Builtwell
well-built communities grow here.
A merger-driven rebrand that unified two banks, and two leadership teams, under one new name.
First Volunteer Bank came to Maycreate needing a new name and identity while acquiring First Bank of Dalton, merging a Southeast Tennessee brand with a North Georgia one under a single banner. Our nine-month process led the discovery, naming, identity, and rollout that resulted in the bank standing today: Builtwell.
Both banks’ identities were dated, and “Volunteer” wouldn’t resonate in Georgia. Two leadership teams and employee bases now had to unify under one name and brand. Banks are heavily regulated and largely offer the same products, so real differentiation had to come from who the people behind the bank actually were.
Discovery sessions revealed that leadership saw each of their 25 branches as its own small community, taking in local deposits and lending that money back out locally. That pattern became the “local economic engine”: the idea that a well-built community depends on a well-built bank reinvesting in it.
We set brand pillars before naming, then used an evaluation worksheet so both leadership teams could score name finalists together. The client landed on “Builtwell.”
We had a full identity system — bold, community-inspired colors anchored by blue — ready the moment they asked to see it and then rolled out through a 90-day teaser and separate reveal events for each legacy team.
Naming
Advertising
Website
Photography
Radio
Strategy
Copywriting
SEO & Analytics
Community Banking
The rebrand launched across both banks’ branch networks with synchronized signage reveals, a unified employee rollout, and teller documentation to help staff answer questions about both the new name and the merger simultaneously.
the year the bank opened its doors
branches, each its own local economic engine
staff briefed before the public unveiling
disciplines delivered, naming to analytics
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“We don’t just come up with a name, a logo, and a campaign. We want to know who you are as a business. We think as if we’re part of your team, not just a service provider.”