SweetRush Releases Free eBook on Agile Talent and Staff Augmentation for Learning and Development

Staff Augmentation for Learning and Development: The Agile Talent Solution for Modern Business is a practical guide for L&D managers, sharing how to find L&D talent with the right skills, onboard them to your team, and vet staff augmentation vendors.

San Francisco, Calif., Oct. 21, 2019 — Leading custom learning solutions and staff augmentation provider SweetRush has published its fourth free eBook, Staff Augmentation for Learning and Development: The Agile Talent Solution for Modern Business—a timely and relevant how-to guide for Learning and Development (L&D) managers, whose departments are tasked with creating a high volume of learning programs as the need for employee training grows.

These managers must meet the vital business challenge of 1) finding the right L&D talent—in a market where highly skilled talent is scarce—and 2) ensuring these professionals are ready to work when needed in response to the frenzied pace of change in business models, organizational cultures, technology, and other areas—and the training these things necessitate. Savvy organizations are already utilizing staff augmentation—or agile talent—as a secret weapon in their L&D departments, enabling them to quickly design, develop, and deploy learning programs to more capably upskill or increase knowledge in workers.

Staff Augmentation for Learning and Development: The Agile Talent Solution for Modern Business is a comprehensive guide that delivers real value and practical, actionable insights for L&D managers. SweetRush Manager of Talent Solutions Rodrigo Salazar-Kawer takes readers on an educational journey that features how to find professionals with the skills and knowledge their teams and initiatives require, how to rapidly bring on this temporary talent and integrate them into their team, how to effectively onboard and off-board consultants for optimal impact and return, and how to find and thoroughly vet L&D staff augmentation companies when seeking a staffing partner.  

“Everyone knows that finding great talent in a tight labor market is increasingly tough. While this is true, great people are always available somewhere, and it’s essential you find them,” says Salazar-Kawer. “You need every possible advantage in your talent acquisition and management, and sometimes the right thing to do is to go the temporary talent route because the ROI just makes sense.”

Salazar-Kawer continues: “With globalization and connectedness leveling the playing field, organizations with lean and agile management strategies have a competitive advantage. The agile talent model is part of that Fourth Industrial Revolution approach to business. HR departments and hiring managers, therefore, must adopt their own strategies for responding to needs that are constantly in flux, and for hiring specialists faster and meeting overall business objectives.”

Download Staff Augmentation for Learning and Development: The Agile Talent Solution for Modern Business.

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, an 18-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 175 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 a Gold “Great Employer” Among 2019 Stevie Award® Winners

Among over 600 would-be 2019 Stevie Award® winners, SweetRush won Gold as a Great Employer in the Leadership or Skills Development Solution Provider of the Year category. Judges cited its “near-zero turnover and remarkable clients” and “amazing talent.”

San Francisco, Calif., October 7, 2019 — Global custom learning solutions provider SweetRush took home Gold in a venerated competition that this year judged more than 600 potential 2019 Stevie Award® winners—with SweetRush taking the top spot as the Leadership or Skills Development Solution Provider of the Year. The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the world’s best employers and the human resources professionals, teams, achievements and HR-related products and suppliers who help to create and drive great places to work.

More than 60 esteemed professionals from across the globe evaluated this year’s contenders, with judges heralding SweetRush’s “variety of skill development programs” and its “several recognitions for the quality of their services.”

Judges called its virtual reality collaboration with Hilton, the Exceed with Empathy VR learning program, “innovative, a great example of learning” and said that demonstrated “a clear message” that shows “how transformational you can be” when applying gamification.

They also called out its support of 25 nonprofits and foundations in “applying craft for the betterment of mankind—and saving lives,” noting that a global humanitarian aid organization “chose SweetRush to create its critical volunteer safety program.”

Judges said that SweetRush had “one of the best applications” they’d seen, offering a “variety of training options for leaders.” Judges closed their thoughts with this: ‘Training is an essential part of every organization [and] helps employees to keep updated with latest trends in industry, customer expectations. Leadership and skill development helps employees to think in innovative way […] which helps ultimately organizations in terms of growth.” 

“In the fourth edition of the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the judges were impressed by the Stevie winners who dedicate each day to making the lives of their employees and teams better, through training, software, programs, and more. We are pleased to celebrate them in 2019 and look forward to what they will accomplish in 2020,” said Michael Gallagher, founder and executive chairman of the Stevie Awards.

