Root Learning and The Marcus Buckingham Company to Develop Online Course for the Simply Strengths Experience

Business Wire, July 24, 2007

Strategic Partnership Focused on Building Strengths-Based Organizations; Hampton Hotels Collaborates with Solution Development as First Customer

SYLVANIA, Ohio -- Root Learning, Inc., a strategic learning company that engages and connects people to create results, today announced a strategic partnership with The Marcus Buckingham Company, founded by Marcus Buckingham, a best-selling author focused on educating people and companies about finding and utilizing strengths in the workplace. This partnership has resulted in the development of a six week, self-guided online course designed to deliver a message about the power of strengths-based organizations to the corporate world. As a customer, the Hampton brand of hotels assisted in the creation of this course - the latest evolution of the Simply Strengths Experience[TM].

According to Marcus Buckingham (who spent years interviewing thousands of employees at every career stage), companies that focus on cultivating employees' strengths rather than simply improving their weaknesses stand to dramatically increase efficiency while allowing for maximum personal growth and success. Starting with this premise, The Marcus Buckingham Company has created a new "performance management system" called the Simply Strengths Experience, based on insight from Marcus Buckingham's best-selling books, First, Break All the Rules, Now, Discover Your Strengths and Go Put Your Strengths to Work.

"The Marcus Buckingham Company is focused on bringing solutions to people and corporations around the world that enable everyone to get to a place where they will spend 75% of their day doing things that strengthen them," said Kevin Small, president of the Marcus Buckingham Company. "We needed a partner that could help us bring our message to the masses in a different way than our traditional lectures and virtual coaching sessions - a more democratic and digestible experience for a wider group of potential customers."

The Simply Strengths Experience incorporates the six-part short film series Trombone Player Wanted (delivered in various formats from DVD to video iPod files) and strengths-building tools and activities via a facilitator kit. Additionally, results from the online survey Strength Engagement Track[TM] (a web-based survey that tracks how effectively and consistently each person uses his or her strengths) are part of this self-guided course. The program is tied together with a high-quality, four-color 152 page participant workbook and a newly generated learning aid called a "reMEMO".

"We are proud to join The Marcus Buckingham Company by bringing our extensive experience in creating multimedia and rich content presentations of complex business ideas to the strengths-based movement," said Rich Berens, executive vice president of Root Learning. "Our message of proactive engagement and connection aligns nicely with The Marcus Buckingham Company's mission of focus on strengths within the corporate environment. It's plain to see that when employees are focused on doing the work that they love, they will remain easily engaged and more connected to their employer's bottom line."

Hampton Hotels Provides Insight as First Customer and Development Collaborator

Hampton Hotels, a customer of both The Marcus Buckingham Company and Root Learning, was the first major corporation to test this new online course and experience. As Hampton approached its 20th year in business, management saw an opportunity to update the brand and reclaim its leadership position by creating the 'Make It Hampton' initiative. Originally started as a product initiative, Make it Hampton evolved into 'People Make It Hampton' - a culture-focused movement. The mid-priced hotel chain wanted to incorporate Marcus Buckingham's strengths-based initiatives into its professional development program, but was looking for a more portable solution that would be engaging and accessible by Hampton's entire workforce.

"Hampton is a market-leading and award-winning brand, but we are always on the lookout for ways to improve our culture and provide development opportunities for our team members," said Gina Valenti, senior director - Brand Program Development & Integration for Hampton Hotels. "Our familiarity with Marcus Buckingham's strengths-based performance management system and Root Learning's experience working with leading brands like ours led to our confidence in their ability to partner and create a dynamic experience for our employees. People Make It Hampton - our rally cry - is powered by the strengths of each team member across our 1,400 plus hotels, and it's a competitive advantage that will be very tough to beat."

About the Marcus Buckingham Company

The Marcus Buckingham Company (TMBC) is a consulting firm focused on helping people identify and develop their strengths. Founded by best selling author, Marcus Buckingham, TMBC delivers high impact learning solutions by deploying strength-based performance management systems. Headquartered in Carlsbad, CA, The Marcus Buckingham Company reaches over 250,000 people each year through its events. For more information, visit www.MarcusBuckingham.com.