branding
& strategy

case study

promotional videos and website for hardwoods company

case study

educational and promotional videos for hardwoods company

Spanning more than five decades, Banks Hardwoods has provided premier hardwoods to discerning buyers across the nation. Headquartered in White Pigeon, Michigan with an additional facility in Menomonie, Wisconsin, Banks Hardwoods specializes in a variety of northern and Appalachian species.

The company's motto, "Quality Everything," might sound a little simple at first, or a bit unspecific. But to the company, it's not just a motto, it's a promise: that everything they do will be from a "Quality Everything" approach and perspective. And they really believe it, to their core. When we (ruef Design) first toured their facility in White Pigeon, we could sense it. The proof was evident all around us, in the cleanliness of the facility, in their processes and relationships. The Banks team genuinely cares for one another, and about their products and customers.

The company's CEO, Steve Banks, is passionate about his company and the people who work for him, and that passion extends to his team, who pride themselves on their commitment to high quality and friendly, professional customer service.

Spanning more than five decades, Banks Hardwoods has provided premier hardwoods to discerning buyers across the nation. Headquartered in White Pigeon, Michigan with an additional facility in Menomonie, Wisconsin, Banks Hardwoods specializes in a variety of northern and Appalachian species.

The company's motto, "Quality Everything," might sound a little simple at first, or a bit unspecific. But to the company, it's not just a motto, it's a promise. That everything they do will be from a "Quality Everything" approach. And they really believe it, to their core. When we (ruef Design) first toured their facility in White Pigeon, we could sense it. The proof was evident all around us, in their products and relationships. The Banks team genuinely cares for one another, and about their products and customers.

The company's CEO, Steve Banks, is passionate about his company and the people who work for him, and that passion extends to his team, who pride themselves on their commitment to high quality and friendly, professional customer service.

our process

While "Quality Everything" may be the name of the company's quality assurance program, it is also deeply embedded in everything they do. How do you show that in a video? How to do capture that essence in 2-3 minutes? Before we could get to that point, we had to start at the basics. We worked directly with Steve Banks and Criswell Davis of The Timber & Forestry Foundation to develop scripts for multiple videos. Banks Hardwoods has an education program for its new hires and customers called the Banks School, and before marketing his company, Steve Banks wanted a video to show how everything works in a U.S. sawmill. Not just for the school, but for the entire hardwoods industry to use as an educational tool.

After developing multiple scripts and directions for different videos, our entire crew traveled up to White Pigeon to capture initial footage. We returned and began the video edit, refining the script along the way. It was determined that more footage was needed, so our crew returned to Michigan, and later traveled to the Banks facility in Wisconsin, in order to capture all the footage needed to create multiple videos.

results

The first video we produced, "The US Sawmill: How Hardwood Lumber is Made," debuted on YouTube in the summer of 2021. The video is now featured on the Education page of the National Hardwood Lumber Association.

The second video, "Quality Everything – Who We Are" debuted in November 2021. The Banks Hardwoods team has decided to make it the cornerstone of their future marketing efforts.

A third video detailing the Banks Hardwoods process debuted in 2022, "An Introduction to Banks Hardwoods."

While producing these videos we also launched a brand new website for Banks Hardwoods. View the website here.

We continue to be Banks Hardwoods' go-to creative agency.