ASTD Announces 32 Winners in Ninth Annual BEST Awards

<p><location value="LU/us.va.alxdra" idsrc="xmltag.org">Alexandria, VA</location> (PRWEB) <chron>October 06, 2011</chron></p><p><org>The American Society for Training & Development</org> (ASTD) honored 32 organizations from <location value="LC/ca" idsrc="xmltag.org">Canada</location>, <location value="LC/hk" idsrc="xmltag.org">Hong Kong</location>, <location value="LC/in" idsrc="xmltag.org">India</location>, <location value="LC/sg" idsrc="xmltag.org">Singapore</location>, <location value="LC/tr" idsrc="xmltag.org">Turkey</location>, and <location value="LC/us" idsrc="xmltag.org">the United States</location> as winners in the 2011 ASTD BEST Awards competition. <org value="ACORN:4040903737" idsrc="xmltag.org">Shell Oil Company</org> – <org value="ACORN:180610636" idsrc="xmltag.org">Jiffy Lube International</org>, from <location value="LU/us.tx.houstn" idsrc="xmltag.org">Houston, Texas</location>, won the first place ranking. The companies were recognized during a ceremony held at the <location>Ronald Reagan Building</location> and <location>International Trade Center</location> in <location value="LU/us.dc.wash" idsrc="xmltag.org">Washington, D.C.</location></p><p>The <a href="http://www.astd.org/best">ASTD BEST Awards</a> is the training industry’s most rigorous and coveted recognition. The BEST Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success through employee learning and development. “These 32 companies excelled in creating innovative, vibrant learning cultures that clearly aligned with strategic business goals,” said <person>Tony Bingham</person>, ASTD’s president and CEO. “They get it. The leadership of these organizations value learning and know it is a strategy driver. ”</p><p>The 2011 ASTD BEST Award winners are recognized in a special section of the October issue of <a href="http://www.astd.org/TD">T+D</a>, ASTD’s flagship magazine, and will share their best practices at the <a href="http://www.astd.org/learnfromthebest">Learn from the BEST conference</a> on <chron>October 7th</chron>. That event is also at the <location>Ronald Reagan Building</location> and <location>International Trade Center</location>.</p><p>Through an online application ASTD received entries from 73 organizations in ten countries. These organizations submitted quantitative and qualitative information to ASTD about their learning and development practices and programs. Their applications were assessed in a rigorous blind review by members of the BEST Awards advisory committee, a group of select experts in the learning and development field.</p><p>The 2011 ASTD BEST Award winners and rankings:</p><p>1. <org value="ACORN:4040903737" idsrc="xmltag.org">Shell Oil Company</org> – <org value="ACORN:180610636" idsrc="xmltag.org">Jiffy Lube International</org>, <location value="LU/us.tx.houstn" idsrc="xmltag.org">Houston, Texas</location><br /> 2. <org value="ACORN:938889213" idsrc="xmltag.org">Grant Thornton LLP</org>, <location value="LU/us.il.chicgo" idsrc="xmltag.org">Chicago, Illinois</location><br /> 3. <org>U.S. Navy</org>, Naval Education Training Command, <location value="LU/us.fl.penola" idsrc="xmltag.org">Pensacola, Florida</location><br /> 4. <org value="Singapore:U11" idsrc="xmltag.org">United Overseas Bank Limited</org>, <location value="LC/sg" idsrc="xmltag.org">Singapore</location><br /> 5. <org value="ACORN:2747620480" idsrc="xmltag.org">CaridianBCT</org>, <location value="LU/us.co.lakood" idsrc="xmltag.org">Lakewood, Colorado</location><br /> 6. <org>BJC Healthcare</org>, <location value="LU/us.mo.stluis" idsrc="xmltag.org">St. Louis, Missouri</location><br /> 7. <org value="NASDAQ-NMS:CBEY" idsrc="xmltag.org">Cbeyond, Inc.</org>, <location value="LU/us.ga.atlnta" idsrc="xmltag.org">Atlanta, Georgia</location><br /> 8. <org value="ACORN:461997243" idsrc="xmltag.org">Summit Credit Union</org>, <location value="LU/us.wi.madisn" idsrc="xmltag.org">Madison, Wisconsin</location><br /> 9. <org value="Bombay:RELIANCE" idsrc="xmltag.org">Reliance Industries Limited</org>, Refinery Division, Jamnagar, <location value="LU/in..bombay" idsrc="xmltag.org">Mumbai, India</location><br /> 10. <org value="NYSE:SCS" idsrc="xmltag.org">Steelcase Inc.</org>, <location value="LU/us.mi.grdrap" idsrc="xmltag.org">Grand Rapids, Michigan</location><br /> 11. Wipro Technologies, <location value="LU/in..bangal" idsrc="xmltag.org">Bangalore, India</location><br /> 12. <org value="ACORN:275693545" idsrc="xmltag.org">University Health System</org>, <location value="LU/us.tx.sanant" idsrc="xmltag.org">San Antonio, Texas</location><br /> 13. <org value="NASDAQ-NMS:CERN" idsrc="xmltag.org">Cerner Corporation</org>, <location value="LU/us.mo.kancty" idsrc="xmltag.org">Kansas City, Missouri</location><br /> 14. <org value="ACORN:3715471588" idsrc="xmltag.org">APi Group Inc.