“At the heart of our day-to-day work is a strong sense of caring and commitment, and our client-partners are aligned with our culture,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman of SweetRush. “This approach is integral to our creative process and the programs we co-design for learners, as is our collective resolve to innovate meaningful, more immersive ways of reaching them to increase learning. Having our team and our body of work recognized by the Stevie Awards is very satisfying, and it drives us to achieve even more.”

In other Stevie Awards competitions news, SweetRush was a winner in Custom Learning Solutions for the fifth consecutive year last spring.

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 18-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

Stevie Awards are conferred in eight programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the new Middle East Stevie Awards. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 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.

 

SweetRush Tops Leaderboard in Game-Based Learning Awards

SweetRush’s game-based learning work has received recent notice, winning five Gold awards from the Brandon Hall Group for games and simulations and being named a top 20 creator of gamification in learning by eLearning Industry and Training Industry.

San Francisco, Calif., September 23, 2019In the game of life, there are some wins worth truly relishing. SweetRush, a global provider of custom learning solutions, is having such a moment—as is its client-partners—celebrating several recent game-based learning awards and honors—including just being named on eLearning Industry’s Top 20 eLearning Gamification Companies list. An arbiter of who’s producing the most noteworthy programs and breaking new ground among learning companies, eLearning Industry’s new list highlights the most innovative and trusted creators of games for learning throughout the world.

This inclusion on eLearning Industry’s list is SweetRush’s latest recognition for its use of gamification in learning in the last six weeks, having also been named a Top 20 Gamification Company by Training Industry—for the sixth consecutive year—and having 28 wins at the Brandon Hall Group HCM Excellence Awards, including:

  • 3 Gold awards in the Best Use of Games or Simulations for Learning category for:
    • A holistic sales training program featuring serious games that teach sales skills, mobile app product knowledge games, and a gamified learning portal
    • A sophisticated board game and simulation for sales managers 
    • A virtual reality simulation that builds empathy
  • 2 Gold awards in the Best Advance in Custom Content category for an online empathy-building simulation and an eLearning program with gaming elements

Given these collective honors, the creative collaborations between SweetRush and its world-class client-partners—who represent a broad cross-section of industries—are resulting in many best-in-class applications of gamification and game-based learning in the Learning and Development industry.

“Games are getting better and more sophisticated every day. With simulations and especially virtual reality, they’re considerably more immersive and can allow learners to experience an environment that might otherwise be too costly or too inconvenient for employees to travel to,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder, and Chairman of SweetRush. “But what’s very persuasive about games and simulations is the great instructional value and incredible effectiveness they can have. It’s not just about ‘fun and games’; there’s real merit to them.” 

“And we are fortunate to work with outstanding client-partners who are at the top of their respective industries,” continues  Schwartzberg. “They’re exceptional in their intellect, awareness, and willingness to take smart risks. When we all put our heads together, great ideas flow freely and bear real fruit. These honors are as much theirs as they are our team members’, and wouldn’t be possible without them.”

View more of our recent awards and other recognition for a variety of work.

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 18-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 175 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 a Finalist for 2 CLO Learning in Practice Awards 2019

SweetRush has accomplished the difficult feat of being shortlisted for two CLO Learning in Practice Awards 2019, in the Excellence in Community Service and Excellence in Content categories, for clients Bridgestone and the nonprofit AAUW.

San Francisco, Calif., September 17, 2019Global custom learning solutions provider SweetRush has been named as a finalist in two categories—Excellence in Community Service and Excellence in Content—of the 2019 Chief Learning Officer (CLO) Learning in Practice Awards. SweetRush is one of only two organizations that were named as finalists in two categories of these prestigious and highly selective awards. Being named a finalist means that SweetRush will earn either a Gold, Silver, or Bronze in each category.

SweetRush will share the Excellence in Content award with its client-partner Bridgestone; their collaboration has resulted in a world-class training program for tire sales associates that features creative and nearly cinematic use of storytelling and humor. The program effectively targets the millennial and Gen Z audience using character development and 3D animation to make learning about tire technology and sales techniques accessible and fun for the demographic. 

