VIP’s Meridian earns Gold from Chief Learning Officer Magazine

Chantilly, Va. - October 17, 2008 - Visionary Integration Professionals’ (VIP) Talent and Learning Management practice – dba Meridian Knowledge Solutions - received the Gold "Excellence in Customer Service Award" from Chief Learning Officer magazine at the publication's recently held Fall Symposium in Coronado, Calif.  The prestigious award was the top honor in one of 15 categories presented by the magazine to "recognize transformational and visionary leaders in enterprise education."

Meridian makes learning management systems (LMS), which are software platforms for controlling, analyzing and delivering training via the Internet.  Meridian earned its Gold customer service award for going "above and beyond what [was] strictly required in order to help [U.S. Customs and Border Protection] get the most out of [the agency's] distance learning infrastructure."

In support of President George W. Bush's Secure Border Initiative, Meridian provided a technically sophisticated means for tracking how well government personnel performed in "scenario-based courses" that mimicked sensitive law enforcement issues.  Meridian also designed a comprehensive learning curriculum that runs 24 hours a day for CBP.

"This award recognizes the commitment our employees make each day to our clients," remarked Malcolm Patel, co-founder and partner of Meridian.  "Our goal is to see our work from our customers' vantage point.  When we do that, we make extraordinary strides on behalf of our clients."

According to Chief Learning Officer magazine, the editors received a record number of nominations this year for the work of learning executives and solution providers.  The winners were "the industry leaders who truly champion innovation and transform it into learning and value for their organizations," remarked Norm Kamikow, president and editor in chief of Chief Learning Officer magazine.

"The CLO awards are a highly prized honor for our industry," said Roy Haythorn, vice president at VIP.  "Winning the only Gold Excellence in Customer Service Award is incredibly special because our aim has always been to put our customers first, and let everything else follow." 

Meridian, along with the other CLO award winners, will be featured in a special report supplement in the December issue of Chief Learning Officer magazine.

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About Meridian
Meridian Knowledge Solutions, Inc. (Meridian), a wholly owned subsidiary of Visionary Integration Professionals, is a leading provider of enterprise learning and knowledge management products and services. Its flagship product, Meridian Global LMS, integrates learning content management, workforce analytics, knowledge management and competency modeling in one learning management system (LMS).

Meridian serves 4.5 million users at more than 200 public- and private-sector employers. Its software is used by companies from >100 to 900,000 employees. Clients include AutoZone, Panera Bread, Sodexho, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, Whirlpool and more than 80 federal, state and local governments. Meridian is the number one ranked learning-technology company for customer loyalty. For more information, please visit www.meridianksi.com.

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About VIP

Established in 1996, Visionary Integration Professionals (VIP) is a global technology and outsourcing firm that has provided solutions to over 900 clients in multiple industries as well as federal, state and local government. VIP helps companies challenge boundaries and uncover new possibilities to increase productivity, maximize revenue, improve performance, mitigate risk, and reduce costs. With nearly 1,000 staff companywide, VIP offers expertise in areas of Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing, SAP Integration and Consulting, Technology Integration and Operations, Talent and Learning Management, Quality Management, and Management Consulting. VIP’s corporate headquarters is located in Folsom, California with offices in Sacramento, Minneapolis, Dallas, Denver, New York City, Alexandria, Houston, and Bangalore, India. More information can be found at www.vipconsulting.com.