in the industry. Clients trust SweetRush and love its culture of caring and commitment, and its uniquely effective solutions that connect with and motivate learners.” The company was acknowledged for its analysis, solution design, and development in all facets of blended learning, ranging from in-person and virtual instructor-led training (ILT/vILT), eLearning, and gamification to mobile learning and—most recently—virtual reality.

The Platinum Award comes on the heels of the Gold CLO Learning in Practice Award for Technology Innovation that the company won for its work in virtual reality, and an amazing 21 awards, including 13 Golds, won at the recent Brandon Hall Excellence Awards.

“Earning the Platinum sent a shockwave throughout the company. We all wanted to stop work, pop champagne, and dance, but of course we were too darn busy,”  says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman at SweetRush. “We’re just so grateful to eLearning Industry for the recognition and to our clients, who trust us with their important initiatives.”

See the complete list of award winners and top content development companies on eLearning Industry’s website.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 17-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 150 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

 

 

 

SweetRush Wins Gold for VR at the 2018 CLO Learning in Practice Awards

by Danny Brenes

In collaboration with Hilton, SweetRush won top honors in the Excellence in Technology Innovation category.

San Francisco, Calif., October 8 — At Chief Learning Officer’s (CLO) Fall Symposium on October 2, Hilton’s Business Immersion Virtual Reality Learning Program (BIVR), developed by SweetRush in collaboration with Hilton, won the Gold Award in recognition of its inventive use of virtual reality for learning.

Hilton needed a way for corporate team members to develop empathy for the hard work done by hotel team members every day, and virtual reality proved to be the perfect solution to this challenge.

The virtual reality program features both 360-degree video and 3D avatars and environments. The video-based hotel tour was developed using SweetRush’s proprietary Scene Studio technology, and its hands-on interactive experiences required extensive 3D development.

“We are so excited to add virtual reality to our learning and development tool set,” said John-Carlos Lozano, SweetRush’s Chief Creative Officer. “To be able to fully immerse learners in a 3D environment and challenge them with hands-on activities opens up so many remarkable opportunities for behavior change, and we’re thrilled to be leading the way with this new technology.”

SweetRush is now offering a full-day virtual reality workshop, as well as developing tools, to facilitate VR development.  

Established in 2003, the Learning in Practice Awards recognize learning leaders who have demonstrated excellence in the design and delivery of employee development programs.

You can find the complete list of 2018 CLO Learning in Practice winners, listed by category, on CLO’s website.

About SweetRush

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 16-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 150 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

SweetRush Wins Gold at the 2018 Stevie Awards for Great Employers

by Danny Brenes

The company took home top honors in the Leadership or Skills Development Solution Provider of the Year category.

San Francisco, Calif., October 8, 2018 —SweetRush rose above the competition at the 2018 Stevie Awards for Great Employers, earning a Gold Stevie in the Leadership or Skills Development Solution Provider of the Year category.

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the world’s best employers and the human resources professionals, teams, products, and suppliers that support them. This Gold Stevie cements SweetRush’s position as one of the world’s top providers of leadership and skills development solutions.

The company received high praise from the judges. Said one judge: “SweetRush’s innovation, instructional design capabilities, and strong team of experts position them as a compelling contender in the learning space. Very diverse in all aspects of service, instructional design, and technical capacity.”

Another judge, calling SweetRush’s product lineup a “big asset” for the learning and development industry, focused on the company’s investment in SPARK, its emerging-technology lab, saying, “I would like to highlight SPARK, which uses virtual reality as the foundation for learning—this is a huge leap for innovations in the learning industry.”

And SweetRush’s favorite comment from the judges? “Outstanding submission. Makes me want to be a SweetRush teammate!”

“We are constantly trying to be the best at what we do, and we aim to prove that to each of our clients. We don’t shy away from the challenge—rather, we feed off it,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman of SweetRush. “Winning this award is truly an honor for us because it recognizes our overall performance throughout the year. But even more so, it’s a celebration of the amazing team we’ve put together. I couldn’t be prouder of the gifted and caring people on the SweetRush team.”

More than 550 nominations from organizations in 21 nations were evaluated in this year’s competition. Check out the complete list of winners at the Stevie Awards website.

ABOUT SWEETRUSH

Dream for a moment that you have the expertise and tools to positively impact the lives of others. You can affect mindsets and behavior. You can help an organization grow, change, prosper, and thrive. The passionate pursuit of this expertise and the development of these tools have been at the heart of the success SweetRush has experienced collaborating with clients who share the same dream.

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 17-year track record of success, and a remarkable portfolio. Our work with clients has earned us gold awards from our peers and high ranking on the top training-industry lists.

Every solution we deliver is infused with creativity. Instructional creativity allows us to discover effective and unique solutions to our clients’ challenges. Artistic creativity spurs us to create visually exciting, engaging user experiences. Technical creativity allows us to embrace new capabilities and platforms as they emerge, such as virtual reality, gamification, and mobile delivery. Cultural creativity empowers our clients to create the conditions that energize and empower their people and unleash the energy in their teams. Our Talent Solutions team builds on its unique knowledge of talent, team building, and learning and development to craft a unique, creative solution for clients who need the best temporary staff to augment their team. We apply the creative lens to all things, from project management to our treatment of our teammates, clients, and the planet.

We are over 150 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients. Our deliverables span from analysis and curriculum mapping to the creation of blended training products, including live and virtual classroom training, custom-developed eLearning, and innovative use of emerging technologies.

Dream with us, and together let’s make a positive impact!

ABOUT THE STEVIE AWARDS

The Stevie Awards are conferred in seven programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 10,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com.