Dix & Eaton Unveils AI-Powered 'Grow and Protect' Framework to Unify Business Strategy

CLEVELAND, OH – January 15, 2026 – In a strategic move reflecting a fundamental shift in the business landscape, marketing and strategy firm Dix & Eaton today launched its “Grow and Protect” framework. The new, unified offering is designed to address the increasingly intertwined nature of business growth and risk management, leveraging artificial intelligence as a core engine for both.

The framework formalizes an integrated approach that the firm believes is essential for navigating modern market complexities. It aims to help clients, particularly B2B and technology-driven organizations, accelerate growth through sophisticated marketing and sales strategies while simultaneously safeguarding their reputation, trust, and long-term enterprise value.

“This framework recognizes that success requires playing both offense and defense,” said Melissa Lackey, Enterprise President of Dix & Eaton, in the official announcement. “We help our clients grow through insight-driven marketing, sales, and partner channels, and we help protect their well-earned trust and reputation during periods of significant disruption and rapid change. Together, those elements create sustained enterprise value.”

The launch represents the culmination of the firm's strategic evolution, most notably following its acquisition of St. Louis-based Standing Partnership in November 2023. It splits the firm's expertise into two distinct but interconnected platforms: “Grow,” which falls under the Standing Partnership brand, and “Protect,” which operates under the legacy Dix & Eaton brand.

A Unified Front in a Complex Market

The move by Dix & Eaton addresses a growing consensus in the corporate world: the traditional silos separating marketing, sales, communications, and risk management are becoming liabilities. In an environment where a supply chain disruption can instantly become a reputational crisis, or a new market opportunity can carry unforeseen regulatory threats, a holistic viewpoint is no longer a luxury but a necessity.

“Our clients are operating every day in a world where opportunity and risk co-exist, and proactively managing both of them with rigor is vital for success,” noted Chas Withers, Chairman and CEO of Dix & Eaton. He highlighted that organizations are seeking partners who can help them “see around corners” and understand the ripple effects of decisions before they are made.

This is where the dual-platform structure comes into play:

• The Grow Platform: Operating under the Standing Partnership brand, this arm focuses on what the firm calls “playing offense.” It consolidates expertise in marketing, sales growth strategy, and the management of complex channel partner ecosystems. Leveraging Standing Partnership's deep experience in the technology sector, the platform aims to build and scale high-performing alliances and partner marketing programs that drive tangible revenue.

• The Protect Platform: Under the Dix & Eaton brand, this is the defensive side of the equation. It combines the firm’s long-standing expertise in reputation management, risk intelligence, stakeholder engagement, and crisis communications. This platform is built on Dix & Eaton's proprietary “Anticipate, Engage, Mitigate (AEM)” framework, designed to provide a structured approach to identifying and neutralizing threats before they escalate.

This integration of once-separate disciplines positions the firm to compete not just with traditional communications agencies but also with broader business consultancies, arguing that growth and protection are two sides of the same enterprise value coin.

The AI-Powered Engine of Growth and Resilience

At the heart of both the “Grow” and “Protect” platforms is a significant investment in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics. Dix & Eaton is positioning AI not as a buzzword but as a foundational technology that multiplies the effectiveness of its human experts.

On the “Grow” side, AI-powered insights are used to analyze market data, identify untapped growth opportunities, and optimize investments in channel partners with greater precision. For instance, the firm cites its work with one global client where this approach contributed to over $1 billion in partner-created pipeline growth in a single year—a year-over-year increase of more than 40 percent. This aligns with a broader industry trend where AI is shifting partner-channel analytics from reactive reporting to predictive foresight.

On the “Protect” side, AI is the backbone of the AEM framework. The system employs AI-driven monitoring for real-time risk-signal detection across a vast digital landscape. By analyzing data patterns, it can flag emerging threats—from negative social media sentiment to regulatory chatter—far earlier than manual methods. This data informs scenario planning and allows for more coordinated decision-making under pressure. The firm reports that for one global manufacturer, this risk intelligence program identified and managed over 160 emerging risks over two years, with more than 70 percent being resolved or mitigated before escalation.

“Strategic use of AI is an integral part of how we think, operate, and deliver,” Withers stated. “By combining deep human expertise with intelligent technology, we’re helping clients move faster, see ahead and around corners, and scale solutions that would be impossible through manual effort alone.”

Charting a Course Through a Crowded and Regulated Field

While Dix & Eaton's integrated model is a clear differentiator, it enters a competitive space where large consulting firms like Deloitte and Accenture offer sprawling services in both marketing and risk, albeit often in separate practice areas. The firm's strategic bet is that a focused, deeply integrated framework will prove more nimble and effective for its target B2B clients than the siloed offerings of larger rivals.

However, the heavy reliance on AI also brings the firm into a complex and evolving ethical and regulatory arena. The use of AI for risk monitoring and stakeholder analysis is under increasing scrutiny. Global regulations like the European Union’s AI Act, which began its phased rollout in 2024, impose stringent requirements on systems deemed “high-risk,” demanding transparency, human oversight, and robust risk assessments. Companies operating internationally, including the clients Dix & Eaton serves, must navigate these rules or face substantial penalties.

Key concerns in the industry revolve around data privacy, algorithmic bias, and the “black box” problem, where it can be difficult to explain how an AI model arrived at a particular conclusion. Responsible AI governance, including bias audits and clear data-handling policies, is becoming a critical component of maintaining client trust and ensuring regulatory compliance. Dix & Eaton's success will depend not only on the power of its technology but also on its ability to deploy it ethically and transparently within this increasingly regulated environment.