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) partnered with SweetRush to develop Work Smart Online, which is a finalist in the Excellence in Community Service category. Featuring interactive video and responsive design, the course supports AAUW’s mission to close the gender pay gap by educating 10 million women on salary negotiation. This collaboration was done as part of SweetRush’s Good Things division, which provides services to foundations and nonprofits supporting humanitarian and other causes.  

“We live and breathe our philosophy here at SweetRush: We care deeply about the world, and we are committed to helping those who are helping others and changing our world for the better. This is why we created Good Things,” says Andrei Hedstrom, Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder of SweetRush. “In the last few years alone, we’ve helped 25 nonprofits and foundations. I’m incredibly proud of our people for driving the Good Things initiative forward and supporting organizations that are taking on the most complex societal and environmental issues of our time. Being shortlisted for the Excellence in Community Service award is a testimony to SweetRush’s passion and sense of duty; this award belongs to our teammates and the good people at AAUW.”

The full list of Chief Learning Officer Learning in Practice Awards 2019 finalists can be found on the CLO 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 18-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 and Hilton to Share Work at XRDC AR/VR Conference

The SweetRush SPARK team and Hilton’s Blaire Bhojwani take the stage at the XRDC AR/VR conference to showcase two highly successful VR learning programs they collaborated on and pioneered. Come learn about working in VR environments, getting leadership buy-in, and more.

San Francisco, Calif., Sep. 16, 2019 — Global custom learning solutions provider SweetRush and longtime client-partner Hilton will present at this year’s AR/VR conference XRDC, the nation’s “premier conference for augmented, virtual, and mixed reality innovators,” on October 14 in San Francisco. Their presentation, “A VR Training Case Study: Hilton Hotels and SweetRush,” will be held on the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion’s Innovation stage at 1:00 p.m.

Since 2017, SweetRush’s SPARK team and Hilton have collaborated on and pioneered the use of VR for learning for Hilton’s initiatives, innovating every step and component of their projects—from formats (like 360-degree video and 3D environments, which were blended) to content distribution (the SPARK team invented and built a VR delivery platform). The resulting VR programs have generated excitement around emerging technologies for learning at Hilton—and among those in the learning and XR industries.

At the AR/VR conference, Lozano and Bhojwani will guide attendees through two award-winning programs—which Gamasutra calls an “unorthodox, innovative application of VR technology”—designed to help Hilton team members understand and develop empathy for fellow team members and hotel guests. Attendees can expect to gain vital insights into the design and development process, learn what kind of business and learning challenges VR is best suited for, discover how to get leadership buy-in, and get ideas around creating a measurement strategy.   

“Breaking new ground in corporate learning and development to make training more impactful and effective has been exhilarating, and Blaire and the Hilton team are the kind of partners you want when blazing new trails,” said Lozano. “We’re thrilled to be presenting these case studies with Blaire at AR/VR conference XRDC, which is a tremendous recognition of what we’ve accomplished together.”

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 18-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 175 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!

For 4th Time, SweetRush Is a Stevie Awards for Great Employers Finalist

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers 2019 competition is SweetRush’s fourth consecutive nomination in the Leadership or Skills Development Solution Provider of the Year category. Its Gold, Silver, or Bronze award will be announced on September 20.

San Francisco, Calif., Sep. 9, 2019 — SweetRush, a leading global custom solutions provider, is proud to announce its fourth consecutive time being shortlisted as a finalist for the Stevie Awards for Great Employers. This is also the fourth year of the competition, which received more than 600 international entries in a wide range of HR-related categories.

SweetRush’s Gold, Silver, or Bronze award will be announced on September 20. The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize providers “that help to create and drive great places to work.” SweetRush was nominated in the Leadership or Skills Development Solution Provider of the Year category, which acknowledges the achievements of providers offering solutions for assessment tools, certificate programs, distance learning, leadership development, and training materials, among others.

The Stevie Awards for Great Employers recognize the world’s best employers and the human resources professionals, teams, achievements, and HR-related products and suppliers who help to create and drive great places to work.

“In the last few years, with the addition and development of our Cultural and Organizational Transformation team and our SPARK emerging technologies lab, we can create even more powerful learning and development solutions for our client-partners and their employees,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman at SweetRush. “Being entrusted with contributing to their growth is its own rewardbut our nomination for the Stevie Awards for Great Employers really is the icing on the cake.”

