Who is
Banko Design?
We’re a turnkey, boutique interior design studio that focuses on senior living, multifamily and private clubs. From our HBIC and our O.G.s to our newest hires, everyone is bursting with passion for what they do.
A win-win, a one-two punch, whatever you want to call it, we offer both design and procurement services. Offering both lets us manage every aspect of our projects through completion that meet budgets and exceed expectations.
Creative Unicorns
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"LFG!"
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Family-First Culture
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"No Clown Makeup!"
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Award-Winning Commercial Interior Design Studio
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"Many Hands Make Light Work"
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Better Living for Everyone
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"It's Walkie Talkie Time!"
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Creative Unicorns ✦ "LFG!" ✦ Family-First Culture ✦ "No Clown Makeup!" ✦ Award-Winning Commercial Interior Design Studio ✦ "Many Hands Make Light Work" ✦ Better Living for Everyone ✦ "It's Walkie Talkie Time!" ✦
MEET THE BANKO BUNCH
Our culture is rooted in our passion for what we do. We are full of badass designers, interior architects, and more with a wide range of skills and specialties. We’re a bunch that shares our insights to make everyone here smarter and more versatile. Is it possible to have All Stars at every position? Damn right it is. We’re all about fostering creativity and inclusivity, serving our communities and creating Better Living for Everyone.
MELISSA BANKO
Founder & Principal
“The best advice I’ve received is: don’t follow the masses because sometimes the ‘m’ is silent. I strive to do things differently, not for the sake of being different, but to be innovative.”
BETSY DISTLER
Principal
“If I had a superpower, it would be to give our staff the tricks, tools and knowledge to make them in to designer superheroes!”
ALEXA BLACKWELL
Studio Director
“If I could watch a movie for the first time again, it would be the Princess Bride. It’s the world’s greatest story of true wuv and medieval adwwenture.”
One hell of
a swing
STEPH HYATT
Business Development
“If I could master one skill, it would be flair bartending. Imagine me slinging mixed drinks like a female version of Tom Cruise in the 1988 movie Cocktail.”
BRITTANY PANACHIDA
Business Development
“If I had a warning label, it would definitely say: Warning! Personality May Be
Larger Than It Appears!”
TERESA WILLIAMS
Project Manager & Interior Architect
“I do sing, but guess what? I can also yodel!”
JAN REYNOLDS
FF&E Specialist
“I once zip-lined in the Dry Forest in Costa Rica. I was scared to death until I realized that the only other way down was walking past
a coral snake!”
KAYLA JONES
Interior Designer
“If I were reincarnated as a famous landmark, I’d be Walt Disney World. It’s the happiest
place on earth!”
Climbs to the top, literally
JESSICA YBARRA
Interior Designer
“If I could live anywhere in the world, I’d choose a little house along the river in Avignon in the South of France. I’d spend my days riding my bike and enjoying the scenery.”
Yes, we have a Book Club!
MJ CATALANO
Interior Designer
“Christmas is definitely my favorite holiday. There’s nothing cozier than relaxing by the Christmas tree under a pile of blankets watching Home Alone.”
LORRIE BURKS
Interior Designer
“My favorite thing is my ‘Edgar Allan Poe goes to Woodstock’ halloween tree. It’s a mixture of lace, ravens, hippies, witches, and goblins.”
ELIZABETH MCLEMORE
Interior Designer
“If I had a time machine, I would travel back to the Enlightenment period. The development of neoclassicism and the use of color has always been interesting to me!”
PAIGE KENT-MOLLER
Interior Designer
“My perfect Sunday morning is enjoying a cup of coffee with a perfectly toasted everything bagel sandwich, yoga, and planning my next vacation.”
MOLLY SELLERS
Interior Designer
“If you can't measure it, you can't improve it!”
Keeper of the best snack drawer
SOPHIA BOUDOURIS
Interior Designer
“A random fact about me is that I spontaneously adopted a donkey during my last trip to Greece!”
Work Hard,
Game Harder
COLLEEN GILROY
Interior Designer
“My favorite tv show is New Girl! If you ask my family or friends, they think I am most like the character Winston.”
KALA SHAVER
Interior Designer
“If I could have an endless supply of anything, it would undoubtedly be crab rangoons!”
BALEIGH RAPE
Interior Designer
“If I could win an Olympic medal it would be for folding a fitted sheet insanely fast.”
It ain’t easy
being cheesy
MACKENZIE FULLER
Office Manager
“If I could live in any movie, I would live in Star Wars and have a quiet life on Naboo.”
BD STUDIO COLLECTION
Founded by Melissa Banko, BD Studio Collection is a national collection of interior design studios and individual brands and businesses that support the interior design industry, from marketing and branding to procurement, warehousing, and installation. Visit www.bdstudiocollection.com to learn more.
