Dix & Eaton, InsuranceIR LLC establish alliance to serve insurance, financial services companies
CLEVELAND – February 1, 2011 – Harnessing the resources of a full-service firm and the specialized expertise of a property casualty insurance industry veteran, Dix & Eaton and InsuranceIR LLC have established a strategic alliance to provide a wide range of investor relations and other strategic and financial communications consulting services to insurance companies and other financial services organizations.
“We’re very excited about partnering with InsuranceIR’s Heather Wietzel to meet the needs of an underserved market for investor relations support,” said Rob Berick, a senior managing director who oversees Dix & Eaton’s investor relations practice and has developed and executed investor relations programs for companies in a wide range of industries and market cap sizes over the past 20 years.
Investor relations has been at the heart of Dix & Eaton’s business since 1970. The firm’s IR services include shareholder communications, investor targeting, M&A/IPO communications, proxy contests/shareholder activism, bankruptcy communications, investor perception studies, IR websites and digital strategies, annual reports, IR training, IR function development and assessment, and more.
Wietzel, an investor relations executive with 25 years of experience providing strategic guidance and tactical implementation as a corporate officer and consultant, established InsuranceIR LLC in 2009 to provide investor relations consulting and services to small- and mid-sized insurance companies. Since its formation, InsuranceIR has provided specialized IR programs and services to seven insurance companies, including Louisiana-based Amerisafe, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMSF), Colorado-based Citizens, Inc. (NYSE: CIA) and Iowa-based United Fire & Casualty Company (NASDAQ: UFCS). In conjunction with those efforts, she maintains strong relationships with key insurance analysts and investors. Wietzel also offers investor relations strategies for insurance companies on the InsuranceIR blog (InsuranceIR.com).
“Teaming up with Dix & Eaton, which has an outstanding national reputation for investor relations, is a natural progression for InsuranceIR,” said Wietzel. “The firm’s breadth and depth will allow us to be an even greater resource to the insurance industry.”
Before forming InsuranceIR LLC, Wietzel served as the first investor relations officer of Cincinnati Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: CINF), one of the nation’s 25 largest property casualty insurance companies and a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. In that capacity, she was responsible for all aspects of investor relations, serving as its primary Wall Street contact as well as lead financial analyst and writer.
Wietzel began her career with more than a decade in a variety of positions of increasing responsibility for The Financial Relations Board – then the nation’s leading investor relations agency – where she focused on financial services and health care clients. She later led the investor relations practice group for a leading Cincinnati public relations agency, providing strategic consulting, writing, investment community contact, media relations and event planning for clients in the region, including Cincinnati Financial and another property casualty insurance company – The Midland Company.
Dix & Eaton is a communications boutique specializing in public relations, investor relations and customer communications. Working as partners, we bring deep experience, foresight and creativity to every relationship and help clients realize the full power of communication to drive results. Founded in 1952, Dix & Eaton has been named the best midsize firm and the best midsize, full-service firm in the United States.
CONTACTS:
Amy McGahan
amcgahan@dix-eaton.com
(216) 241-3027
Heather Wietzel
hwietzel@InsuranceIR.com
(513) 252-8259