Bent River Machine
“I feel like it finally shows who we are. Not just what we do, but who we really are.”
The Situation
When Jessica and Geiler Eckman first came to us, they had one BHAG (big hairy audacious goal): to make the INC 5000 list. And just a few months after we launched their brand, the did it.
Bent River Machine is one of those shops that was known and loved by their customers but invisible beyond that. They build complex custom machines, automation, and factory tooling for big names including Raytheon and Textron. They’ve been quietly setting the standard in solar lamination machines for years, especially solar for space.
But their website looked like some stuffy out-of-touch corporation, not like the super innovative and hands-on shop they are IRL.
Built by the industrial marketing giant that shall not be named and is just as out of touch, the old site was loaded with walls of text and generic stock photos. It gave zero sense of the team, the culture, or the caliber of work they’re known for.
And that was after Jessica and her partner, Geiler, spent a ton of their precious time handholding and feeding them content. Yet it still didn’t reflect what they’d built. They weren’t a bunch of white collared shirts wasting time in a board room. They were a tenacious, fast-growing team of innovators and makers with deep roots, close ties, and big goals—and their online presence needed to show that.
The Challenge
Their website and brand didn’t speak to their perfect customers, or adequately represent the type and level of work they were doing.
Their navigation was confusing and their messaging was heavy and technical, not clear and compelling.
They wanted to continue growing intentionally but didn’t have the digital presence to support that.
They needed a way to make their capabilities obvious and build trust fast, while still showing what makes them different: their people, their story, and their values.
The Solution
We built Bent River a new brand and website that feels like them. It’s clear, professional, and shows what they’re capable of without burying people in industry jargon and cheesy stock photos.
Deliverables included:
A homepage that builds trust as you scroll
A refreshed visual identity that feels confident and precise
Messaging that magnetizes their perfect prospects
Intuitive navigation that leads them on a journey to the conclusion that Bent River is worth talking to
Videos featuring interviews with key team members and stunning footage of the people behind the machines
Every piece we created is functional, clear, and tells the real story of Bent River Machine. It looks and feels like a company that’s here to solve real problems and stick around.
The Result
Bent River’s new, cohesive, aligned brand positions them as what they already are: a serious player doing top-tier work in custom equipment and automation.
It shows the caliber of client they serve, helps them attract the next big opportunity, and gives them a brand presence that supports the vision they’re building toward.
This wasn’t a full rebrand just to look “pretty.” It was about aligning their digital presence with their real-life reputation, and helping them grow from there.
Want your shop to look as good online as it runs in real life?
Schedule a quick 15-minute call with Emily HERE to figure it out. No sales pitch, no gimmicks, just a quick introduction to see how we jive.
Learn more about our Radical process here.
