Realityworks® named 2020 Small Business of the Year by the Business Intelligence Group

    EAU CLAIRE, WI, November 10, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Realityworks, Inc., a leader in experiential learning technology, announced today that the Business Intelligence Group, developers of the first crowd-sourced industry awards platform, selected the company as winner of its 2020 Small Business of the Year award in the twelfth annual BIG Awards for Business program. Realityworks was honored for the extraordinary steps it took to safeguard employees and support customers at the onset of circumstances that presented real challenges to industries across the globe: the COVID-19 pandemic.

The employee-owned company creates educational products and programs that bring real-life scenarios into the classroom. Their learning aids and curricula are used to give Career and Technical Education (CTE) students experience in high-demand career fields and help them make important life decisions. Having experienced strong growth in 2019, Realityworks anticipated 2020 to be a record-breaking year for new products and market reach. When COVID-19 hit the United States in March, Realityworks pivoted from a focus on revenue growth to a focus on employee and company health and well-being.

Within a week of receiving notice that Wisconsin was moving to a Safer At Home Order, Realityworks sent over 80% of their workforce to remote work, enabling them to take complete office set-ups home to ensure full productivity. The company's Corporate Operations team implemented Pandemic Protocols to keep those still working onsite safe and robust communication plans to keep all employees aware of future plans. Company-wide satisfaction and communication surveys were used to convey changes and gather feedback.

"We believe listening to educators and industry has set us apart from others selling into the education market – our partnerships are key to our success," said Timm Boettcher, Realityworks President and CEO. "In this case, listening to our employees helped us craft a plan that would keep employees happy, safe and informed. We have a strong company culture here, and while this new environment is different, we have been working towards keeping everyone engaged and aware."

The Business Intelligence Group has developed the first crowd-sourced and openly transparent industry awards platform focus on helping businesses and their employees. They seek out and reward those with vision, creativity and persistence, rewarding companies, products and people that are leading their respective industries.

"Organizations of all sizes are having to adapt to changing regulations, buying behaviors and new revenue cycles, and what is clear to our judges is that some are not only adapting but choosing to re-write the rules and accelerate change," said Maria Jimenez, chief nominations officer for Business Intelligence Group. "We are so proud to reward each of our winners for setting such an inspirational example for the global business community."

About the Business Intelligence Group

The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior performance in the business world. Unlike other industry award programs, business executives—those with experience and knowledge—judge the programs. The organization's proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards those companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers.

About Realityworks, Inc.

Established over 20 years ago, Realityworks, Inc. is dedicated to creating experiential learning tools that engage students, help educators teach needed skills and provide career exploration opportunities. Realityworks comprehensive learning solutions combine curriculum with hands-on learning tools, student activities and assessments to create innovative classroom-based learning environments that make a difference. These solutions are used in middle, secondary and post-secondary schools to address a variety of Career & Technical Education pathways, including health & human services, health sciences, welding and trade skills, agriculture education, sex education and more. With simulators in more than 70 percent of U.S. school districts and programs in more than 90 countries around the world, Realityworks has made a worldwide impact on the lives of youth all over the world. For more information, visit www.realityworks.com, or call toll-free 800-830-1416.

# # #