Company Background: Driving Development in Close Community
KerberRose is a public accounting and business solutions firm serving small to mid-sized communities across central and northeastern Wisconsin. Founded over 40 years ago, the firm has expanded to 13 locations and 250 employees, offering services that go beyond accounting including advisory, audit, human resources, payroll, retirement plans, tax services, and wealth management.
At the heart of KerberRose’s culture is a commitment to people-first values. Leading this effort is Learning and Development Manager, Erik Heller, who oversees training, leadership development, mentoring, and learning programs across the firm. His approach reflects the organization’s community-minded philosophy: investing in employees so they can thrive in their careers and strengthen client relationships.
Challenge: Engaging a Four-Generation Workforce
KerberRose’s workforce spans four generations, each with different learning preferences and expectations. Some prefer digital, self-paced content or value in-person connection while others disengage from training altogether. This made it challenging to design learning experiences that were accessible, engaging, and relevant to everyone. Learner engagement varied drastically based on the delivery method so Erik works on evolving and structuring content based on the needs of the current audience. This ensures that what is delivered reflects the firm’s culture, business priorities, and community-minded approach.
Objectives: Building an Inclusive Learning Experience
To address KerberRose’s multi-generational workforce, Erik worked with leadership and the L&D team to provide content that is detailed, inclusive and accessible depending on preferences. Erik set out to:
- Grow a culture of mentorship and cross-level collaboration
- Identify talent needs through quarterly partner conversations and industry trend monitoring
- Provide flexible and inclusive learning options to engage all generations
- Strengthen communication and leadership skills to support a people-first client experience
Implementation: Tiered Leadership Development and Modern Onboarding
To address these goals, KerberRose offers a three-tiered leadership development series and mentoring programs tailored to different career stages:
- Foundations of Leadership: Focusing on self-awareness and growth
- Emerging Leaders: Developing future talent for leadership across all service lines
- Developing Others: Targeting senior-level leadership skills
- Mentorship Program: Pairing emerging talent with seasoned professionals in 1-on-1 settings
Smaller group sizes encouraged participants to open up and connect. To enhance the programs, KerberRose integrated OpenSesame content, using a mixed learning approach that would appeal to learners across generations.
Foundations of Leadership now features multiple OpenSesame premier courses that allows learners to explore topics in depth and avoid surface-level training.
The Mentorship Program has a dedicated OpenSesame-powered catalog in their LMS which is refreshed annually and features monthly newsletters to promote continued engagement.
KerberRose also redesigned its new hire onboarding to focus on essential skills and certifications. Compliance training is streamlined, critical certifications are embedded into the LMS, and new hires gain faster access to skill-building courses tailored to the accounting industry.
To stay agile, the L&D team meets with firm partners quarterly to track talent needs and trends. These conversations guide curation efforts and ensure the content aligns with both internal performance metrics and national trends and developments.
Results: Retention, Promotions, and Deeper Learning
KerberRose’s commitment to a learner-first strategy focused on course accessibility within interactive group structures delivered measurable impact:
- 100% compliance training completion rate keeps employees prepared and audit-ready, helping KerberRose avoid costly legal, reputational, and regulatory penalties that can exceed $25,000
- 50%+ growth in leadership program participation ensures stronger leadership pipelines
- 95% retention rate among leadership program participants demonstrates training’s long-term value
- 30% of employees in leadership programs received promotions across recent cohorts
These outcomes represent more than compliance and promotion metrics. They reflect a learning culture that connects employee development to the firm’s values and long-term success of its community.
Looking Ahead: Empowering Growth Through Personalized Learning
KerberRose continues to refine its programs to help employees grow in ways that reflect who they are and who they want to become. Their leadership programming is continually evolving based on feedback, trends, and community insights. As course engagement increases, Erik expects employees around the office to reflect on their experience and see themselves as capable leaders who break down barriers and pave the way for change. With strong mentor programs in place, trusted community engagement, and a firm commitment to personalized learning across generations, KerberRose is building more than financial capability— they’re developing leaders.
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KerberRose’s Primary LMS
