Recognized for its innovation, industry impact, depth and breadth of capabilities and subject matter expertise, and growth potential, SweetRush earns a spot on the Training Industry Top 20™ list for the fifth consecutive year.

San Francisco, Calif., June 17th, 2019 — SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning solutions, is honored to announce its inclusion on the prestigious 2019 Training Industry Top 20™ Content Development Companies List—representing the best in the industry across the globe.

SweetRush’s selection for the Top 20 list by Training Industry is based on a review of its accomplishments in the following areas:

• Industry visibility, innovation, and impact
• Capability to develop and deliver multiple types of content
• Company size and growth potential
• Depth and breadth of subject matter expertise
• Quality of clients
• Geographic reach

“The 2019 Top 20 Content Development Companies continue to integrate the latest technologies, gamified experiences, and innovative tools to develop engaging and enriching training content,” said Ken Taylor, President of Training Industry, Inc. “Increasingly, learning content incorporates innovative delivery modalities, including virtual and augmented reality, chatbots, and simulations for interactive training. These companies design and develop learning content that serves the full range of learner preferences in the modern realities of corporate training.”

“Learning and Development has changed. Not the need to meet business and performance objectives, but the way it is delivered, as digital-native millennials are now the largest percentage of the workforce, and are being joined by Gen Z,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman at SweetRush. “To connect with today’s learners, in every learning program we produce, we add elements of branding, video, gamification, storytelling, 3D environments, avatars, and animation. We are now engaged in developing numerous virtual reality and augmented reality learning programs. Learning doesn’t need to be—and can no longer be—boring. How fortunate for us all to be in such a vibrant craft!”

The announcement follows several significant wins for SweetRush and its client-partners in 2019—at the Muse Creative Awards, Hermes Creative Awards, and American Business Awards. SweetRush also recently joined the exclusive list of certified Freedom-Centered Cultures™ by WorldBlu.

The full list of Training Industry’s Top 20™ Content Development Companies is available on TrainingIndustry.com.

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 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!

Emerging Technology Trends and Their Impact on L&D, now available for free download, explores the potential of virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and more for learning and development.

San Francisco, Calif., June 3, 2019 — With the rise in demand for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for learning and development, SweetRush is pleased to announce the launch of a new eBook, Emerging Technology Trends and Their Impact on L&D. The eBook provides an in-depth introduction to these technologies and how they offer new ways to ignite learner engagement.

SweetRush’s recently formed emerging technologies division, SPARK, is working with several clients to produce innovative learning solutions that harness the power of technology. The eBook, authored by John-Carlos Lozano, SweetRush Chief Creative Officer, brings together insights and recommendations from the SPARK team along with industry thought leadership.

“Emerging technologies are amazing tools that allow us to better achieve our client-partners’ business goals. Moving into VR, AR, AI, and other technology trends was a logical step for us and for our clients, and we’ve already seen how effective they can be,” says Lozano. “With this eBook, readers will get a taste of what these technologies can do and how they can be used to achieve their goals.”

Emerging Technology Trends and Their Impact on L&D is now available for free download on SweetRush’s website.

About the Author

John-Carlos Lozano is the Chief Creative Officer at SweetRush. He is the driving force in exploring and developing higher levels of custom interactivity, simulation, and gamification in learning for SweetRush’s clients. He is a true innovator, constantly designing ways to improve the learner experience and increase engagement, using VR, AR, emerging tech, games, simulations, video, storytelling, and more. 

With a dual degree in graphic design and illustration/animation, he is an extraordinary artist, and a passionate learner, leader, and teacher. John-Carlos sets the bar of quality, never accepts status quo, and constantly pushes his phenomenally talented team of artists, designers, and animators to reach higher.

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 learning innovation and virtual reality experts will share end-to-end VR learning program case studies at eLearning conference ICELW 2019.

San Francisco, Calif., May 13, 2019 — SweetRush and Hilton will join forces at the International Conference on eLearning in the Workplace (ICELW) 2019 to share best practices and lessons learned developing virtual reality learning programs for Hilton employees. Held at Columbia University, their presentation “Virtual Reality: A Real-World Hilton + SweetRush Project Case Study,” takes place on Wednesday, June 12, at 4:45 p.m.

