Celebrating
20 Years of Training
Since 2005, Ready Training Online (RTO®) has aspired to improve performance, help drive revenue and transform company cultures because we understand how important people, both customers and employees, are to a company’s success.
Our History
Everything we do supports your frontline, so that your business can succeed
RTO was founded in 2005 by Jeff Kahler, who sought to address training and retention challenges within his own multi-location pizza chain. Recognizing the success of his innovative approach, Jeff collaborated with industry experts to refine and expand RTO, aiming to assist other businesses facing similar challenges.
Driven by his passion for hospitality and service, Jeff led RTO to develop specialized training content for these industries. As the content library grew, the need for an efficient delivery system became evident, leading to the development of the trainingGrid® learning management system (LMS). This platform continues to evolve, keeping the needs of employees and training administrators at its core, ultimately providing a comprehensive training solution. Scroll through our history timeline below to see how we have evolved over the past 20 years…
2005
2005
Jeff Kahler jots down the ideas behind RTO on a napkin. With his business partner George Rivers III, the two are inspired to turn this sketch into a reality. Ready Training Online is born.
2006
2006
RTO signs our first client. They provided our first breakthrough into convenience stores, laying the groundwork for what would be our specialty years down the line.
2008
2008
RTO attends our first NACS Show. We would go on to attend the show more than 10 times over the years and eventually become the Preferred eLearning Partner of NACS.
2009
2009
The first usage of Gears to Your Career (GTYC). This career development program would eventually grow into a key, premium feature of our learning management system, trainingGrid®.
2011
2011
Rutter’s, RTO’s longest running client, is signed. Rutter’s is a keystone in the mid-Atlantic convenience scene and we are proud to continue the training partnership for so long.
2013
2013
RTO is certified to provide alcohol compliance training in New York State; the first of 15 states (and counting) where we currently provide state-certified alcohol compliance training.
2014
2014
RTO purchases Service That Sells!®. This marked an expansion into the restaurant industry, bringing a diversification of our growing training content catalogue.
2015
2015
The ReadyConvenience® brand is launched. This marked a commitment to providing convenience focused content and maintaining their growing presence in the industry. Additionally, our in-office convenience store film set, also bearing the ReadyConvenience name, began construction.
2018
2018
After an ever-evolving host of names that included ‘Sunhawk’ and ‘Riverdog’, RTO’s learning management system is officially renamed “trainingGrid.” trainingGrid remains the LMS’s name today and is an integral part of RTO.
2020
2020
The first episode of our podcast, Culture of Convenience, is released. This podcast still runs today, having over 135 episodes to date.
2023
2023
RTO’s mascot and technical support dog, Sidekick, launched within trainingGrid. Sidekick, a dog avatar who lives in trainingGrid to answer questions and provide technical assistance, is modeled after CEO Jeff Kahler’s dog, Porkchop.
2025
2025
RTO turns 20. We’re so happy that you’re here to celebrate with us…here’s to another 20 years!
