#13 David Doctorow

Custom Ink (asi/173232) – CEO

2025 Rank: NR

Industry Experience: 2 years

Previous Appearances on Counselor Power 50: 0

When David Doctorow took on the top spot at Custom Ink (asi/173232) in 2024, he wasn’t entering totally unfamiliar territory. His previous gigs – as CEO of Realtor.com, head of global growth at eBay and chief marketing officer at Expedia – share some similarities with his role at the Counselor Top 40 distributor.

“They all have an obsession with the customer experience and trying to make it easy for people,” says Doctorow, who makes his debut on the Counselor Power 50 list.

Consider, too, the element of choice. Just as customers are looking for a wide array of options from the hotels available through Expedia, they also want to be able to choose from any of the more than 15,000 items available on Custom Ink’s website. Crucially, though, customers can’t be overwhelmed with so much information that making a choice becomes impossible. “I think the burden is upon us to make it effortless and to help customers realize they have the guidance they need to find their way to what they want,” Doctorow says.

Selling highly customized physical products, however, presents a new challenge for Doctorow. “That’s something different from my past,” he says. “There’s complexity that comes with that, and it’s powerful and, candidly, for companies like Custom Ink that can figure out how to navigate that complexity, a real advantage.”

In his relatively short time at the company – taking over two years ago for founder Marc Katz, who had overseen the distributor for more than two decades – Doctorow has helped usher in some sweeping changes while spurring estimated 15% growth in 2025.

“We’ve been on a pretty big transformation journey,” he says. “We’ve gone from being an e-commerce transactional company to being one that’s focused on building customer relationships.”

“David is the real deal. He came into this industry, listened first and then built a team that moves as fast as anybody we work with.” CJ Schmidt, Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125)

Shortly before Doctorow joined Custom Ink, the distributor had exited the in-house decoration game, pivoting instead to relying on a robust network of supplier and decorator partners. Early on in Doctorow’s tenure, the company shifted its apparel focus and widened its catalog to include a full assortment of hard goods. Custom Ink has deployed AI-supported tools to help customers across the purchase journey, from design creation to order tracking. And the distributor refreshed its brand to reflect its expanded services, adopting the tag line, “Ink is more than you think.”

Through all the upheaval, Doctorow has inspired confidence in longtime “Inkers.” Ben Carter, director of brand and creative for Custom Ink, has been with the company for 26 years and calls Doctorow “a great team builder and deeply human leader.”

“He figured out on day one what takes most people years to get: We’re not just selling stuff; we’re selling outcomes,” adds Carter. “He’s blended our longtime Inkers with great new talent and helped us pivot without losing who we are. He’s a big part of our success and growth.”

One challenge for Custom Ink, Doctorow says, is the sheer number of ideas his team has. “We have way more ideas about what we could do than what we would be able to do well in any given point in time,” he says. “So, we’ve got to decide what not to do.”

For instance, Custom Ink used to offer something called Swag Space, a white-label merch management service created by Jeremy Parker, CEO of Swag.com, a distributor acquired by Custom Ink in 2021. “There are companies out there that have done this in our industry, and they’ve made a nice business of it, but it’s not the idea for us,” Doctorow says.

That’s not to say Custom Ink is afraid of trying new things. In fact, the company is constantly experimenting with its technology offerings, conducting daily A/B testing to ensure customer service, sales and marketing treatments are resonating with clients online. “We’re on a path to do this 1,000 times a year,” he adds.

The wider promo industry has certainly taken note of Doctorow’s accomplishments. “David is the real deal,” says CJ Schmidt, CEO and president of Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) and a fellow member of the Counselor Power 50. “He came into this industry, listened first and then built a team that moves as fast as anybody we work with. He and his team have accelerated the trajectory of our partnership, to both our benefits.”

Schmidt lauds, in particular, Custom Ink’s use of data and technology. “Quite frankly, they’ve made us better,” he adds. “Our shared customers are the ones who win.”

Outside of the office, Doctorow, a father of three, spends a ton of time at high school sporting events, since his youngest son, a sophomore, is on the baseball team. “As a former baseball player and a huge baseball fan, it makes me really, really happy,” he adds.

Doctorow is also on his own personal “health and wellness journey,” inspired by reading Peter Attia’s book Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity. He’s relentlessly focused on improving his sleep quality, eating better and incorporating new exercises into his Peloton-riding, weight-lifting regimen. “What was a chore is now something I love,” he says.

And as with anything Doctorow loves, whether it’s his wellness practice or leading Custom Ink, “I tend to go deep. … It’s just part of who I am,” he says. “I like going deep and exploring.”