Root Learning Ranked 6th On List of Top 50 ''Best Small & Medium Companies To Work...

MAUMEE, Ohio -- Annual Competition Administered by SHRM and Great Place to Work(R) Institute Recognizes Strategic Learning Company's Commitment to Engaging Employees

Root Learning Inc., a strategic learning company which helps Fortune 2000 clients bring business strategies to life,

proudly announced today that it has been named among the top 50 "Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For in America." Root Learning(R) placed 6th on the list, which was made public Monday during a gala awards presentation in San Diego before 12,000 attendees of the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM) 57th Annual Conference and Exposition.

The Top 50 Best Small & Medium Companies To Work For In America," now in its second year, is one of the most respected measures of workforce engagement in the United States. The competition honors the top 25 small and top 25 medium companies in America that have used effective people strategies to develop successful organizations with highly productive and satisfied workforces.

Selections and rankings for the Top 50 list are made by the Great Place to Work(R) Institute (GPTW). Winners are determined through an exhaustive application and evaluation process that ultimately focuses on company culture, employee engagement, and employee survey feedback. Each contender receives a score based on the employee responses about their company's workplace culture and their contribution to the business.

"Root Learning is honored to have the excellence of its work environment validated through this prestigious award," said James A. Haudan, President and CEO of Root Learning, Inc. "Root Learning is in the business of engaging employees to deliver exceptional performance. We're pleased that our beliefs and approaches, when applied to our very own workplace, have proven effective for us and for our customers. For years we have helped our clients distinguish themselves by aligning and engaging employees in the business strategy. We are honored to be recognized for applying our processes to engage our own team members in a meaningful way."

Root Learning's innovative and collaborative workplace culture celebrates the unique contribution of each employee, known internally as a "Rootsters." "We are dedicated to turning our customers into fans, pushing the envelope on innovation and people development, while never taking ourselves too seriously. We are serious about having fun and harnessing the diverse capabilities of our team members," said Haudan.

The many initiatives at Root Learning that accomplish these objectives include portraits of each employee that highlight their unique character; a permanent Culture Team that translates corporate priorities into action; an annual "Rooties" awards party where Rootsters vote for the seven co-workers who best demonstrate Root Learning's core values during the previous year; and a tuition reimbursement program.

"For some time, large organizations have been recognized for their successful business strategies. However, small and medium companies make up the majority of the American economy and should also be recognized for their unique human capital strategies and organizational success," said SHRM president and CEO Susan R. Meisinger, SPHR. "The organizations on this year's list have demonstrated that smaller companies can compete with large organizations in terms of how to effectively incorporate strategies that make the most effective use of the workforce."

Great Places to Work(R) Institutes cofounder Robert Levering said, "These companies stand out because their employees find them to be places where they can trust the management, have pride in their work and have fun at work. Other companies have much to learn about how to both be productive and do right by their people."

For purposes of the competition, SHRM and the Great Places to Work(R) Institute define small and medium companies as those employing 50 to 999 employees. Descriptions of the 2005 "Best Small & Medium Companies To Work For In America" winners will appear in the July issue of HR Magazine, the Society's flagship publication with a circulation of 200,000 HR professionals.

Winners are also posted on the HR Magazine web site, www.shrm.org/hrmagazine, as well as at www.greatplacetowork.com.

About the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM):

SHRM is the world's largest association devoted to human resource management. Representing more than 200,000 individual members, the Society's mission is both to serve human resource management professionals and to advance the profession. Founded in 1948, SHRM currently has more than 500 affiliated chapters and members in more than 100 countries.

About The Great Place to Work(R) Institute:

The Great Place to Work(R) Institute is a research and management consultancy headquartered in San Francisco with affiliate offices in 25 other countries throughout the world. The organization produces other "Best Companies to Work for" lists, including Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For"(C), which recognizes employers with 1,000 or more employees.

About Root Learning:

For nearly 15 years, Root Learning has been at the forefront of business strategy and organizational learning. Employing an exceptional level of business and artistic resources, Root Learning delivers innovative learning, communications, and change management solutions by fusing an understanding of key business issues with state-of-the-art tools and services. Root Learning's products and services have helped over 350 companies achieve their goals, including 40 of the world's 100 largest corporations. Headquartered in Maumee, Ohio, Root Learning has sales offices in Chicago, London and Zurich. For more about Root Learning, visit www.Root Learning.com.