Tracie Gibbons, Program Manager for Learning Innovation at Hilton, and Adrian Soto, SPARK XR Development Team Manager at SweetRush, will take attendees on a journey through the business needs, learning objectives, design and development considerations, and measurement strategies for VR learning programs. Along the way, they will share how to get buy-in from senior leaders and the lessons they learned about technology, process, and resources.

Hilton’s Business Immersion VR learning program earned a Gold award for Excellence in Technology Innovation at the Chief Learning Officer Learning in Practice Awards, as well as two Brandon Hall Human Capital Management Excellence awards.

In addition, Soto, who is from Costa Rica, will participate in a panel discussion at the eLearning conference on “New Technologies in Learning: A Worldwide Perspective” on Friday, June 14, at 11:30 a.m. The panel, moderated by event chair David Guralnick, will also include perspectives from learning learners from Israel, Italy, Switzerland, and the United States.

SweetRush’s SPARK team collaborates with client-partners to develop innovative VR learning programs. Its offerings include a full-day, in-person XR workshop to introduce emerging technologies to L&D leaders; custom design and development of VR and augmented reality learning programs; and a VR content distribution platform. For more information, contact [email protected].

Read more about the presentation on SweetRush’s events page, and learn more about the eLearning conference ICELW 2019 at https://www.icelw.org/.

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!

San Francisco, Calif., May 21th, 2019 — SweetRush, a leading provider of custom learning solutions, is pleased to announce two wins at the Muse Creative Awards, including a prestigious Platinum award for training video. The “international competition for creative professionals” judged SweetRush’s collaborations with its client-partners to be the best among its 13,000 entries.

The Platinum-winning video entry was developed in partnership with Age Wave, the nation’s foremost thought leader on issues relating to an aging population. The Lifestage Navigation video uses stunning visual design, color, and illustration to engage and motivate client-facing professionals to learn more about their clients’ life stages and have empathy for their unique life circumstances.

Earning a Rose Gold Muse Creative Award is the Barrow Brainbook eLearning program, created with Dignity Health. Designed for youth athletes, this important course helps its younger audience recognize the symptoms of a concussion. Video, animation, 3D avatar-coaches, and gamification work in concert to make learning fun and engaging.

“Marketing, advertising, video games, and entertainment are constantly raising the bar on creativity and innovation. At SweetRush, we have always believed that learning must keep pace,” says Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman of SweetRush. “In our collaborations with client-partners, we first seek to understand the business and learning objectives and the learning audience. Then it’s all about using the power of creativity to speak authentically to, excite, and delight the learners!”

For a full list of 2019 Muse Creative Award winners, visit the Muse 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!

Contact:
Carolina Montero
Marketing Manager
[email protected]

San Francisco, Calif., May 19th, 2019 — SweetRush, an industry-leading learning and development solutions provider, has been recognized as a Stevie Award winner for the fifth consecutive year, earning awards for training and internal/employee communications videos at the 2019 American Business Awards.

The winning entry, the Lifestage Navigation video, was designed in close collaboration with Age Wave, the nation’s foremost thought leader on issues relating to an aging population. The video targets an important business objective: increasing employee empathy for their customers in various stages of life. Through creative use of color, 2D illustration, animation, and music, the video engages employees and evokes an emotional, human connection.

The video earned a Gold award in the Internal/Employee Communications category and a Silver award in the Education category.

“Video communications for employee learning and development must simultaneously address important business objectives and speak authentically to the audience. Lifestage Navigation is an exceptional example of a video that does both,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman of SweetRush. “A thought-provoking script, stunning visual design, flowing motion graphics, and a compelling soundtrack all work in harmony to create an emotional response in the viewer. We’re thrilled this collaboration with Age Wave has been recognized by the American Business Awards.”

For the complete list of 2019 Stevie Award winners at the American Business Awards, please see 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!

Contact:
Carolina Montero
Marketing Manager
[email protected]

San Francisco, Calif., May 18th, 2019 — SweetRush, a leading provider of performance improvement services (including custom learning solutions), has become a first-time Hermes Creative Award winner, sharing four top awards with its client-partners. The winning learning programs were judged to be among the most creative examples of video and web-based training in the competition.