“We’re gratified by the number of outstanding nominations we received in the competition this year. The dedication the Stevie Award finalists have to making workplaces great for employees was evident in every nomination,” said Michael Gallagher, president and founder of the Stevie Awards.

More than 60 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Stevie Award winners.

About SweetRush

SweetRush’s focus on team culture and mastery of performance improvement is reflected in loyal clients, a near-zero turnover of teammates, a 18-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.

We are over 175 people strong and have been in business since 2001. Our five service areas include Custom Learning (including eLearning, mobile, gamification and classroom training), Talent Solutions (temporary talent to augment our clients’ L&D teams), SPARK (VR, AR, and emerging technologies), Cultural Transformation (culture, change management and communications), and Good Things (custom learning for non-profits and the social impact space). Every day, we give thanks for the trust of our world-class clients.

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 12,000 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.

SweetRush and Clients Rock Brandon Hall Group Awards with 19 Golds!

San Francisco, Calif., August 22, 2019 — The Brandon Hall Group has given 28 Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards (including 19 Golds) to SweetRush, a global leading provider of custom learning and performance improvement solutions. These awards are the Learning and Development industry’s highest honor, and as one of the top overall winners this year, SweetRush shares these awards with its trusted client-partners, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Bridgestone, Cox Communications, Deloitte, Google, Hilton, Mondelēz, and Wells Fargo.

Brandon Hall awards 2019

Working closely with its client-partners’ world-class teams results in a “best of all minds” strategic approach to innovating learning solutions—and these collaborations are what makes winning these honors possible. Many of SweetRush’s valuable partnerships are with longtime clients, with whom it has developed synergistic alliances focused on advancing L&D to best reach and engage learners in new and exciting ways.

These awards recognize SweetRush’s vast versatility, and how the company effectively executes leading-edge learning and instructional design trends and techniques—among them storytelling, interactive video, immersive simulations, transformational games, responsive design, virtual reality, and 3D animation. The breadth and depth of its capabilities is seen in the wide variety of categories in which it won in19 categories in total, including learning strategy, innovation, change transformation, and citizenshipand in the variety of subject matter and business objectives, including sales and product knowledge training, leadership training, brand training, empathy building, new hire onboarding, change management, and salary negotiation training.

SweetRush is also serving and supporting a broad array of industries: nonprofit/foundation, healthcare, automotive, telecommunications, business services/consulting, technology, hospitality, manufacturing, retail, and banking/finance.

Here is the complete list of SweetRush’s 2019 Brandon Hall Group Excellence Awards:

19 GOLD AWARDS

Excellence in Learning
Best Results of a Learning Program
Best Advance in Custom Content (x2)
Best Use of Blended Learning
Best Use of Games and Simulations (x3)
Best Use of Mobile Learning
Best Use of Video for Learning
Best Use of Virtual Worlds
Best Unique or Innovative Learning Program (x2)
Best Advance in Creating an Extended Enterprise Learning Program
Best Learning Program Supporting a Change Transformation Business Strategy
Best Advance in Competencies and Skill Development (x2)

Excellence in Corporate Initiatives
HCM Citizenship

Excellence in Talent Acquisition
Best New Hire Onboarding

Excellence in Sales Performance
Best Sales Training Program for Extended Enterprise

6 SILVER AWARDS

Excellence in Learning
Best Advance in Creating a Learning Strategy (x2)
Best Learning Program Supporting a Change Transformation Business Strategy
Best Advance in Competencies and Skill Development

Excellence in Leadership Development
Best Advance in Leadership Development

Excellence in Sales Performance
Best Sales Onboarding Program


3 BRONZE AWARDS

Excellence in Learning
Best Advance in Creating a Learning Strategy

Excellence in Leadership Development
Best Unique or Innovative Leadership Program

Excellence in Sales Performance
Best Unique or Innovative Sales Training Program


“At the heart of each of these awards are relationships between organizations and individuals, committed to using their craft to serve others. We are truly blessed to serve our client-partners’ teams—to help them grow in their abilities and careers,” said Andrei Hedstrom, SweetRush CEO and Cofounder. “Thanks to each and every person, both on our client-partners’ teams and on the SweetRush team, for coming together and creating another banner year of award-winning learning solutions!” 

