Bedfordtimesregister.com - Dix Media headquarters slated for Kent

RPC Photo / Steph Krell; The former Mazda of Kent, 1050 W. Main St., will become the new corporate headquarters for Dix Communications, the corporate umbrella that owns the Record-Courier and its affiliate weekly papers.

Dix Communications, which operates newspapers in Ohio and Kentucky and radio stations in Ohio, Maryland and Florida, is locating a corporate marketing headquarters in Kent, consolidating a number of corporate functions.
Dix Communications, the corporate umbrella that owns the Record Publishing Co., publisher of the Record-Courier and its affiliate weekly newspapers in Summit and Portage counties, has purchased the property formerly owned by Bruce Caudill Mazda, 1050 W. Main St., for that purpose.
Gordon Charles “Chuck” Dix, president of Dix Communications, said the facility also will eventually house many of the departments involved in publishing the Record-Courier and its weekly newspapers, enabling the company to reduce overhead, gain efficiencies and provide a modern, up-to-date work environment for its employees.
“In addition,” he said, “this new facility will allow our company to continue to expand our marketing offerings to meet our customers’ needs in this digital age.”
Price for the property was recorded at $840,000. After extensive remodeling, the building also will house the corporation’s Web division, headed by Andrew R. Dix, and Information Technology, Dix said. Corporate accounting and finance, he said, would remain in Wooster at the Daily Record, that community’s daily newspaper.
Several communities were considered. Dix said Kent’s access to nearby urban areas and the presence of Kent State University with its ready supply of bright young up-and-comers in the media world were factors in the location decision. He said the fact that locating on Kent’s west side would offer Record Publishing Co. customers in both Portage and Summit counties easy access was another factor.
He said the greater cooperation between Kent and Kent State University focusing on downtown renewal and economic development also has cast Kent in a more favorable light as a possible corporate headquarters site.
As far as Record Publishing Co. is concerned, David Dix, who serves as its president and publisher, said the mission remains unchanged.
“We want to offer our readers comprehensive coverage of their communities with reliable delivery and provide our advertisers with an excellent vehicle for their commercial messages at competitive prices,” he said.