The two prestigious Platinum-level winners in the web-based training category were designed for retail sales associates in the automotive industry and for medical education for youth athletes, respectively.

Make That Sale!, designed in collaboration with Bridgestone Americas, uses humor, 3D characters and animation, and branching scenarios to help tire sales associates learn fundamental selling techniques.

Barrow Brainbook, created with Dignity Health, helps pre-teens and teenagers participating in sports recognize the symptoms of concussion, a critical need for the health of this audience. Personalization, live video of other students, and a creative “sports show” theme (with two 3D avatar “hosts”) combine to keep engagement high.

SweetRush’s two wins at the Gold level are for the Lifestage Navigation video, a collaboration with Age Wave, the nation’s foremost thought leader on issues relating to an aging population. Recognized in both the Education and Internal Communications categories, this short “teaser” video features a stunning use of color, line, and motion to make an emotional connection with learners and build empathy.

“The work we do in collaboration with our client-partners is helping to increase empathy, improve skills, and even save lives. These missions deserve the very best application of our craft as Learning and Development professionals,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman at SweetRush. “We’re grateful for our collaborations with our client-partners and for these awards, which motivate us to continue to raise the bar on creativity and innovation.”

For a complete list of 2019 Hermes Creative Award winners, please visit the Hermes 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!

Contact:
Carolina Montero
Marketing Manager
[email protected]

San Francisco, Calif., May 14, 2019 — SweetRush, a leading provider of performance improvement services (including custom learning and cultural transformation solutions), is honored to announce the company has joined the prestigious and exclusive 2019 list of Freedom-Centered Cultures™ as certified by WorldBlu.

SweetRush counts many of the world’s most dynamic corporations, nonprofits, and foundations among its clients. The SweetRush team works collaboratively to develop tailored programs that help people learn and improve their work and how they work together. These programs have earned the SweetRush team and its client-partners premier learning and development awards, and it now adds the distinction of being named a 2019 Freedom-Centered Culture, joining Zappos, Hulu, Glassdoor, and a shortlist of other organizations earning this mark of distinction.

A culture-forward organization since inception, SweetRush successfully transformed to an entirely virtual company in 2009. SweetRush’s 175 (and growing) teammates work in 12 countries around the world while staying connected and engaged through its culture.

“Our culture of respect, support, and caring for all is what has enabled us to be successful, even as a virtual company with teammates spread across the globe,” said Arturo Schwartzberg, Cofounder and Chairman of SweetRush. “Our people are highly engaged and ready to step in if a teammate needs support; as a result, everyone knows their backs are covered.”

Over the past few years, SweetRush has advanced its vision of using its tools and craft to bring about positive change in the world. With the full support of the SweetRush team, its Good Things service has helped over 19 nonprofits and foundations in the past two years alone.

“From Day One, I have carried an aspirational dream that SweetRush could make a positive impact on the world. But it all starts ‘at home,’ and that is why we built SweetRush with a culture of caring and respect,” said Andrei Hedstrom, Cofounder and CEO of SweetRush.“We have worked with many client-partners over the years who share these values. Now we are focused on expanding our aspirations to bring our skills, care, and respect to teams working on social and environmental challenges. I remain committed to the dream that this small but impactful, freedom-centered team can make a difference in the world.”

While the company is best known for its custom learning services—which embrace eLearning, games-based learning, classroom training, and emerging technologies (virtual and augmented reality)—SweetRush’s decision to offer cultural transformation services is a direct result of seeing the power of its positive culture internally.

“My passion is fostering thriving workplace cultures, helping our clients create high performing, caring places to work. I feel fortunate every day to be in a company where positive values are focused on and spoken about daily. Our team consults from a place of integrity—we practice what we preach!” said Ashley Munday, Director of Cultural and Organizational Transformation at SweetRush.

“SweetRush has built a vibrant, high-growth, Freedom-Centered Culture on a foundation of caring and commitment. We are delighted to recognize their outstanding work with the WorldBlu Freedom-Centered Cultures award!” said Traci Fenton, Founder and CEO of WorldBlu.

To view the full list of 2019 Freedom-Centered Cultures certified by WorldBlu, please visit https://www.worldblu.com/certified.

ABOUT SWEETRUSH
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.

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.

Contact:
Carolina Montero
Marketing Manager
[email protected]

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!