How Shepherd Electric Supply Implemented Its First Compliance Training LMS
Founded in 1892 and based in Baltimore, Maryland, Shepherd Electric Supply is a wholesale electrical distributor with five locations across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. The organization provides a variety of electrical components, light fixtures, and building materials to residential and commercial customers.
The Challenge: Training and Certifying a Rapidly Growing Company
Shepherd Electric Supply began as a small, family-run company. The organization experienced slow and steady growth between the 1990s and 2010s, adding new locations and increasing its headcount. The pace of expansion increased dramatically at the start of the 2020s. Between 2019 and 2022, Shepherd Electric Supply grew by more than 200 employees at one facility alone. It had never experienced this kind of growth before.
The electrical distributor’s rapid expansion meant it now had to develop its culture as a larger organization while managing training and certifications for significantly more employees.
About 70% of its employees are warehouse workers who need to be trained to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, a federal requirement in the United States. Some employees also need to be certified to operate forklifts and other specialized equipment.
Shepherd Electrical Supply had never delivered its professional training using software before, but the growing certification and compliance requirements meant it was time to invest in a workforce learning management system.
“Having Open LMS as our first training platform has really allowed us to start defining our new culture. The platform’s flexibility helps us align our training programs with the values and ideals we’re trying to solidify throughout the whole organization.”
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The Solution: Providing Flexible Compliance Training Software and Extended Onboarding Support
In 2023, Shepherd Electric Supply partnered with Open LMS for its compliance training and workforce development needs. With its customizable, scalable, and flexible interface, Open LMS was the perfect choice for the electrical distributor.
The organization initially signed a one-year contract with Open LMS and took advantage of an extended onboarding support package. For six months, the Open LMS team worked closely with Shepherd Electric Supply as its employees got used to using the training software to replace many previously manual processes. Prior to implementing Open LMS, the organization relied heavily on physical paperwork. Employees would have to sign documents, scan them to the appropriate recipients, and eventually scan or mail the paperwork to its final destination. Using an LMS meant replacing this process with a digital reporting and tracking system.
The electrical distributor included an OpenSesame subscription in its Open LMS agreement. OpenSesame is a comprehensive catalog of over 20,000 eLearning courses. Shepherd Electric Supply has used a selection of these courses to fulfill its safety training requirements, uploading the OpenSesame SCORM packages to their Open LMS environment.
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The Results: A Renewed Software Agreement With Plans to Expand Training Programs
With the help of Open LMS, Shepherd Electric Supply developed a compliance training program that satisfies OSHA’s requirements while giving employees an accessible professional development experience. “Our employees are now able to complete their certification and training requirements in a more efficient manner that doesn’t impede their productivity,” said Eickenberg. The electrical distributor also saved time and improved its efficiency by replacing physical documentation with Open LMS’s digital reporting system.
After a successful first year, Shepherd Electric Supply renewed its contract with Open LMS and expanded its training programs. The company is developing a future leader training program with content that helps employees develop their interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, while enhancing their product and industry knowledge. The organization also intends to implement a wider range of professional development programs to bridge the knowledge gap that exists between employees approaching retirement and those who are new to the industry.
The organization will leverage more LMS features and functionalities as it continues to expand its training programs, and as its requirements evolve. Open LMS will be there to support Shepherd Electric Supply and its employees every step of the way.
“The Open LMS support team has been great. They’ve very forthcoming about what’s in development, and they never hesitate to send our ideas up the ladder when they don’t have an immediate answer for us. We work well together, and I think relationship will only get stronger as this partnership grows.”
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Open LMS provides flexible compliance training and professional development solutions for organizations around the world. To learn more about our LMS and eLearning services, contact us today!
