DS+CO, Fisher Team Up to Offer Family Business Branding Forum

St. John Fisher University’s Family Business Program will hold a spring forum aimed at helping family businesses create and discover their own business personality and brand differentiators. “Become a Family Business Deemed ‘Great Place to Work,’” will take place from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 2, at Dixon Schwabl + Company (DS+CO), located at 1595 Moseley Road, Victor, NY 14564.

“We know that family businesses tend to benefit from branding themselves as family businesses in terms of customer trust and many other business success metrics,” said Dr. Carol Wittmeyer, director of the Family Business Program. “We are pleased to partner with Lauren Dixon, board chair and former CEO of DS + CO, a family-controlled business that has built a national reputation serving organizations to build their own brands of national consequence.”

Professor Ron Sicker, family business faculty member and visiting assistant professor of practice, will moderate the forum. Angelea DeMint ’26, a junior marketing major at Fisher whose father owns Giovanni Food Co., will kick off the morning.

Guests will then hear from the five Dixon-Schwabl family members who work in the business today including: Lauren Dixon, board chair; Mike Schwabl, board vice chair; Connor Dixon-Schwabl, managing director and studio production; Madison Dixon-Schwabl, executive assistant; and Jordan Dixon managing director and procurement. They will begin with an overview of the family business including each family member’s role and the family’s succession planning process. 

Following, Lauren Dixon will lead a discussion on the Myers-Briggs personality test, leadership, and building a great place to work. She is a certified Myers-Briggs trainer delivering programming throughout the nation. Her philosophy follows the idea that once everyone in the business understands your brand personality, it makes marketing easier and much more effective. DS+CO has been using this process for more than two decades, helping to create a culture that earned annual recognition on the Great Place to Work list for 24 consecutive years–ranking No. 1 twice. Each participant will have the opportunity to participate in the Myers-Briggs personality assessment.

The forum is sponsored by DS+CO and Key Private Bank, the Family Business Program’s yearlong Cardinal Sponsor.

Online registration is open now through Wednesday, March 26 (also the last day for refunds). For more information, email Dr. Carol Wittmeyer at cwittmeyer@sjf.edu.