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Racial remarks by CEO caught

Cellphone recording shows profanity-laced tirade in bar

The CEO of a Sharon, Pa.,-based digital marketing firm, Actionable Insights, is out of a job and at least one local client has severed ties with the company after video surfaced of a drunken man slinging racial slurs and making aggressive comments toward a bartender in Fresno, Calif.

Jason Wood’s resignation as CEO of Actionable Insights is a “direct result of his unacceptable actions” that do not represent the company’s core values, according to a statement posted to the company’s website.

“During this time of progressive social change, we are committed to ensure our company embodies a spirit of equality and respect for all people. On behalf of Mr. Wood and Actionable Insights, we extend our deepest apologies. It is our hope that we can move forward, and our reputation for integrity and excellence will navigate us through this difficult time,” the website states.

Wood was caught on cellphone video July 7 at Out of the Barrel Tap Room berating a bartender with profanity laced racial slurs.

The 2-minute video shows he called bartender Rebecca Hernandez derogatory, racist names and further referred to her as “Saudi Arabia,” adding, “you’re f– stupid like they are.”

Wood identifies himself in the video and said he owns Actionable Insights and five other digital marketing firms. The company’s website shows it has five branches — in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and Tennessee.

Seven-Seventeen Credit Union in Warren cut ties with the company after learning of the situation, said Eric Lanham, senior vice president of marketing. Actionable Insights, according to Lanham, has placed digital ads for the credit union.

“The credit union’s brand and culture is built on mutual respect. Diversity, equality and inclusion are vitally important to our organization, and we will not work with business partners that we find do not share those values,” Lanham said in an email.

“We would have to take a strong look at what that new leadership structure looks like and there has to be real strong evidence that there is a commitment toward diversity and inclusion to change our current decision,” Lanham said Monday.

Hernandez on July 8 on her Facebook page wrote she started to record the interaction after closing out Wood’s tab and asking him to leave the bar. It was then she became “extremely uncomfortable” and started to feel unsafe.

“Like so many others, we are tasked with filming our own abuse to prove that it actually happened,” Hernandez wrote.

Wood declined to comment.

Wood, according to The Fresno Bee, told the newspaper he was drunk that night and was remorseful for his behavior. According to KION 5 / 46 in California, Wood said he has no memory of the night because of how much he drank and held out he is not a racist. He also apologized.

“I feel absolutely horrible. I don’t have a racist bone in my body,” Wood said, according to the television station.

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