To help spread the word about the new “training revolution”, we’ve been attending safety and training-related tradeshows across the country sporting bold new gear with the “Bad Training Sucks” slogan. The gear was such a hit at the tradeshows and so many people wanted a shirt or sticker, we figured “why not make this stuff available to everybody?” So…

We’ve added a new Merchandise section to our BuyBetterTraining online storefront where you can order T-shirts, mugs, stickers, and other soon-to-be-released goods from Convergence – producer of the most un-sucky training materials on the planet.

Check it out, pick up a shirt, and let everybody know how you feel about bad training – it sucks!

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If you’ve been to a trade show then you’re probably aware of the high mark-up that is charged for equipment and furniture rental. What if you could save some of that business cost and contribute to the community at the same time? Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?

Earlier this year we attended the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Expo in Baltimore, Maryland. While preparing to rent such common items as chairs, tables, and televisions through the trade show catalog Scott Rise, one of our sales representatives, got a bright idea. Why not purchase the items we needed for our booth and give the stuff away to a local charity when we were done with the show?

Doing a little math showed that it was indeed cheaper to buy the furniture at a Wal-Mart-type store than it would be to rent similar items at the Expo. Best of all, we’d be able to donate everything to a deserving charity afterwards.

We put this idea in action again when we attended the National Safety Council (NSC) Congress and Expo in San Diego in October 2010. We contacted a charity called Alpha Project — a national nonprofit that serves the homeless and low-income population. After the Expo we donated all the booth furniture to the organization.

In turn, the Alpha Project “gave it to clients who were in the process of getting on their feet, getting an apartment, trying to get a job,” said Karen Pucci, Program Manager for the San Diego chapter of the organization. “We are truly grateful for these types of donations. The people we serve who are transitioning from homelessness can really use furniture and household goods.”

About our donations, Corey Black of the NSC had this to say: “The National Safety Council appreciates Convergence Training donating furniture they use during the NSC Congress & Expo to charities. This is one demonstration of how thinking creatively can impact others in a meaningful way.”

Seldom is there the chance to save some business costs while doing something that feels good. Thanks to Scott Rise and his outside-the-box thinking, Convergence helped (and will continue to help) deserving organizations and individuals.

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We’re just finishing up our Forklift Safety video and we’ll soon start work on our Reducing Product Damage Due to Forklift Handling module (we’re looking for a snappier course title if anyone’s got one). Our writers have been researching the most up-to-date OSHA forklift regulations and the recognized industry best practices. Considering the research we’ve put into these courses, we’re confident that they’re going to be valuable tools for anyone operating or working near forklifts.

As research for our module on reducing forklift damage to loads, our writers contacted companies that represented a wide range of industries – food manufacturing, pulp-and-paper, timber, and appliance manufacturing, to name a few. Some were our clients; some were contacts we made specifically for this project. Specifically, we talked to the employees at those companies who work in material handling and warehousing. We asked these employees about the most common load damage problems they see at their worksites that stem from forklift handling. After gathering all of this information, we spent a significant amount of time boiling these problems down to the most common forklift-handling problems that applied across many industries.

While it’s easy to find a lot of training on forklift safety, we’re not aware of another product out there that is focused on load damage prevention in the way ours will be. While worker safety is obviously the most important aspect of forklift operation, damage to product can be a very significant operating cost in both direct and indirect ways. (One example of indirect cost would be customer dissatisfaction resulting from unnoticed product damage. Another example of indirect cost would be a kind of “Broken Windows Effect”, where neglecting the smaller problem of product damage might have an impact on the greater issue of general safety awareness.) We definitely felt that this was an overlooked issue in most forklift orientation programs.

A major contributor to our forklift projects has been F. G. (Rick) Heath, a material handling and lifting equipment expert. Rick’s background includes consulting on a range of industrial subjects, from fabrication and construction to standards and regulations. He serves on several committees for organizations like the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the Scaffold Industry Association (SIA), and Underwriters Laboratories (UL). He also serves as an expert witness for litigation involving hoists, cranes, jacks, forklifts, and aerial work platforms. Rick has been a great help in giving us feedback on our industrial equipment modules, and we thank him for contributing his knowledge to our efforts.

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Convergence Training moved into new offices in Vancouver, Washington on September 27th. The new 20,000 square-foot office building will house Convergence’s new operations while giving them sufficient room for planned growth.

Convergence, a provider of multimedia training material and learning management software, is a division of Capstone Technology. Capstone moved from an office in downtown Camas, Washington that was only 9,000 square feet. Located on a single floor above a hardware store, the company was continually pressed to find space for their growing workforce. Said CEO Ron Baldus, “We had people shoehorned into every nook and cranny.”

Capstone currently has 80 employees and is in the process of hiring more. Much of the new growth in the company has come from Convergence. In the coming year, Capstone plans to add ten new positions; most of these jobs will be centered on Convergence sales and marketing.

For more information about the move and about Convergence and Capstone, read this article recently published in the Boston Business Journal.

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Our new Hot Work Safety training module is now in production and will be available for sale shortly.

The Hot Work Safety module is based on relevant regulations, including OSHA’s 1910 Subpart Q, 1915 Subpart D, and NFPA’s 51B. It is relevant for jobs involving welding, cutting, grinding, brazing, and any other work activity that uses an open flame or creates sparks or heat that could create a fire

• The definition of hot work
• The hot work permit and permit requirements
• The roles of management, the permit issuer (or permit-authorizing individual), the hot work operator, and the fire watch
• Designated hot work areas and permit-required hot work areas
• Hot work in confined spaces
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing considerations
• Hot work and contractors

The new module will include everything you’ve come to expect from Convergence Training, including SCORM compliance, engaging 3D animations, clear and concise audio, unscored progress review questions for self-assessment, and a robust test bank for assessment purposes.

Check back for updates as production continues, and we’ll be sure to announce when the new Hot Work Safety module is available for sale.

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We’re happy to have been recently profiled by Znode for our work on our BuyBetterTraining.com online storefront.

BuyBetterTraining.com is powered by Znode software, and the company sat down to interview our own Kenny Della Valle and Bjorn Ansbro for a case study that details how Convergence has been able to successfully extend and customize Znode software to fit our e-commerce needs and to drive sales.

The case study is up on the Znode website, and can also be viewed by clicking the link below.

View Znode’s BuyBetterTraining.com case study.

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Check out this preview of our new virtual warehouse set. The 3D environment is based on the warehouses of several of our clients. This set is going to get a lot of use in our upcoming “Forklift Safety” and “Overhead Crane Safety” training modules, due for release later this year.

Ultimately, the warehouse exterior will be fully modeled, featuring several other types of vehicles for upcoming training on mobile cranes and tower cranes. Check back to our blog for new videos, current events, and sneak peeks into future releases.

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Hey everybody!  We’re here in Baltimore at the Safety 2010 Expo, getting people excited about our cutting-edge training materials. We’ve got a great booth set up, so if you’re in the industry, in the area, or planning on going to the show, stop by to see our stuff and how it compares to the rest of what’s out there.

Plus! Enter to win an iPad or a flat-screen tv. Plus! Massage chairs. Plus! Randy, Scott, and Bjorn from Convergence and the best safety training videos on the market.

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