</org>, <location value="LU/us.mn.newton" idsrc="xmltag.org">New Brighton, Minnesota</location><br /> 15. <org value="Amman:UBSI" idsrc="xmltag.org">Union Bank</org>, <location value="LU/us.ca.sanfrn" idsrc="xmltag.org">San Francisco, California</location><br /> 16. <org value="NYSE:EQR" idsrc="xmltag.org">Equity Residential</org>, <location value="LU/us.il.chicgo" idsrc="xmltag.org">Chicago, Illinois</location><br /> 17. <org>BMO Financial Group</org>, <location value="LU/ca.on.tornto" idsrc="xmltag.org">Toronto, Ontario</location><br /> 18. <org value="ACORN:204823806" idsrc="xmltag.org">AlliedBarton Security Services</org>, <location value="LU/us.pa.conken" idsrc="xmltag.org">Conshohocken, Pennsylvania</location><br /> 19. <org value="NYSE:BBT" idsrc="xmltag.org">BB&T</org>, <location value="LU/us.nc.winlem" idsrc="xmltag.org">Winston-Salem, North Carolina</location><br /> 20. <org value="NYSE:TU" idsrc="xmltag.org">TELUS Corporation</org>, <location value="LU/ca.bc.vancvr" idsrc="xmltag.org">Vancouver, British Columbia</location><br /> 21. Prescription Solutions by <org>OPTUMRx/UnitedHealth Group</org>, <location value="LU/us.ca.irvine" idsrc="xmltag.org">Irvine, California</location><br /> 22. <org value="Bombay:RELIANCE" idsrc="xmltag.org">Reliance Industries, Ltd</org>, <org value="ACORN:469232520" idsrc="xmltag.org">Group Manufacturing Services</org>, <location value="LU/in..bombay" idsrc="xmltag.org">Mumbai, India</location><br /> 23. <org>Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina</org>, <location value="LU/us.nc.durham" idsrc="xmltag.org">Durham, North Carolina</location><br /> 24. <org value="HongKong:0003" idsrc="xmltag.org">The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited</org>, <location value="LC/hk" idsrc="xmltag.org">Hong Kong</location><br /> 25. <org>Reliant Medical Group</org>, a member of <org value="ACORN:898182678" idsrc="xmltag.org">Atrius Health</org> (formerly <org value="ACORN:4067678440" idsrc="xmltag.org">Fallon Clinic</org>), <location value="LU/us.ma.worstr" idsrc="xmltag.org">Worcester</location>, <location value="LS/us.ma" idsrc="xmltag.org">Massachusetts</location><br /> 26. <org value="ACORN:1057480473" idsrc="xmltag.org">Indiana University Health</org>, <location value="LU/us.in.indpol" idsrc="xmltag.org">Indianapolis, Indiana</location><br /> 27. <org value="LSE:IHG" idsrc="xmltag.org">InterContinental Hotels Group</org>, <location value="LU/us.ga.atlnta" idsrc="xmltag.org">Atlanta, Georgia</location><br /> 28. <org value="ACORN:164266362" idsrc="xmltag.org">ESL Federal Credit Union</org>, <location value="LU/us.ny.rchstr" idsrc="xmltag.org">Rochester, New York</location><br /> 29. <org value="ACORN:1717129580" idsrc="xmltag.org">ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited</org>, <location value="LU/in..bombay" idsrc="xmltag.org">Mumbai, India</location><br /> 30. <org value="ACORN:1840592195" idsrc="xmltag.org">Morrison Management Specialists</org>, <location value="LU/us.ga.atlnta" idsrc="xmltag.org">Atlanta, Georgia</location><br /> 31. <org>Garanti Bank</org>, <location value="LU/tr..istnbl" idsrc="xmltag.org">Istanbul, Turkey</location><br /> 32. <org value="Bombay:SUZLON" idsrc="xmltag.org">Suzlon Energy, Ltd.</org>, <location value="LU/in..pune" idsrc="xmltag.org">Pune, India</location></p><p>In addition, thirteen companies on this list have been ASTD BEST Award winners for three years or more. They are: <org value="NYSE:BBT" idsrc="xmltag.org">BB&T</org>, <org>BJC Healthcare</org>, <org>Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina</org>, <org value="NYSE:EQR" idsrc="xmltag.org">Equity Residential</org>, <org value="ACORN:938889213" idsrc="xmltag.org">Grant Thornton LLP</org>, <org value="ACORN:1717129580" idsrc="xmltag.org">ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company</org>, <org value="LSE:IHG" idsrc="xmltag.org">InterContinental Hotels Group</org>, <org value="Bombay:RELIANCE" idsrc="xmltag.org">Reliance Industries Limited</org>, Refinery Division-Jamnagar, <org value="Bombay:SUZLON" idsrc="xmltag.org">Suzlon Energy</org>, <org value="NYSE:TU" idsrc="xmltag.org">TELUS Corporation</org>, <org value="Singapore:U11" idsrc="xmltag.org">United Overseas Bank</org>, <org value="ACORN:436808218" idsrc="xmltag.org">University Health Systems</org>, and Wipro Technologies.</p><p>More information about the 2011 ASTD BEST Award winners may be found in the <chron>October 2011</chron> issue of T+D magazine and online: <a href="http://www.astd.org/best">http://www.astd.org/best</a>. Details about the 2012 program will be available in <chron>February 2012</chron>.</p><p>ASTD thanks Kepner-Tregoe and SkillSoft, Silver Sponsors of the 2011 BEST Awards.</p><p>About ASTD <br /> ASTD (<org>American Society for Training & Development</org>) is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to the training and development field. In more than 100 countries, ASTD’s members work in organizations of all sizes, in the private and public sectors, as independent consultants, and as suppliers. Members connect locally in 125 U.S. chapters and with 20 international partners. ASTD started in 1943 and in recent years has widened the profession’s focus to align learning and performance to organizational results, and is a sought-after voice on critical public policy issues. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.astd.org">http://www.astd.org</a>.</p><p>###</p><p>Read the full story at <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8857326.htm">http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/10/prweb8857326.htm</a></p>