When Betenbough Homes announced an AI innovation contest, the marketing department jumped in with enthusiasm. Each team — strategy, communications, creative design, and video — came together to dream, brainstorm, and discuss ideas.
Fueled by a shared sense of creativity, collaboration, and fun, the marketing department, encouraged by their leaders, made multiple submissions. All six of their AI projects were game-changers, but one stood out as a real possibility to win the contest: Virtual Home Staging. The team decided to put most of their efforts into what they hoped was a winning idea. Comms wrote the script and voice over. Strategy provided data on website traffic and potential savings. Creative design provided graphics. And video artfully conveyed the potential of the idea.
But amid the buzz of innovation, a misunderstanding occurred. The team assumed that if any idea submitted by someone in marketing won, everyone in the entire department would receive a cash prize.
Their hopes came true when the Virtual Home Staging submission won first place! But then there was a collective realization among the marketing department: only the video team would receive the cash reward.
For a moment, things in the marketing pod felt off.
Eli Madzikatire, senior creative video specialist, voiced to his team what the rest were already thinking, “This doesn’t feel right. Maybe we should do something.” His words sparked a conversation among the video team that quickly turned into a discussion about how to include everyone in the victory.
Branden Waits, video production manager, led his team’s discussion about sharing the prize. Everyone was on board, even though each one had a personal reason to keep the money. One teammate had newborn twins, one had an upcoming surgery for his wife, and another needed a new car. Real needs. Real sacrifices. But what mattered more than money was the unity of the marketing family.
The video team paused. Prayed. And decided together.
The strategy team won third place in the contest and decided to keep their winnings, since adding them to the pot for an even share amongst all of marketing would’ve given them more than they’d actually won. The video team shared their winnings with the communications and creative design teams. Every person in marketing ultimately received a cash prize.
“What impressed me most was that my team brought it up first,” says Branden. “That’s what you want to see as a leader — people who live out our company values.”
Michael Xiques, senior video specialist, shares, “We really value our teamwork. Not just within video, but across all of marketing. If someone contributes, they should participate in the reward.”
For Matt Soto, photography/videography specialist, it was simple: “When I found out we won, I was happy, but also upset. It didn’t feel right to keep all of it. We operate in unity across all four teams. I’d like to believe anyone else would’ve done the same thing.”
As Tyler Talley, senior video production specialist, puts it, “No project from marketing is ever from just one team.”
Jennifer Schmidt, communications specialist, felt the impact: “Being on the receiving end of the video team’s generosity was life-changing. Not because of the money, but because of the love. Each of those guys had a reason to keep it, but they put the good of the team above their own personal gain. That level of sacrifice touched me deeply.”
The team’s decision embodied Betenbough’s values of unity and generous stewardship. For video, these weren’t vague principles, but a lived-out reality. A hard choice. A holy one.
“Ultimately, God will take care of us no matter what,” reflects Rusty Trowbridge, video production coordinator. “That’s been true my whole life. It pays a lot more to love on our team than to hoard it all for myself.”
“There was something that meant more than the money,” reflects Katelyn Killebrew from creative design. “The true gift was selfless fellowship.”
Branden reflects, “There’s a temptation that comes with winning. Even good things can divide us if we’re not careful. But unity — real, prayerful, sacrificial unity — is worth more than any prize.”
And in the end, the video team won more than just the AI contest because they walked out what it means to operate in the Kingdom. To honor one another. To give open-handedly. To protect unity at all costs.
That’s the kind of team we’re building. That’s the kind of business we are.
