Board of Directors

The St. Louis Suit Project was founded by Christopher R. Dixon, Benjamin Lawler, and Stephen Brooks. The success of the St. Louis Suit Project is a testament to what hard work and determination can achieve. The St. Louis Suit Project looks forward to the continued growth and goodwill of the Project.

Christopher R. Dixon

Christopher R. Dixon is the co-founder and Chairman of the St. Louis Suit Project. He is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from Lindbergh High School, he attended the University of Missouri-Columbia where he studied business finance and real estate. After completing his undergraduate degree, Chris obtained his law degree, beginning at Oklahoma City University School of Law and completing his legal education at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Throughout school, Chris consistently felt the need to help those who were unable to help themselves. Big Brother Big Sister and Oklahoma Lawyers for Children provided two great outlets to satisfy this need. In addition, working for the St. Louis City Circuit Attorney’s Office while in law school provided a first hand account of the hardships children face when parents were unable to care for their young due to crime and drug abuse.

Chris is the Managing Attorney of The Dixon Injury Firm where he practices law as a St. Louis personal injury lawyer. Named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers Association, Chris aggressively fights for the rights of injury victims following an accident. The Dixon Injury Firm also handles car accidents, truck accidents, workers compensation, wrongful death lawsuits, dog bite lawsuits, and other personal injury cases.

Chris is married to the love of his life Megan. Together they have two sons, Elliot and Fletcher who are the light of their lives. Megan and Chris live in St. Louis County, Missouri, and are supporters of organizations like Child Safety Day, Kiva.org, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and March of Dimes. The creation of the St. Louis Suit Project was a homegrown effort to create a lasting organization dedicated to providing business attire to individuals in need. The organization hopes to level the playing field for competent and caring individuals lacking the support required to compete in today’s business environment.

Benjamin Lawler

Benjamin J. Lawler is the co-founder and president of the St. Louis Suit Project. He was born on a farm in Marion, Illinois. He is one of six boys. Ben went to Marion High School and later to Saint Louis University. While at SLU, he studied International Business and Spanish. He also lived in Madrid, Spain for six months where he was blessed with the opportunity to study other cultures around the world.

After graduating college in 2003, Ben began working with Tom James of St Louis. Tom James was founded in 1966 in Nashville, TN. Today it is the largest custom clothing manufacturer in the world and has offices in over 100 cities worldwide. Tom James has grown its business by word of mouth and referrals. Ben calls on clients in their home or office and takes all the time and hassle out of going to the store, providing clients with top-notch custom clothing. Today, Ben is a Regional Vice President of Tom James St. Louis. He has a team of 10 salespeople, 3 tailors and a full-time office manager.

Ben resides in Town & Country with his wife Becky and two children, Jillian and Jackson. Ben is a strategic partner with EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) and is also involved with the Lymphoma Leukemia Society, USTA St Louis, Juvenile Research Diabetes Foundation and the SLU Alumni Association. The St. Louis Suit Project has provided an effective avenue for Ben to do what he loves best, helping to dress for success, while giving back to his community.

Stephen Brooks

Stephen Brooks is the co-founder and treasurer of the St. Louis Suit Project. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from Parkway Central High School in 1996, he attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. While at IU, he honed his strength and passion for detail and numbers which led him to a double major in accounting and finance. After graduating from IU in 2000, Stephen began his career in public accounting in Chicago, Illinois. After working in the city for a year, he and his wife moved to the suburbs of Chicago where he continued his career in public accounting as a CPA.

After graduating from the University of Illinois with a Masters of Science in Taxation in 2006 and obtaining the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER designation, Stephen and his wife moved back home to St. Louis where he continued his career in public accounting. In 2010, after 10 years of being employed within the public accounting profession, Stephen founded his own tax and financial planning practice SRB & Associates, LLC based upon the principals of integrity, dedication, and perseverance with the underlying goal of understanding the financial goals of his clients in order to provide timely, positive, and objective tax and financial planning solutions. In January of 2012, he merged his practice into ROI Business Services, LLC. Click HERE for more information about ROI business Services, LLC.

Stephen has always looked for opportunities to give back to his community. The St. Louis Suit Project was the perfect combination to provide opportunities to the young men of his community and provide the needed tax compliance requirements that a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization must adhere to. Working with inspiring and motivated individuals like Chris Dixon and Ben Lawler made that opportunity even more attractive.

Stephen, his wife and two sons live in St. Charles, Missouri. When he is not spending time at the office, with his family, or working with Ben and Chris in making a difference in their community, he’s probably running, which is his next love. Since 2001, Stephen has competed in 19 marathons, 3 triathlons, and 3 ultra-marathons.

Jordan Trautmann

Nicholas Payne

Nicholas Payne is the Vice President of the St. Louis Suit Project. Raised in Cincinnati, OH, he moved to St. Louis to attend the John Cook School of Business at St. Louis University. He graduated from St. Louis University with a B.S.B.A. with concentrations in Management Information Systems and Finance.

His career focus has been on creating robust and innovative solutions in the Financial Technology space. Nicholas has a passion for helping small businesses and non-profit organizations. His experience helps the St. Louis Suit Project utilize technology to better reach its audience.

Ryan Quinn

Ryan Quinn is the Director of Development for the St. Louis Suit Project. He was born in St. Louis and grew up in St. Charles, MO. He went to DeSmet Jesuit High School and later the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he studied Marketing and Spanish.

After graduating college in 2003, Ryan began working as a haberdasher with Tom James of St. Louis, where he and Ben Lawler became friends and colleagues. Today, Ryan works as a Field Account Manager in the Tax and Accounting division of Thomson Reuters. He meets with CPAs, attorneys, CFOs, controllers and other financial personnel in St. Louis offering tax and accounting research solutions via Checkpoint. Checkpoint is used by all 100 of the top CPA firms in the U.S., along with 97 of the top 100 Law Firms and 99 of Fortune’s 100 Corporations.

Ryan resides in Kirkwood with his wife Kelly and son Harrison. He is also involved with the Missouri chapter of Best Buddies International and the Beta Theta Pi – Zeta Phi Society Foundation. The St. Louis Suit Project has provided Ryan with the avenue to give back by helping young men and women in the area gain the confidence they need to take that next big step in life. Ryan’s passion for helping people, his connections in the St. Louis area and his prior experience as a custom clothier make him a perfect fit for the organization. Outside of the office, Ryan is an avid golfer, baseball fan and enjoys traveling with his wife and friends.