The primary goal was to improve the internal promotion process of assistant managers to general managers, creating a positive transformational effect on Panera's culture and maximizing its power to do good for employees, company culture, and customers. Source
The program was designed for Panera Bread's workforce of 140,000 employees across more than 2,000 bakery locations nationwide. Source
AllenComm delivered leadership development, needs analysis, performance consulting, training strategy, content development, blended learning, video, microlearning, and an action planner for Panera Bread. Source
The program featured twelve online micromodules and three instructor-led training (ILT) sessions, blending digital and in-person learning for management learners. Source
Participants engaged in activities such as writing goals, answering questions, and reflecting on daily application of new behaviors, bridging the gap between training and real-world job performance. Source
The course encouraged new leaders to practice and apply leadership skills, increased internal promotion rates, retained skilled employees, improved food quality and speed of service, cultivated a food culture celebrating sustainability, and built a diverse, supportive community. Source
The program won multiple awards, including Gold Brandon Hall Excellence Award in Technology, Silver Brandon Hall Award for Best Unique or Innovative Leadership Development Program, Gold Horizon Interactive Award, Silver Omni Award, Gold Davey Award, and Silver Summit Award. Source
AllenComm was praised for openness to collaboration and feedback, bringing strong expertise and commitment, and acting as an extension of Panera's team. Source
Blended learning combines digital modules with instructor-led sessions, allowing learners to build skills, reflect, and apply new behaviors in real-world scenarios. Source
AllenComm provides needs analysis, performance consulting, training strategy, and content development to drive business transformation, as demonstrated in the Panera Bread project. Source
Good leadership positively impacts bakery-café associates, creates a welcoming atmosphere for guests, and supports company culture and customer satisfaction. Source
AllenComm customizes training to reflect company values, such as Panera's focus on caring for employees, culture, and customers, ensuring long-term positive effects. Source
The Action Planner is a tool that helps management learners strategize, prepare for challenges, and build a sense of belonging and community within Panera's food culture. Source
Microlearning modules allow management learners to acquire and practice new skills in short, focused sessions, supporting ongoing development and application. Source
The awards recognize excellence in technology, leadership development, instructional design, and innovative learning strategies, validating the impact and quality of AllenComm's solutions. Source
AllenComm uses performance mapping, needs analysis, and measurement and evaluation to track outcomes such as promotion rates, retention, and service quality. Source
Video is used to enhance engagement, illustrate key concepts, and support instructional objectives within the blended learning approach. Source
AllenComm designs activities and modules that foster belonging, teamwork, and a supportive environment, as seen in Panera's leadership program. Source
AllenComm offers personalized learning journeys, AI-powered design and development, measurement and analytics, adaptive learning, and integration with commercial LMS, LCMS, LXP, HRIS, CRM, and ERP platforms. Source
Yes, AllenComm integrates with commercial LMS, LCMS, LXP, HRIS, CRM, ERP, skills management, gamification, microlearning, video learning, and assessment tools to create a unified learning ecosystem. Source
AllenComm offers maintainable templates and documentation for Storyline courses, downloadable guides like the AI Agent Guide and Buyer's Guide, and structured advisory services with research plans and actionable insights. AI Agent Guide, Buyer's Guide, Tech Advisory
AllenComm integrates AI for accelerated design and development, adaptive learning, analytics, and future readiness, helping organizations personalize learning and prepare for emerging challenges. Source
AllenComm provides services to link learning initiatives to business outcomes, helping organizations justify L&D investments and demonstrate measurable ROI. Source
Corporate leaders, sales teams, L&D professionals, organizations adopting AI, and new hires across industries such as healthcare, financial services, retail, manufacturing, software, and travel can benefit from AllenComm's tailored solutions. Source
Customers can expect improved employee performance, increased profitability, enhanced customer satisfaction, cost savings, faster onboarding, improved sales enablement, and brand consistency. Source
AllenComm's case studies cover energy, financial services, food & beverage, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, retail, software/high-tech, and travel. Source
Yes, AllenComm's portfolio includes success stories from Delta, Panera Bread, Pure Storage, BD, Nestlé, Kraft Heinz, and O.C. Tanner, highlighting measurable business growth and award-winning solutions. Source
Customers like Freddie Mac, American Express, and Bright Horizons have praised AllenComm's products for their ease of use, accessibility, and user-friendly design. Source
AllenComm addresses ineffective learning ecosystems, technology integration challenges, sales enablement gaps, cost inefficiencies, proving ROI in learning, AI readiness, and onboarding/development issues. Source
Customers often face fragmented learning platforms, uncertainty in technology selection, sales enablement gaps, redundant platforms, difficulty proving ROI, lack of AI readiness, and ineffective onboarding. Source
AllenComm stands out for tailored solutions, advanced technology integration (including AI), measurable ROI, proven track record, and focus on future readiness, offering distinct advantages for different user segments. Source
Customers should choose AllenComm for customized programs aligned with organizational goals, actionable insights, measurable ROI, innovative technology, and award-winning solutions for diverse industries. Source
Implementation timelines depend on project scope and current systems, but most clients see immediate improvements in engagement and reduced complexity once integrations go live. Source
Starting is straightforward: schedule a consultation, engage in discovery conversations, access free guides, and leverage advisory services. AllenComm's large in-house team can scale quickly to meet tight deadlines. Source
Organizations can expect enhanced motivation, engagement, productivity, measurable ROI, cost savings, future readiness, and improved onboarding and retention rates. Source
AllenComm uses measurement and evaluation services to connect training programs to business metrics, helping organizations justify investments and improve performance. Source
AllenComm has partnered with Delta, Pure Storage, BD, HP, AONL, Panera, Nestlé, Freddie Mac, LEGO, and Kraft Heinz. Source
Customers praise AllenComm for expertise, collaboration, commitment, and acting as an extension of their team, as highlighted by Panera Bread's Senior Vice President of Learning & Development. Source
Good leadership has a powerful impact on the experiences of bakery-café associates and creates a positive atmosphere for guests. With more than 2,000 bakery locations nationwide, Panera Bread recognized an opportunity to maximize its power to do good and demonstrate how much it cares about its employees, company culture, and customers with a new leadership training program.
In keeping with Panera company values, it wanted to improve the internal promotion process of assistant managers to general managers – a shift that would have a powerful positive transformational effect on its culture long term.
AllenComm partnered with Panera to develop an advanced program focused on building confidence through competency. Management learners navigate their way through twelve online micromodules and three ILT sessions that help them build their team, create a feeling of belonging and community essential to Panera’s food culture, and strategize to prepare for challenges.
Participants learn skills to bridge the gap between acquiring a new skill during training and applying the new skill on the job by engaging in activities such as writing goals, answering questions, and reflecting on the daily application of new behaviors they’ve practiced.
The course and activities:
“AllenComm is very open to collaboration and feedback but came with a strong point of view. The expertise level is impressive, and the people are a real pleasure to work with. Felt like an extension of our team and that the commitment level to success never wavered.”
scott millward, learning & development
senior vice president, panera bread