What is Silver Oaks?

One of our employees stopped by my desk yesterday to ask me why we were called Silver Oaks. Was it a metaphor for the longevity of the mighty oak? Was it because the trees outside happened to be oak trees? What about silver? Why not ‘red oaks’ or ‘strong oaks’ or ‘oaks advertising?’

I pointed her down the hall to my dad’s office. He explained to her that when he started this company with his friends in 1983, their primary job was to create slideshows and films – in black and white. Well, when silver is exposed to light it turns to black, creating the contrast needed for images to appear. Thus, Silver Images Studios was born.

Failed attempts to get the name trademarked because of its popularity forced my dad’s hand. The company then moved to our current address in Moline, in a neighborhood full of oak trees. Just like that, Silver Oaks was born.  

When she came back and told me what he said, I had to laugh. The logic of its name is quintessentially my dad. He sees a problem and solves it. Simple.

At Silver Oaks, that’s what we’ve done since the beginning. Our clients bring us challenges and we create solutions to them. How we go about doing that, like our name, has changed.

Our print building is now full of 6k video equipment and we’ve traded in black and white photography for image retouching and rendering with every color in the spectrum. Instead of hand-drawn sketches, we can show clients digital designs of their museum spaces before we make them come to life.

I’m fortunate to have witnessed the transformation and evolution of this company during every stage of my life and, now, I’m able to shape its future. And the future is bright for Silver Oaks as we will continue to serve the clients who have morphed with us and the clients who are ready to take the plunge into the depths of video, design, and interactivity.

So, next time someone asks me what Silver Oaks means, I’ll direct them to this article – or maybe I’ll stick with the mighty oak metaphor. I think it works.