We’ve been a family-owned business since our founding in 1910, and that has shaped who we are as a company today. We consider our employees and clients to be part of our extended family. We care about their success as much as our own. That sense of caring extends to our clients and the community at large in the form of philanthropy and public service.
history
Grossman Marketing Group was founded as Massachusetts Envelope Company in 1910 by Maxwell Grossman, whose lifelong dream was to own his own business. His sons, Edgar and Jerry, joined him in the business, eventually handing the reins to grandson, Steve. Over the years, we began expanding our offerings so we could help our clients with a greater scope of services. We eventually changed our name to Grossman Marketing Group to reflect this evolution.
Now, 110 years since our founding, David and Ben, the fourth generation of Grossmans, are at the helm. We’ve evolved well beyond supplying envelopes, printing, and promotional products. Today we are a full-service integrated consultative resource helping clients with a broad range of traditional and digital marketing needs.
What hasn’t changed are our family values and our dedication to doing right by our employees, clients, and community—something we believe differentiates us in today’s marketplace.
Timeline
- 1910 Maxwell B. Grossman starts Massachusetts Envelope Company and that same year helps re-elect John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald mayor of Boston—establishing a family commitment to both business and civic engagement.
- 1936 Max Grossman adds a new member of the team, his son Edgar, who joins his father after graduating from Worcester Academy. Edgar remained with the company for 63 years until his death in 1999.
- 1938 Max’s eldest son, Jerome, joins the company in 1938 upon his graduation from Harvard.
- 1941 With two sons entrusted with the business, Max leaves the company to pursue full-time public service, becoming a “dollar-a-year man” in President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. Max and Edgar also begin serving as officers in the U.S. Army during World War II, Max retiring as Colonel, and Edgar retiring as Lt. Colonel.
- 1969 In the bustling postwar economy, Mass Envelope grows, still primarily dealing in envelopes, but beginning to broaden its product line. By 1969, the company has outgrown its Boston facility and relocates to its present headquarters in Somerville.
- 1975 Jerome decides to concentrate on teaching, writing, and his commitment to political causes and sells his share of the company to Edgar’s son, Steve—passing the torch to a third generation. Steve’s sisters, Mary Ellen and Amy, also join the company in the coming years. Mary Ellen Grossman currently serves as its treasurer, and Amy Grossman works in a sales advisory capacity.
- 1978 With Steve Grossman as its new president, the company begins an ambitious program of acquisitions and expansion to diversify its products and services. In 1978, acquisitions of several companies in Connecticut serve as a springboard for Mass Envelope to expand its presence into all six New England states and ultimately into New York City and Westchester County.
- 1995 A significant leap forward in product diversification comes in the early ’90s with acquisitions that put Mass Envelope squarely into the commercial printing and graphic design businesses. Consistent with company tradition and philosophy, the new business lines evolved logically and were driven by customer requests for “one-stop shopping.” The pace of change in both the company’s technology and services accelerate rapidly. Digital printing becomes a key product line, graphic design becomes a significant part of the company’s capabilities, and the company becomes one of the region’s leading sources of direct mail materials and services. In recognition of the evolving nature of the company, the company changes its name in 1995 to MassEnvelopePlus.
- 2000–2006 David Grossman, the oldest of Steve’s three sons, becomes the first member of the family’s 4th generation to join the business in 2000, followed 6 years later by his brother, Ben.
- 2003 The 21st century ushers in important changes. Fred Feldman, a specialist in the burgeoning promotional products market, joins the company to help launch the branded merchandise division, now our largest business unit.
- 2006 To better reflect its role as a strategic partner to its customers, the company changes its name to Grossman Marketing Group.
- 2008 Grossman Marketing Group invests in Consolidated Marketing Services, a trailblazer in designing, developing and implementing state-of-the-art fulfillment, recognition, branded merchandise and print-on-demand e-commerce programs.
- 2011 Continuing the family’s legacy of public service, Steve Grossman is sworn in as Massachusetts State Treasurer. David and Ben are named co-presidents, roles in which they continue to serve today.
- 2013–2019 Grossman Marketing Group continues to build its portfolio of companies, through acquisitions of ASAP (2013), Fleet Business Products (2015), Premier Marketing Group (2017), Logos in Print (2018), Suncoast Print Solutions (2019) and Advantages in Marketing (2019). Each of these acquisitions have helped us to diversify our geographic footprint and bring new perspectives and creative minds into our organizations, on behalf of our clients.