“I am so thankful, grateful, to the SweetRush team that is so committed and to our client-partners who collaborate with us and trust us to provide experiences that will have a profound impact on the behavior of their employees,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Chairman and Cofounder at SweetRush. “And we believe strongly that we are making a difference, not only in bottom lines, but in people’s lives through our extensive work for non-profits—one of which, AAUW—won a Gold Brandon Hall Group award!” 

“The HCM Excellence Awards recognize programs that measurably benefit organizations,” said Mike Cooke, Brandon Hall Group CEO. “Many human capital management departments are unable to confirm that their initiatives help the business’s bottom line. Because we focus on measurable benefits, our awards program is universally recognized and highly prestigious.”

Award entries were evaluated by a panel of veteran, independent senior industry experts, Brandon Hall Group analysts and executives based upon the following criteria: fit the need, design of the program, functionality, innovation and overall measurable benefits.

If you’d like to speak to SweetRush about its award-winning approach to learning and development, visit the company website.

View the winners on the Brandon Hall Group website. Congratulations to everyone who won!

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 18-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 Brandon Hall Group

Brandon Hall Group is an HCM research and advisory services firm that provides insights around key performance areas, including Learning and Development, Talent Management, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition and HR/Workforce Management.

With more than 10,000 clients globally and 25 years of delivering world-class research and advisory services, Brandon Hall Group is focused on developing research that drives performance in emerging and large organizations, and provides strategic insights for executives and practitioners responsible for growth and business results.

SweetRush Wins 3 Digital Health Awards for Diverse Work

The Digital Health Awards honored SweetRush’s creativity and innovation in a variety of projects for diverse learners in the health care space.

San Francisco, Calif., August 19, 2019 — SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning and emerging technologies solutions, is a first-time winner at the 2019 Digital Health Awards. It won three awards for three very different projects this year, demonstrating its ability to effectively reach distinct groups of learners and teach them a variety of nuanced subject matter.

SweetRush won a Silver award for the Dignity Health Barrow Brainbook, which teaches student athletes to prevent, recognize, and respond to concussions—a critical need in youth sports today. The digital learning program uses gamification and 3D animation, immersing learners into a fun, interactive Sports Center-like television show. The Barrow Brainbook is the nation’s first mandated education and testing module for student athletes, and more than 400,000 students have completed this training.

The Trans 101: Transgender People in Everyday Work and Life program earned a Merit award. Funded by the CDC, the University of California San Francisco partnered with SweetRush to create a nationally deployed eLearning course that helps health care professionals empathize with and better serve transgender patients. Because stock photo sites lacked appropriate choices for avatars, SweetRush animated custom characters who accurately represent this patient segment—and cast appropriate voice talent. The result is an authentic, slice-of-life program that lets learners walk in their shoes.

SweetRush’s collaboration with the American Medical Association also was given a Merit award. The GME Competency Education Program complements medical residency training by providing certification in patient care, communication skills, and more. The mobile-friendly, interactive online learning works with residents’ hectic schedules—making it convenient and easy to acquire vital skills they’ll need their entire careers. Medical institutions across the country are increasingly offering this program.

“The clients we partner with are helping people address their health care concerns and get the best care possible,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman at SweetRush. “We’re thrilled that the learning solutions we help create are increasing knowledge, skills, and empathy, and amplifying the impact of these organizations. And we’re very appreciative of these awards, which inspire us to keep pushing the creative envelope in how we deliver highly specialized content to diverse audiences.”

The complete list of 2019 Digital Health Awards winners can be viewed here.

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 18-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 Named on Top 20 Gamification Companies List

For the sixth year in a row, SweetRush has been named by Training Industry as one of the L&D industry’s best gamification companies.

San Francisco, Calif., August 12, 2019 — SweetRush, a global custom learning solutions provider, has been recognized by Training Industry on its annual Top 20 Gamification Companies list—comprised of the Learning and Development industry’s finest purveyors of gamification as a training tool. This is the sixth consecutive year that SweetRush has been included on the list.

Elegantly integrating world-class gamification into learning solutions for 15 years, building meaningful connections between clients and learners—and learners and content—is encoded in SweetRush’s DNA. To best build those connections, SweetRush uses design thinking as the starting point of many projects—whether creating a virtual reality (VR) simulation that fosters empathy among coworkers or creating a strategy-focused board game for hundreds of sales managers. This human-centered approach lets project teams gain deeper insights into learners and better collaborate with stakeholders, thereby arriving at the most suitable solution (whether gamification is necessary or not).

