First things first – here is how we came up with the name “SweetRush.”

During the dot com days – when the frenzied URL land rush was in process, one of SweetRush’s founders, Arturo Schwartzberg, grabbed the name SweetRush. Why? Because he liked it. Sweet and Rush seemed an interesting pairing of words, with complex texture and meanings – and even, as they say, a hint of vanilla.

When Arturo and Andrei were first conceptualizing the company, Andrei immediately gravitated to the name, though Arturo thought it perhaps a bit wacky – given that our chosen client base would be corporate. However, upon scrutiny both agreed that it was memorable and represented shared values they shared, and values that fit the new company.

So why Sweet? It’s hard to imagine today, given the ubiquitous and even unavoidable presence of sweeteners of all sorts, that a few 100 years ago one rarely had the chance to taste something sweet – and when one did it was an overwhelmingly delirious event. So when we use Sweet in SweetRush, we do so referring back to that feeling of ecstasy. Michael Pollan in The Botany of Desire, (a fantastic book!) speaks to the intoxication of sweetness best, and we have included a fascinating passage from his book if you would like to read further.

We have infused sweetness into our culture, and we try to keep that sense present at all times – centered on our interactions with each other and everyone with whom we come into contact. This is a basic tenet of the company, as more further defined in The SweetRush Way.

So why Rush? Rush has two meanings, both working into the mix. Of course it means to do something quickly – and we are often asked to stand up, salute and move quickly to accomplish project goals. However, there is an edge to Rush, a hint of moving too fast – but we felt it ok when softened by Sweet, so it still worked for us appropriately in this meaning and combination. The other meaning of Rush in the vernacular is a flushed and strong heady feeling – and when combined with Sweet, as in a Sweet Rush, it seemed to us to enhance the sweetness – like a fresh breeze that enters on a hot day. This worked for us and is the thing we want our clients to feel, and to feel ourselves as well.

Over time we have come to appreciate our name more and more, and think it fits us perfectly – and serves to constantly remind us of things that we value.

SweetRush was founded in early 2001 by two partners Andrei and Arturo (and quickly became three with the addition of Michael Nathanson) all of whom had many years of experience in the world of digital media. Knowing the hardships most boutique facilities face, the founders set a course they hoped would ensure success and sanity. A number or principles were established – about talent (only world-class), about attitude (sweet and committed), about debt (don’t incur any), about building overhead (stay lean) and so on. While maintaining a portion of web development and strategic marketing consulting work, the founders steered the company to instructional design and the development of training courses, and especially to eLearning course development.

Company growth has been constant and steady. Over time a solid client base has developed with a 100% client satisfaction and return rate. SweetRush has evolved into a powerhouse of eLearning development and is a leader in the development of eLearning best practices. For example, in September 2004, SweetRush announced the development of its Learning Game Management System, built on the foundation of its Content Management System, enabling the affordable usage of interactive learning games within trainings.

Beyond The SweetRush Way and the founding principles, the company’s success can be attributed to the depth of capabilities it offers to its clients - a unique combination of instructional design, creative, engineering etc – which can be fully explored on this site in The 8 Reasons to Consider SweetRush.

The training industry is robust and growing. Educating and improving the performance of employees is only becoming more and more important as we continue to transform into an economy based upon intellectual capital. All of us at SweetRush look forward to continued growth and to the new challenges we face in the quickly transforming world of eLearning and web development.