When your company stretches across six states and dozens of job roles, delivering consistent, meaningful training can feel impossible. For Sunroc Construction & Materials, the solution wasn’t more training – it was smarter training with digital badges.
By leveraging Tyfoom’s platform and creating role-specific digital badges, Sunroc didn’t just improve employee engagement, it accelerated leadership development and amplified the return on every dollar invested in workforce growth.
The Challenge: Diverse Teams, Disconnected Training
Sunroc is a powerhouse in construction services, offering everything from demolition to paving to masonry. But with that diversity came a real challenge: how do you train people across different specialties, in different states, with different goals?
At first, Sunroc relied on ready-made video content available in the Tyfoom platform. It was convenient, but not custom. “We realized our people needed training that spoke to our unique processes, tools, and culture,” said Jake Hinckley, Director of Workforce Development. “We wanted our own employees featured as the experts.”
Geographic silos made things worse. If one team figured out a better process, it could take months or even years for that knowledge to reach others. Sunroc needed a system that made innovation shareable and scalable.
The Breakthrough: Creating an Ecosystem of Learning
The solution was twofold: first, Sunroc started producing custom training videos featuring their own people and processes. Second, the company launched a digital badge program to turn individual trainings into structured, goal-oriented learning paths.
Instead of one-off safety or leadership videos, employees could now complete a series of short videos to earn badges in categories like:
- Leadership
- Safety
- Construction
- Equipment & Trucking
- Materials
- Masonry
- Executive/HR
Each badge represented a full learning journey, not just a single topic. And employees were hooked.
“Sometimes a two-minute video isn’t enough,” said Hinckley. “Digital badges allow us to break down a big concept into multiple short, digestible videos that build on each other.”
Engagement Skyrocketed Without a Single Announcement
Within an hour of launching their first badge, over 100 employees completed it without any internal promotion. “That proved our people want to learn,” said Hinckley. “They were discovering the content and diving in on their own.”
The badge system used a color-coded tier for visibility and motivation:
- Level 1 (Gray): 2–4 videos
- Level 2 (Orange): 5–7 videos
- Level 3 (Blue): 8+ videos
This structure helped employees and their managers track progress at a glance. Everything is visible in the Tyfoom dashboard, making it easy for leadership to measure impact and participation across departments and locations.
Clear Leadership Development
One of Sunroc’s biggest wins was using digital badges to upskill frontline leaders.
“Many of our supervisors came up through the field,” said Hinckley. “They’re great at what they do, but they’ve never been trained in leadership formally.”
Now, employees who want to grow into leadership roles can complete a curated set of leadership badges as part of their personal development plans.
“It gives structure to individual development,” said Hinckley. “And it gives our people the chance to steer their own careers.”
Real-Time Safety Content with Real Results
Sunroc didn’t stop with leadership. Safety became another area where digital badges and custom videos made a huge impact.
When pre-trip inspections became a focus, Sunroc divided machines across 20 area managers and had them film videos for each one. Using Tyfoom’s QR code functionality, those videos are now instantly accessible. Simply scan the equipment tag and get a refresher right before you start the machine.
Incident reviews also became part of the training ecosystem. “If a near-miss happens, we capture it on video and share it,” Hinckley said. “It sticks better when you see it.”
All these videos are now part of the badge structure, making safety training not only more relevant, but easier to track and repeat.
Knowledge Sharing Without Boundaries
One of the biggest cultural shifts at Sunroc has been the move from knowledge hoarding to knowledge sharing.
“We used to have great ideas get stuck at one location,” said Hinckley. “Now, if something works, we create a quick video, tag it to a badge and share it with everyone.”
This has led to faster innovation, greater collaboration and a more unified company culture despite the physical distance between teams.
Easy Video Creation, Big Impact
To support the badge program, Sunroc encourages employees to create their own videos. The process is streamlined with just three criteria:
- Good sound quality
- Horizontal, steady filming
- Keeping the video to two minutes or less
Employees use Tyfoom’s “Create Effective Training in 7 Minutes or Less” worksheet to help plan their videos. “It’s easy and approachable,” said Hinckley. “We don’t want to discourage content creation with perfectionism. We can always improve it later.”
Videos are shared with shout-outs to those who helped, reinforcing peer recognition and ownership of the learning process.
The ROI of Digital Badges
So, what’s the return on all this?
- Engaged learners completing badges without being told to
- Frontline leaders building skills that translate to better team performance
- Faster onboarding and upskilling with targeted, trackable training
- Fewer safety incidents due to visual learning and accessible content
- Higher morale and retention, thanks to visible growth paths and peer recognition
And it’s just getting started. “We have 30 badges now,” said Hinckley, “and I want to reach 100 by the end of the year.”
Learning That Builds Momentum
Digital badges aren’t cute visual stickers – they’re a framework for building a culture of consistent, self-directed learning. Every badge earned represents real knowledge gained, and the more employees see their progress, the more motivated they are to keep going.
Badges also promote healthy competition and camaraderie. When employees can showcase their badges, it encourages others to join in – and it shows leadership who’s taking initiative.
“You can train on anything with badges,” said Hinckley. “From core principles to operational changes. If you can dream it, you can build it. Tyfoom makes it so easy to design and implement a badge program for training, it’s a HUGE opportunity missed if you don’t have one.”
Tyfoom’s digital badges helped Sunroc move from a fragmented training system to a powerful learning ecosystem – one that’s fast, flexible and employee-led. The result?
A safer, smarter, more motivated workforce – and a massive boost in ROI on workforce development.
As Hinckley put it: “This isn’t just training. It’s how we tell our story, share our wins, and grow together.”
Tyfoom’s safety training videos help teams learn faster, communicate better, and build safer, stronger workplaces every day. Learn how you can enjoy the same results as Wheeler Machinery by scheduling a meeting to speak with a Tyfoom training consultant.
Read the full case study on Sunroc Construction & Materials.