Career Step Announces Acquisition of Code3 CME and Appoints Judson Smith as New Vice President of Continuing Education

    PROVO, UT, January 07, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Career Step, an online provider of career-focused education and corporate training, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Code3 CME, a provider of EMT, paramedic and critical care transport training. Code3 CME founder Judson Smith has also transitioned to Career Step with the acquisition, filling a new role as Vice President of Continuing Education. The transaction was finalized January 4, 2016.

"The acquisition of Code3 CME is the result of our commitment to expand our continuing education offerings," said Steve Tober, Career Step President and CEO. "This acquisition, in addition to that of Emergency Certifications, Inc. in June of last year, broadens our ability to serve working healthcare professionals. Healthcare is the fastest growing sector of our economy, presenting a great need for education programs that allow professionals in the field to advance and augment their careers."

Code3 CME was founded in 2014 by Judson Smith, an expert in emergency medical services (EMS) and critical pre-hospital care. After developing educational content throughout his 20 years of healthcare and military experience, Mr. Smith founded Code3 CME to provide quality training with a level of educational support he felt was lacking in the industry.

Code3 CME offers a number of EMT and paramedic courses, including an EMT refresher and transition course, a critical care paramedic review course, E-ACLS and E-CPR courses, and a National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) refresher course, among a number of others. Code3 CME programs are available as self-paced training modules or are taught live through an online platform by experienced instructors to meet both the NREMT and state renewal requirements. All courses are nationally accredited through the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS).

"I have seen phenomenal growth in Code3 CME over the last year," said Mr. Smith. "I am excited to have the added resources and expertise Career Step offers to provide Code3 CME offerings to a larger number of healthcare professionals. These continuing education courses are extremely important to providing quality patient care, and by offering quality training with exceptional customer service, we will play an important role in empowering healthcare professionals to better perform their jobs."

With the acquisition, Mr. Smith has transitioned to Career Step, filling the newly created role of Vice President of Continuing Education. He brings 20 years of EMS and critical care experience, including fire-based EMS and flight medicine. Mr. Smith serves as an officer in the United States Air Force Reserves in an aeromedical evacuation squadron and is a licensed critical care paramedic as well.

"We are very excited to have Judson join the Career Step team," said Ryan Ewer, Career Step CMO. "Judson brings a wealth of healthcare experience that will enable us to better serve working healthcare professionals, providing the certification and refresher training they need to do their jobs well. Judson's vision has already provided strategic guidance needed to ensure we are providing the very best education products."

Career Step's Continuing Education division will now combine the Emergency Certifications acquisition and its program offerings with the Code3 CME suite of programs to offer a broad and comprehensive suite of programs for healthcare professionals. The transaction was finalized January 4, 2016, and Hogan Lowells LLP acted as exclusive legal advisor to Career Step. More information on the Code3 CME courses can be found at http://www.code3cme.com.

About Career Step
Career Step, a portfolio company of Denver based private equity firm Revelstoke Capital Partners, is an online provider of career-focused education and corporate training. The company has trained over 100,000 students for new careers, has more than 150 partnerships with colleges and universities nationwide, offers a variety of continuing education courses for healthcare professionals, and has educated more than 8,000 health information professionals through its Corporate Training Division. Career Step provides training for several of the largest and most respected healthcare employers in the nation and is committed to helping students and practicing healthcare professionals alike gain the skills they need to be successful in the workplace--improving lives, advancing careers, and bettering business results through education. More information can be found at http://www.careerstep.com or 1-800-246-7836.

About Code3 CME
Code3 CME provides nationally accredited EMT and paramedic refresher and recertification training. Founded by a licensed critical care paramedic serving as an officer in Air Force Reserves with an aeromedical evacuation squadron who has over 20 years of EMS experience, Code3 CME's training is designed to provide exactly the education EMS professionals need. Self-paced training and instructor-led courses are available to meet both the NREMT and state renewal requirements, and all programs are nationally accredited by the Continuing Education Coordinating Board for Emergency Medical Services (CECBEMS). For more information, visit http://www.code3cme.com.

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