SweetRush deploys custom gamification at all levels by pushing off-the-shelf authoring tools to new limits, inventing its own tools (including a VR content distribution platform), and continually adding to its Adapt library to be more agile. Its dynamic visual design toolkit includes UI/UX, 3D environments, avatars, animation, gaming, and simulations—with thought-leading creative professionals behind them.

“This year’s Top 20 Gamification Companies continue to showcase the latest gaming designs and concepts to corporate training, making them engaging and entertaining for the learner, while focusing on moving the needle on their clients’ KPIs” said Ken Taylor, President of Training Industry, Inc. “These companies are enhancing their products and services, including training simulations, serious games, and leaderboards. Learners can compete against each other or participate individually in an interactive experience that rewards learning and development.”

“SweetRush is moving forward with virtual reality and uses the Unity game engine for gamified empathy-building and safety training experiences,” said Danielle Draewell, Market Research Analyst at Training Industry, Inc. “SweetRush has also expanded its Adapt library with interactive and gamified components for rapid development and mobile-first delivery.”

“Playing to learn is not a new concept, but some of today’s tools are new. We can now better immerse learners into real-world situations that demand real-world resolutions, and we’ve seen business and performance results that are very compelling,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman of SweetRush. But “it’s not enough to implement gamification for the sake of showing what can be done with it. It must enhance the solution and make a real impact on learner engagement to be successful.”

Schwartzberg continues: “Being recognized by Training Industry for the sixth consecutive year is a true honor, and we share this recognition with our client-partners, who’ve been receptive to utilizing gamification in new and exciting ways.” 

The complete Top 20 Gamification Companies list is available on Training Industry’s website.

About Training Industry, Inc.

Training Industry presents news, articles, webinars, and research reports focused on supporting the corporate training leader and offers complimentary referrals to training professionals seeking to source products or services at https://trainingindustry.com/rfp.

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 18-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!

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SweetRush Honored as a 2019 Top 20 Blended Learning Company

For the first time, eLearning Industry names its selection of the best blended learning companies worldwide providing clients superior solutions, and SweetRush has made the list. 

San Francisco, Calif., July 30, 2019 — As a 2019 Top 20 eLearning Content Provider for Blended Learning, leading Learning and Development provider SweetRush has been singled out by eLearning Industry for its innovative approach to client challenges via blended learning models—combining elements such as eLearning, ILT and vILT, games, and videos into one holistic learning solution. 

eLearning Industry’s inaugural list of the 20 best providers serves to educate the industry at large of the organizations delivering effective and outstanding blended learning solutions. A “blended learning” approach is the use of two or more online or offline modalities in a learning program; among the benefits of blended learning is engaging learners in different ways, which peaks learner interest and captures attention. It can be used to achieve a variety of objectives. Because SweetRush’s services do not focus on just one modality, it can strategically choose the best modality for each objective—taking into account audience, environment, and business needs.

“Maintaining a consistently high level of performance requires unique capabilities. These 20 companies are not driven simply by commercial success, but by something much more thorough,” says Christopher Pappas, Founder of eLearning Industry. “They put exceptional care and expertise into their ongoing progress, and offer superb blended learning experiences.”

“SweetRush designs custom programs for learners that use each modality at the right time in the right part of the program when learners need it—and they stay engaged every step of the way. Blended learning is vital to achieving that engagement,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman of SweetRush. “We work with a full, robust toolbox, offering clients eLearning, instructor-led training (live and virtual), video, animation, learning games, microlearning, virtual and augmented realities, and more. We look at what’s the right tool in each instance of learning, applying what’s going to drive and optimize outcomes.”

Schwartzberg continues: “At SweetRush, we don’t have traditional salespeople meeting with clients; we have seasoned Solution Architects. As soon as a client interacts with us, they’re in the hands of a consultative expert who will guide them to the right learning solution, which is often blended learning. And so eLearning Industry’s recognition is very meaningful to us, as it reflects that our philosophy and approach serve our clients well.”

 The complete list of Top 20 recipients is available on the eLearning Industry 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 18-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!