A Bold Rebrand

During the ag boom of 2008, Cody Freeze, owner of The Big Rack Shack in Kearney, Nebraska, was in the business of redistributing used pallet racking and material handling equipment, with farmers as his main clientele.

The farmers liked his product, but kept asking him to customize the racks to fit in their shops, filling Freeze’s workshop with an overflow of scrap metal. As he got to know the farmers, it became clear they were also needing heavy duty tables to outfit their new, bigger shops. That scrap metal suddenly had a new calling, and was recreated into heavy duty welding and workshop tables.

A business is born

Freeze sold a lot of the tables, but he could tell his customers wanted more. So he built from scratch a more intense table that could withstand the rigors of ag life. It fit the niche and a new business was born.

“From the beginning I wanted to call the business Badass Workbench, but I got talked out of it since it was too edgy,” said Freeze. He settled on The Ultimate Workbench, and grew the business to 11 distributors across the states, directed primarily to the ag market.

Rebranding for new growth

Fast forward to 2018. After 10 years of trade shows, growth, and product development, Freeze knew it was time to set his sights on a new market, the automotive industry. As he got more involved in the industry, he kept coming back to his original business name, Badass Workbench. It just seemed to fit this new market.

“We were at the SEMA aftermarket trade show, and I probably had a couple hundred people walk into our booth and say ‘That’s a badass workbench’. That’s when I knew I had to go for it,” explained Freeze.

For the rebrand, Freeze chose Control Yours based on a recommendation from a friend. “I’d worked with a different web design company before who barely communicated with me. At the end, I had a website I wasn’t happy with and couldn’t change. I was looking for more of a collaborative process this time.”

David Lano, owner of Control Yours, said, “We were excited to work with Cody. Rebranding is a unique problem to solve, and Cody already had a clear vision that we knew we could work with.”

Working on a tight deadline to hit an upcoming trade show, the Control Yours team worked closely with Freeze to come up with an edgier image. When they were finished, Badass Workbench had come to life.

A total image overhaul

For a complete image remake, the Control Yours team created a new logo, website, and supporting trade show materials. “I really appreciated how there was open dialogue through every step. During the entire rebrand, I was confident it was going to be what I wanted,” said Freeze.

While the rebrand was a big deal, the most important change for Freeze was how Control Yours solved his shipping problem. “With our product, we need freight quotes all the time. Control Yours worked with our freight broker and implemented a tool that could quote shipping costs instantaneously. That’s a game changer for our distributors and reps,” said Freeze.

The rebrand launch is still in the early stages; however, Freeze has already received great feedback from his dealers and reps, and is looking forward to the impact it’ll have on his business. “I’m happy with how the rebrand turned out. It fits with the rest of our marketing efforts and really speaks to our new market. We couldn’t be more excited about where we’re headed,” said Freeze.