As originally seen in: Boston Business Journal
Tammy Vadez’s award-winning Sales Skill Lab prepares sales representatives through AI-simulated customer conversations
We’re proud to share that Catania Oils has earned a Brandon Hall Group™ Silver HCM Excellence Award® for the Sales Skill Lab, an AI-enabled training program developed to help our sales team build confidence through realistic customer conversations and coaching. The recognition reflects our continued investment in practical, human-centered technology that helps our people learn, grow, and better serve customers.
Catania Oils, a premier processor and packager of plant-based oils in the Northeast, has been recognized with a Brandon Hall Group Silver HCM Excellence Award in the Best Use of AI for Learning category for its Sales Skill Lab program. The HCM Excellence Awards recognize organizations that successfully develop and deploy programs, strategies, technologies, and solutions that deliver measurable business results and advance excellence in Human Capital Management.“Every year, the HCM Excellence Awards remind us that innovation is ultimately about impact,” says Rachel Cooke, COO of Brandon Hall Group and HCM Excellence Awards Program Leader. “The organizations recognized this year have demonstrated that great HR and learning strategies don't just improve programs, they strengthen organizations, empower people and deliver measurable business results. We are honored to celebrate their achievements.”
The Sales Skill Lab was created by Tammy Valdez, Training and Development Manager at Catania Oils, as a training tool for the Sales team to rehearse realistic customer conversations. The simulation places sales representatives in scenarios where they must interpret customer needs, respond to objections, and move the conversation forward without scripts or prompts. Each conversation is followed by immediate, structured coaching feedback. The Sales team reported early improvements in efficiency and skill development following the launch of the pilot program.
The Sales Skill Lab is part of an enterprise-wide training initiative launched at Catania Oils in 2025 to improve and standardize new-hire onboarding, while also investing in AI as a broader innovation strategy. Under the guidance of Heather DelCarpini, Director of Marketing & AI Enablement, Catania Oils has embraced human-centered AI adoption – an implementation strategy designed to empower employees through technology. To date, Catania Oils has built more than 200 AI resources, including custom GPTs, AI projects, agents, and AI skills and plugins for use across the business.
“At Catania Oils, we believe artificial intelligence should empower employees and help them work more effectively across our business,” notes DelCarpini. “Thanks to the innovation and enthusiasm of employees like Tammy, our 125-year-old family business can offer a practical example for companies looking to equip their teams with useful technology. Congratulations to Tammy for creating a thoughtful, impactful program. We are proud to recognize her work and look forward to what comes next.”
About Brandon Hall Group
Brandon Hall Group is the Workforce Excellence Intelligence company.