The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts has named West Bank as a winner of an Award of Excellence (Financial Services) and an Award of Distinction (Corporate Image) for the bank’s new video, Standing Strong, during their 30^th Annual Communicator Awards event in New York. This video, narrated by actor Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager), tells the over 130-year story of West Des Moines’ oldest existing business.

Since its simple beginnings on the muddy streets of Valley Junction in 1893, West Bank has seen its share of change. As West Des Moines’ oldest existing business, the bank has survived recessions and a depression, 23 U.S. presidents have come and gone, and improvements to technology have dramatically changed all aspects of human life.

Despite it all, West Bank continues to thrive, regardless of what it faces. Its investment into people and deep-rooted relationships are the strength behind its resilience and ability to weather changes and stand strong in its community.

Years in the making, West Bank recently opened its new headquarters in West Des Moines at 3330 Westown Parkway. As a show of commitment to their community, the new headquarters was built in an area of West Des Moines in drastic need of a catalyst for revitalization.

Standing Strong is a 10-minute video based on the recently published book of the same name. Created by Bookpress Publishing & Media in West Des Moines, both the video and book use a number of impactful, historical visuals to tell the story of one of the country’s most successful banking institutions. “West Bank has a remarkable history and we are proud to commemorate it with the video and book,” said Dave Nelson, West Bank CEO. Dr. Anthony Paustian, managing partner for Bookpress said, “We are very grateful for the opportunity West Bank has given us to create these pieces. They are a wonderful company, and we are proud to be a customer and call them our bank.”

With over 3,000 entries received from across the US and around the world, the Communicator Awards is the largest and most competitive awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals. The competition celebrated its 30th anniversary this year with a pledge to honor timeless communication. Winners who received the competition’s highest honor, the Award of Excellence, include Disney, The White House Historical Association, Mastercard, AARP, Veritas, IBM, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Hearts & Science, PBS, Havas, PepsiCo and many others.

“The entries into this season of The Communicator Awards were such a great representation of our three decades celebrating innovation and creativity in all forms of communication. I couldn’t have wished for a more diverse and brilliant body of work to be placed in our jurors’ capable hands,” said AIVA Managing Director Lauren Angeloni.

The Communicator Awards is sanctioned and judged by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA), an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed brand and media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms including: GE Digital, Spotify, Condè Nast, Disney, Accenture Song, Superfly, Fast Company, Digitas, and many others. For more information about the Communicator Awards, please visit communicatorawards.com

Bookpress Publishing & Media is an award-winning book publisher and media company located in West Des Moines, Iowa.  More information can be found at BookpressPublishing.com.