Member Spotlight: Jake Brus
Tell me a little about yourself.
My name is Jake Brus, and I am Vice President and Managing Director at Wixted & Company. I grew up in Denison in western Iowa, and am a graduate of the University of Iowa (Go Hawks!) and American University. I lived in DC briefly before heading back to Des Moines to start my career. My wife, Miranda, is a school counselor at Brody Middle School in Des Moines, and I have two kids Hattie and Harrison. Des Moines has been a great place to build my career and raise a family.
What drew you to public relations in the first place?
I love what good communication can accomplish. I grew up an avid reader, and it is amazing to me the power that words have. They can convey so many different ideas and emotions, and leave a person feeling a certain way without ever experiencing what they are reading about. I wanted to be able to work with words to help people learn, understand and feel a certain way. That is what led me to explore communications, and ultimately public relations.
What has your career path looked like? What is your current role?
I started my career during the financial downturn following 2008, so when I came back as a recent graduate with a master’s degree and no experience it was a bit challenging. I started working as a temp at Wells Fargo processing foreclosures for six months as I interviewed for communications positions. I was fortunate to begin as a marketing manager for a company in Urbandale that provided outsourced statement processing (bill printing). It was the perfect way to start to see how the business worked and provided me with initial leadership opportunities and the ability to be flexible and design a program from scratch. From there, I joined Wixted & Company and the rest is history.
In my time at Wixted, I have worked through multiple positions and responsibilities, working with clients and also on our business. It has been extremely rewarding (and at times, challenging 😊) but I owe a lot to Eileen Wixted for taking a chance on me. Currently, I am vice president and managing director and am responsible for day-to-day firm operations, business development, and client work and I oversee our training and projects divisions. We have a great team and clients, and every day is unique.
How did you get involved with PRSA Iowa?
I had been involved on the periphery for many years, but when Christina Gayman (a good friend and mentor) took the president’s role, I decided I wanted to become more involved. I jumped in with both feet and the group could not have been more welcoming. It's been a great place to meet people and network, but also to see all the cool things and people who make up the professional communications scene in Des Moines.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Just get started. This is a piece of advice I live my life by. If you can just take the first step, you can start down a path that might end up changing your life. You can always stop, but you never know what could have happened if you just started.
What do you like to do in your free time?
We love to travel, eat at new restaurants, and be outside and in or around water – lake, pool, ocean. Des Moines has so many great art offerings, outdoor areas and other cool stuff to do we never get bored.
