#39 Ben Grossman

Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205)/SwagCycle – Co-President

2024 Rank: #45

Industry Experience: 19 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 2

In his third appearance on the Counselor Power 50, Ben Grossman continues an upward trajectory, jumping six spots higher on the list. The increased industry influence is thanks both to strategic acquisition and Grossman’s continued thought leadership on sustainability.

Grossman spoke about the importance of transparency as an antidote to greenwashing during a panel at the inaugural Sustainable Merch Summit in June. The Counselor 2022 Bess Cohn Humanitarian of the Year has also been a guest on various industry podcasts to talk about his work with SwagCycle, and he characterized 2025 as a “year of scale and recognition” for the landfill divergence platform that manages excess branded merch.

Since its launch in 2019, SwagCycle has kept more than 3 million items out of landfills and facilitated more than $10 million in charitable donations. “Transparency is at the heart of this work,” he says. “Every donation project includes a letter from the nonprofit, and every recycling project comes with a certificate from the plant, so clients know their impact is real and measurable.”

Woburn, MA-based Grossman Marketing Group (asi/215205), the fourth-generation family business that Grossman runs with his brother David, has also been in “an exciting period of renewal and growth,” completing the largest acquisition in its 115-year history with the purchase of Rochester, NY-based Cooley Group this summer. “The deal expands our geographic reach, strengthens client relationships and adds nearly 30 highly valued colleagues to our team,” Grossman says of the acquisition.

Looking forward, Grossman plans to continue to grow the distributorship both organically and through strategic acquisition while investing in technology like its e-commerce platform, “Grossman On-Demand.” On the SwagCycle side, Grossman wants to expand geographically, broaden recycling and upcycling capabilities and deepen partnerships with charitable organizations. He adds: “We want to keep raising the bar for transparency and accountability.”