Lay of The Land #189: Chas D. Withers (Dix & Eaton) — Running Towards the Fire
Chas Withers, chairman and CEO of Dix & Eaton, the storied Cleveland integrated communications firm, known for its specialization in marketing communications, Crisis management, and investor relations, which has partnered with its clients to drive impact and results in their public relations since 1952.
While Chas has led the firm as CEO since 2015, he’s overseen many aspects of the business prior serving as COO and leader of the marketing communications, technology, emerging growth and interactive services practices for about seven years.
Chas first worked at Dix & Eaton though as a senior account executive between 1995 and 1997 before joining Answerthink, a Miami-based international consulting firm, as managing director where he played a pivotal role in the Company’s IPO and oversaw over 1,500 employees.
Chas has also served as a director of media relations at Case Western Reserve University and held similar roles with Malone Public Relations and Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron.
This conversation is a masterclass on communications and the story of Dix and Eaton — Chas offers his perspective on running towards the fire and addressing thorny situations head-on, stewardship in high-stakes situations that span the multiples constituents of shareholders, employees, customers, legislators, communities, and the media, employee ownership, technology’s implications for communications and marketing, the significance of Cleveland in Dix & Eaton’s story, and a whole lot more.
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LINKS:
Connect with Chas Withers on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaswithers/
Dix & Eaton Website: https://www.dix-eaton.com/
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Past guests include Justin Bibb (Mayor of Cleveland), Pat Conway (Great Lakes Brewing), Steve Potash (OverDrive), Umberto P. Fedeli (The Fedeli Group), Lila Mills (Signal Cleveland), Stewart Kohl (The Riverside Company), Mitch Kroll (Findaway — Acquired by Spotify), and many more.
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