BB&T Corporation has been selected as a 2007 "BEST Award" winner for excellence in employee training and development by the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD).

BB&T ranked 15th among the 42 companies from around the world to receive 2007 BEST awards and is recognized in a special section of the October 2007 issue of Training + Development, the ASTD's monthly magazine.

"BB&T is a knowledge-based organization where our management and employees are dedicated to lifelong learning," said Will Sutton, manager of BB&T University, which oversees the organization's training initiatives. "We know this commitment is a key competitive advantage for us. It's certainly rewarding to be recognized for excellence in training and development.

"However, the real reward is watching our employees take advantage of internal opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills and use their training to provide exceptional service to our clients."

The ASTD received entries from 103 organizations in eight countries outlining their learning and development practices and programs.

The applications were evaluated by members of the BEST Awards advisory committee, a group of experts in the learning and performance fields. ("BEST" stands for "Building talent, Enterprise-wide, Supported by the organization's leaders, fostering a Thorough learning culture.")

"The BEST Award winners can articulate the value of learning and its impact on the organization's bottom line," said ASTD President and Chief Executive Officer Tony Bingham.

BB&T University has 130 employees who create and implement activities at 29 sites across the bank's footprint. It manages online and classroom training for a variety of topics, including retail and business credit, branch operations, sales and service, office technology, and leadership and personal development.

BB&T University personnel also manage the company's Leadership Development Program, which trains two classes of future leaders for the company each year. It also manages The BB&T Banking School at Wake Forest, a program which provides high-performance employees with a broad understanding of the bank, the financial services industry and general business practices.

In 2006, BB&T University conducted more than 2,900 classes. Employees completed more than 68,000 days of training and more than 282,000 online training courses. In addition, more than 327 employees graduated from The BB&T Banking School and the Leadership Development Program.

In addition to BB&T University, BB&T uses subsidiary FARR Associates, a High Point, N.C.-based leadership consulting firm, for teambuilding activities and advanced leadership classes.

In March 2007, BB&T also was named among Training magazine's "Training Top 125" list of organizations that excel in workforce training and development for the fifth year in a row.

More information about the 2007 ASTD BEST Awards may be found in the October issue of Training + Development or at www.astd.org/BEST_Awards.

ASTD is the world's largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. ASTD's members come from more than 100 countries and connect locally in 136 U.S. chapters and 25 global networks. The organization was founded in 1944. For more information, visit www.astd.org.

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