The Direct Marketing Association has named two industry figures to its hall of fame: Ronald L. Bliwas, president/CEO of direct response television agency A. Eicoff & Company; and Charles D. Morgan, chairman of the board and company leader of Acxiom Corp.
Bliwas has led A. Eicoff & Co. for 27 years and served as an employee of the agency for 37 years. Under Bliwas’ leadership, Eicoff become one of the top 10 agencies in Chicago, expanding its client base over the years to include companies such as Sears, Bose Electronics, New York Life, and Ameritrade, according to the DMA.
Bliwas writes and speaks frequently about television advertising. His 2007 book, “The C Student’s Guide to Success,” was named a Book-of-the-Month Club selection. He has been interviewed by Mike Wallace to provide “60 Minutes” viewers with an overview of the DRTV business.
In 2005, Bliwas served as DMA’s chairman of the board. He currently is a member of the DMA board. He also serves on Taylor Capital Group, Inc.’s Board of Directors, the University of Arizona National Board of Advisors, the Board of Friends of Prentice (Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation), and Illinois Institute of Technology’s Psychology Department Board of Overseers.
Morgan joined Acxiom as vice president, following a six-year stint as a systems engineer at IBM. Since 1975, he has served as the company’s chief executive officer and chairman of its board of directors. In 1991, he assumed the additional title of president. His title became company leader when Acxiom eliminated executive titles in 1997.
Under his leadership, Acxiom has expanded from a small data processing company into a global corporation that provides customer and information management solutions. Morgan maintains a keen interest in technology and continues to participate actively in setting Acxiom’s technical direction. During his tenure, Caxiom was named to the Fortune magazines “100 Best Places to Work” list five times.
In 2001, Morgan served as DMA’s chairman of the board. He also served for eight years as chairman of the board of trustees at Hendrix College and continues to serve as a trustee.
In 2002, Morgan joined 13 other senior executives from leading US companies to form the Mailing Industry CEO Council, which aims to unify the mailing industry and promote the critical role that mail plays in business and commerce. That same year, he joined the Enterprise Software CEO Roundtable, a group of approximately 30 chief executives and other high-ranking officials from the world’s largest software companies, who meet to share ideas and review industry trends.
The DMA’s Hall of Fame honors those who have made outstanding contributions to the practice, growth, and stature of direct marketing. Since it was established in 1978, the DMA Hall of Fame has honored 91 men and women. Bliwas and Morgan will be inducted into DMA’s Hall of Fame during the DMA07 Conference & Exhibition, which will be held Oct. 13–18 at McCormick Place West in Chicago.
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