Jay Deutsch Takes The Secret Millionaire Spotlight

Self-made millionaire Jay Deutsch lived in Phoenix, Arizona, for a week and worked with local grassroots organizations while taping this episode. His undercover volunteering included work at a sports program for children in need, a local pre-school, and a coffee shop benefitting domestic violence victims. When Secret Millionaire resumes, he will be featured in an episode.

In 1984, Deutsch and his best friend, Eric Bensussen, co-founded Bensussen Deutsch & Associates, Inc. (BDA), a $315 million branded merchandise company catering to sports leagues and the business sector. Deutsch currently serves as CEO for the company, where he introduced the trademarked Merchandise Agency concept. This allows BDA to operate on a global scale, providing creative services, branding knowledge, supply chain logistics, distribution, fulfillment, and client services.

This millionaire marketing genius left his posh Pacific Northwest home and his loving family to appear on Secret Millionaire so he could identify individuals and causes worthy of donations. He made the journey to honor fellow employee and friend Susan Brockert who was murdered during a corporate retreat. Working alongside others who are trying to make a positive difference was an appropriate homage to his deceased friend. Donating hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money after revealing his identity was surely intrinsically rewarding for this entrepreneur.

With BDA, Deutsch is known as a philosopher, motivator, leader, and innovator. This entrepreneur is passionate about his business and this infects the corporate culture. He views BDA as a partner with each of its clients, creating a collaborative relationship. This has gotten the company on the radar in a big way and earned Deutsch the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award from Ernst and Young in 2004.

Not everyone can create six figure income like Deutsch continues to do. The Merchandise Agency concept sets BDA apart from the competition. A Merchandise Agency is a consultant that ensures that clients are effectively spending their promotional dollars. BDA helps clients develop their brands and move toward their goals and it uses more than a logoed sports bottle or pen to do it. The company combines industry experience, branding strategies, consumer research, and corporate promotional objectives to generate unique ideas.

BDA got its first order from the Seattle Seahawks and the company has been growing ever since. Its client list now includes well known organizations including Major League Baseball, Coca-Cola, and GEICO, among many others. BDA handles everything from sales promotions, to dealer networks, to webstores and entertainment marketing. It truly is the one-stop-shop that Deutsch and Bensussen wanted it to become.

Deutsch has helped position his company in a positive light outside of the business world. The company engages in charitable giving through both its own efforts and products and programs it engages in with its clients. Some of these efforts benefit domestic abuse, a cause close to Deutsch’s heart due to the death of his friend Susan.