Summit Bank Wins American Bankers Association’s Brand Slam “Out-of-the-Box Idea” Award for Summit House Campaign

EUGENE, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Summit Bank announced today that it has been honored with the American Bankers Association’s 2025 Brand Slam award for “Out-of-the-Box Idea,” recognizing the Bank’s bold, community-driven campaign, Summit House. The award was presented at the ABA Bank Marketing Conference in New Orleans, where the ABA recognized six banks nationwide for standout marketing achievements.

The Brand Slam awards—judged by a volunteer panel of 75 Certified Financial Marketing Professionals (CFMP) experts—evaluate concepts, strategies, creativity, execution, and impact across six categories. The Out-of-the-Box Idea category honors inventive bank strategies, campaigns, promotional items, or other forms of marketing genius that don’t fit into traditional buckets.

“Bank marketing is crucial for attracting and retaining customers in a competitive marketplace,” said Russell Davis, the ABA’s executive vice president of member experience. “This year’s Brand Slam winners stand out for their highly creative approaches to connecting with their communities, personalizing customer experiences, and building brand trust.”

Summit Bank’s award-winning Summit House campaign blends cinematic storytelling, local nostalgia, and humor to deliver a clear brand message with heart. Premiered during Summit Bank’s 10th year as title sponsor of the Eugene Chamber’s Celebration of Business, the 3.5-minute film pays tribute to Eugene’s culture—drawing inspiration from the University of Oregon’s iconic “Shout” commercial and the classic film Animal House, both shot locally. Every person featured in the video is either a well-known client, a business owner, or a colleague of Summit Bank, underscoring the genuine relationships that define the Bank’s brand.

“This recognition belongs to our clients and colleagues—because they’re the stars of the story, literally,” said Craig Wanichek, President and CEO of Summit Bank. “With Summit House, we set out to create something that feels true to Eugene, celebrated the people who make our region special, and showed what relationship banking looks like when you put community first.”

“From concept to casting, our north star was authentic,” added Jenny Bennett, Executive Vice President, Market President for Eugene & Springfield, “By spotlighting real clients, founders of the Bank, and teammates nodding to Eugene’s pop-culture roots, we built a campaign that made people smile—and reminded them why local banking matters.”

ABOUT SUMMIT BANK:

Summit Bank Group Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary Summit Bank, maintains offices in Eugene & Springfield, Central Oregon, and the Portland Metropolitan area, specializing in providing high-level service to professionals and medium-sized businesses and their owners. The Bank was voted one of Oregon's "Top 100 Companies to Work For" for the fourth consecutive year, according to Oregon Business Magazine. Summit Bank was honored as "Favorite Bank" in the Eugene Register-Guard's annual Reader's Choice Awards and "Best Bank" by Central Oregon's Bend Bulletin for the past two years. Recently, Summit Bank was recognized by American Banker as one of the top 100 banks in the country, affirming its position among the elite national financial institutions. Additionally, Lane County recently named Summit Bank one of the best places for working parents to work. Summit Bank Group Inc. is quoted on the OTCID under the symbol SBKO.