New Ideas. Old Truths. Lasting Values.
Graham & Company hired us to update their brand-messaging, and overhaul their website, as part of the Spring 2023 transition to its new generation of leadership — and to underscore its status as a regional force in commercial real estate.
While we spent dozens of hours conducting interviews and background research, we identified, early in our process, the company’s brand personality: A “quiet confidence” based on an exceptionally consistent record of success, an institutional level of business sophistication, and (most importantly) an unwavering commitment to doing the right thing, always — even when it hurts.
One of our great Aha Moments came during a conversation with Steve Graham — who, with brother Mike, led the company for nearly 45 years — and it went something like this:
Q: You’re older than Mike. You joined the company first. So why does everybody say “Mike and Steve” instead of “Steve and Mike?”
He smiled broadly and replied, “You know, I've never really thought about it. Well, for one thing, he's smarter than me! But the order of our names has never been an issue.” Why not? Because Steve Graham understands what’s important in business and life, and whose name came first was not.
That moment of genuine humility from one of Birmingham’s business legends (and yes, he’d hate that description) inspired not only the firm’s one-word brandline — Grounded — but arguably the best first sentence we’ve ever written for a client’s “About Us” page.