executive perspectives: The Major League

Jay Deutsch and Eric Bensussen have a good thing going. As co-owners of BDA Inc., a Promo Marketing Top 50 Distributor with annual sales totaling $286.4 million, Deutsch and Bensussen continue to cement the relationships between people and brands. And to think, an interest in sports marketing made it all possible.

BDA's story begins in the early ʼ80s when the two childhood friends bought, sold and traded collectibles such as sports trading cards and hydroplane buttons. Where most saw a hobby, Deutsch and Bensussen recognized unlimited potential. They started to look at the bigger picture and, in 1984, co-founded Sports Marketing Inc. Instead of providing isolated merchandise needs, Deutsch and Bensussen focused on creating integrated programs.

The partners eventually outgrew their original vision of working in a single market. So, they tweaked their business model to include promotional branding across all industries. The changes didn't stop there. To reflect their diversified client base, Deutsch and Bensussen renamed the company Bensussen Deutsch and Associates (BDA) in 1989.

Approximately nine years later, BDA held the grand opening of its current corporate headquarters in Woodinville, Wash. The company has been growing ever since.

Here, BDA Inc. CEO and Co-founder Jay Deutsch shares his thoughts on the industry and opens up about himself.

Print+Promo (P+P): How do you set goals for yourself? For your business?
Jay Deutsch (JD): Each year, my business partner Eric Bensussen and I conduct our annual founders retreat. We head to Arizona, where we separate ourselves from everyday responsibilities to reflect on the previous year, analyze the market and set benchmarks for the next year. We then present our goals to the senior leadership team to gather feedback and define strategies and tactics. It's important we share our road map with the entire company to make sure we're all aligned on our big-picture objectives for the year.