The Marketing Team!
MEREDITH COMIN
Marketing & Strategic
Partnerships Director
“I have an inordinate number of flamingo items, including a coaster, stuffed animal and plastic light up one. They help me "flamingle" through the day!”
AMELIA WARRENER
Marketing & Brand Manager
“I live life like I’m on a safari - with my camera by my side and surrounded by animal print.”
TAYLOR EVERETT
Marketing Specialist
“If I could create a holiday, I would create 'National Taylor Swift Day!'”
The Chaos Coordinator
ROBBIE ALDEN
Marketing Intern
“I was just a delivery driver who dropped off food here and they wouldn't let me leave. Now I sleep in the warehouse and help run their social media.”
The Why Behind Banko Design
With Our Founder, Melissa Banko
It starts with a spark. Interior Design spoke to Melissa Banko in a way no other career path had. But she wasn’t going to do it the way everyone else did. She forged her own path, and in 2014, launched Banko Design.
“I aimed to curate a work environment where creativity thrived,” said Melissa. Understatement of the century. Our creative culture paired with our care for the community inspired our purpose: Better Living for Everyone. Today, we achieve that through a lethal combination of collaboration, drive, and our one-of-a-kind spark.
Quickly, we spread our wings—and our wins—across a national collection of studios, brands and businesses that all live under the BD Studio Collection. That’s one damn good decade. *Brushes shoulder off*
Visionary// Head Banko In Charge // Mom of Three// The O.G. Unicorn
Chief Chaos
Officer
Our Core Values
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Our Core Values //
S.T.U.D.I.O.S.
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S.T.U.D.I.O.S. //
A lot went into these. Extra credit if you spot the anagram.
Spark
Be the radiant unicorn.
Let your uniqueness shine through. Spread the sparkle of your individuality through your work and energy.
Tenacious
Exude dedication to the vision.
Remain persistent and hardworking. Keep pushing every step of the way to cross the finish line.
Unmatched
Distinctive in culture and collaboration.
Be unparalleled in culture and how we engage one another. Nobody collaborates with clients and partners better than we do. Remember, there is no “I” in BDSC.
Driven
Take the bull by the horns.
Want it? Make it happen! Think BIG. Let’s go!
Innovative
Blaze the trail.
Do things differently. Know that if we can’t find a way, we’ll forge a new path. Innovation and integration are part of our DNA.
Outstanding
Outpace the expectations.
Set the bar and then set it again even higher. We unapologetically exceed expectations in both level and quality of deliverables.
Service
“Many hands make light work.”
Put others first. We see service, community, and philanthropy as essential parts of our success and growth. We root for humankind together.
These resonate with you, too? Partner with us and let’s build an innovative, outstanding project together.
Better Living for Everyone.
Our Mission:
All people deserve great design at any budget. Banko Design got its start in the Senior Housing market. This vertical felt like low-hanging fruit when we quickly realized the abundance of lackluster design that neither met the aging demographic’s needs nor treated them with the dignity they deserve. Stay with us as we get on our soap box for a moment. We pledged to be different. Our elevated style and commitment to quality for our
clients and residents alike caught on across different industries, which helped us expand our services into multifamily and private club in a big way. No matter what level of the market we’re designing for, we aim to positively impact lives through our work. We have an ambitious goal to positively impact the lives of 50,000 people by 2035 through design. We’d love for your community to help us achieve our goal.
Core 3:9
Philanthropic Impact
Service is a virtue - and our core value. We’re on a mission to give back to the communities that have served and supported us. Our company participates in quarterly Service Days, where our employees pick an organization of their choosing to volunteer for the day.
Banko Design’s philanthropic work stretches far and wide, from working with organizations that provide opportunities to neurodiverse individuals to helping build wells to provide clean drinking water to vulnerable populations.
Our fundraising for various charities is done through our own nonprofit, Core 3:9.
Erin’s Hope for Friends is on a mission to create lasting relationships through joyful interactions for autism spectrum teens and young adults.
Autism Speaks and Extra Special People (ESP) seek to support and create transformative experiences for those with autism, people with disabilities, and their families.
CDVTA Cameroon focuses on providing basic services for disadvantaged children, women, people with disabilities, and the elderly in hard-to-reach communities in Cameroon.
Have an interior design project in mind? We happen to have the best team for the job.
Our team is eager to get started!
We’re a talented team. But talent only gets you so far. Our Banko-ites have the drive, savvy and intuition to bring your interior design vision to life. Working together with you, we’ll ensure everything is in budget, delivered on time, and exceeds expectations.
