Rebranding – Why we are changing to Growthland

Branding is critical to a business. It is your identity, sets you apart from the competition and presents a memorable impression. Successful branding stems from a strong coherence between what the company’s top management seeks to accomplish, what the company’s employees know and believe, and how external stakeholders perceive the company. This recognition increases company value, provides insight, sets expectations, and makes acquiring new customers easier.

At Agri-Management Service and Affiliates, we have decided to rebrand our company.  Perhaps our experiences and lessons learned can help you think through your brand’s position.

We formed Agri-Management Service and Affiliates in 2019 due to a merger and acquisition between three companies: Agri-Management Services, Aspen Grove Investments, and Growthland Realty and Appraisal. Due to the variety of services provided by the three companies, each name was retained in the appropriate capacity for the service provided. However, after operating under these umbrellas for nearly three years, it is time to consolidate to one name, Growthland, moving forward. This is only a name change, and we will update our website, social media pages, and other name-specific items. There is no change to the company’s ownership, and we will continue to provide our menu of services in the geographic areas served. 

Why we are rebranding

Market Changes.  Activity in some areas of our market has accelerated since we combined in 2019.  Sales of agricultural real estate have grown dramatically.  Appraisal work has continued to expand with an aging ownership base and rising asset values, coupled with potential tax changes.  We have an expanding customer base in these areas, and it is essential to recognize the knowledge we bring to the table.

Growth.  We have been fortunate to experience growth in our services and geographical footprint.  We needed to consider whether our brand fits our current and new markets, particularly when explaining the different services we can provide in a new geographical area.  As we expanded, it became cumbersome to manage multiple brands without confusing new customer bases.  We intend to build upon the reputations, services, and legacies built, and we believe a single brand helps communicate these ideals.

Consistency.  We offer a menu of services oriented around appraisals, management, brokerage and advising. Our services are heavily geared toward the agricultural industry but have capabilities in many other industries as well. We previously offered each under one of the three brands.  While differentiating those services made sense at that time and was our strategy during our transition, it now makes sense to offer them under a consistent logo.

Support of Our Mission.  Our mission is to use knowledge to create value for clients over the long term.  It is important to communicate our vision clearly to the market.  We feel that “Growthland” communicates our orientation toward profitable and sustainable growth for our business, employees and clients.

Attracting and Retaining Top Talent.  Today’s labor market is hyper-competitive.  Our culture is clearly something our employees contribute to and value. Having the ability to communicate our expanding services clearly and geographic reach to prospective employees had become cumbersome. Combining the names provides one message when recruiting top talent. 

Geographic Reach.  We have worked with clients in eight states and believe this could expand. We must have a brand name that is adaptable and appealing to cultures across the communities that we work in.

If you can relate your business to any of these reasons to rebrand, then it may be time to make a change. It is hard to gauge when and how to execute a rebranding campaign, but it can impact your business when it is needed. These are the main drivers for rebranding, but we are certainly not experts in this field. We utilized our internal staff, interviews with clients, and our trusted advisors to make this decision. We would be glad to share our experiences as we work through this process. 

Maurie Cashman is a member-owner of Growthland.

This appeared in the October 25 edition of the Corridor Business Journal