Saunders Construction Receives the Prestigious “BEST Award” from Association for Talent Development

(Centennial, Colo.) October 25, 2016 –  Saunders Construction, Inc., is proud to announce that it ranked 19th in the Association for Talent Development’s (ATD) 2016 BEST Awards program. Saunders was among 35 finalists from six countries, and one of only three in Colorado to receive a 2016 BEST Award. All winners are featured in a special section of the October 2016 issue of TD, ATD’s monthly magazine.

“Over the last decade, Saunders has changed the way that talent development interacts with and affects our business. We set a strong expectation that learning is part of our culture and an essential requirement of each employee’s role,” said Greg Schmidt, President & CEO. “Training is being approached in a spectrum of innovative ways and as a result, we have seen direct business impacts to our operational readiness, risk management, and process alignment. We look forward to continuing our enthusiasm for learning and giving our employees more opportunities for both professional and personal growth.”

Members of Saunders Human Resources Department received the BEST Award during a ceremony held in Washington, D.C. on October 5.  Prior to the ceremony, winning organizations were invited to share their best practices with other training and talent development practitioners at the Learn from the BEST conference.

The BEST Awards are the talent development industry’s most rigorous and coveted recognition. The BEST Awards recognize organizations that demonstrate enterprise-wide success through talent development.

“I am tremendously proud that Saunders’ ongoing emphasis on employee training and retention has resulted in this prestigious award,” said Megan Galloway, Training and Development Business Partner for Saunders Construction. “Saunders has worked tirelessly to cater our training program to the actual needs of employees and develops training skills that can be implemented every day on the job site.”

Saunders’ comprehensive training programs help identify and grow future leaders, guide professional and ethical decision-making, and foster skillsets. Recently, Saunders made steps to enhance its training program — starting with employing Galloway as the Training and Development Business Partner. Her role includes developing and implementing custom training programs, managing the training calendar, recommending personalized training plans and coordinating all training efforts on behalf of the organization.

Also new in 2015 was an English class for Spanish-speaking employees. Offered by demand, the eight-week course was designed to improve English translation for safer project sites, better communication, and increased growth opportunities. Mandatory safety training courses are required for all employees and ongoing career development classes are available to employees poised for upward mobility to ensure preparedness in their next role. These efforts resulted in the doubling of training hours from 2014 to 2015 and an increase in overall training hours of 268 percent.

“Creating innovative, vibrant learning cultures and developing talent in ways that clearly contribute to strategic business goals, are hallmarks of ATD BEST winners,” says Tony Bingham, ATD President and CEO. “They get it. Leaders in these organizations value the impact that talent development achieves because they know that having a knowledgeable and skilled workforce drives success.”

Saunders Construction competed against nearly 150 organizations from 13 countries. Every organization submitted quantitative and qualitative information to ATD about their talent development practices and programs. Applications were assessed in a blind review by members of the BEST Awards advisory committee, a select group of experts in the field.

This is the sixteenth year of the BEST Awards. More information about the 2016 ATD BEST Award winners may be found in the October 2016 issue of TD magazine.

The Association for Talent Development (ATD) is the world’s largest professional membership organization supporting those who develop the knowledge and skills of employees, improve performance, and help to achieve results for the organizations they serve. Originally established in 1943, the association was previously known as the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

ATD’s members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. ATD supports talent development professionals who gather locally in volunteer-led U.S. chapters and international member networks, and with international strategic partners. For more information, visit www.td.org.