A Day in the Life of Branding Guru Marc Brownstein
A few of his favorite things. | Photography by Courtney Apple.
It takes a lot to be the President and CEO of one of the top branding agencies in the city, but Marc Brownstein makes it look easy. Running the show at Brownstein Group, Marc fields over 200 emails a day and 40 meetings per week and, somehow, still manages to clock in some major miles on the bike (110 weekly, to be exact). He juggles regular lunches with his father Berny, sits on multiple charity boards, and maintains great style all the while. Find out where he shops, what he drinks, and how in the world he gets so much energy to do it all. “I typically wake up at 5:40 a.m. and meet a few buddies for an 18-mile bike ride to get the day started. On my way into work, I stop at La Colombe on 19th Street to grab a cup of coffee.
“To keep my energy going throughout my busy day, I stock up on snacks at Nuts to You, especially the dark chocolate sea salt almonds, which are my wife Amy’s favorite.
“I go to Groom, this underground barbershop on Locust. It’s my dad and me and all the hipsters. I don’t leave home without Paul Mitchell hair gel, and I wear [1] Bond No. 9 cologne.
“I’ve shopped at [2] Boyds for 15 years. I’m not a big shopper—I was born impatient—so I like that I can zip in there and tell my sales guy what I need and he’ll find something for me in 15 minutes. That’s service. You can’t do that with two-day shipping.
“I try and catch up with my father, [Brownstein Group founder] Berny, for lunch at least once a week and talk shop. [3] Garces Trading Company is one of our favorites. I do the French onion soup and salmon Niçoise salad.
“My favorite book I’ve recently read is [4] Give and Take, by Adam Grant. What he has to say about giving back is very relevant.
“I sit on eight or nine boards; I’m passionate about the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. We’re teaching the sport to kids in the inner city, giving them access to ice time and getting them engaged.
“I’ve been going to [5] Palm since it opened. I know everyone in there; it’s that kind of place. My favorite drink is a big, bold Napa cabernet sauvignon or an Australian shiraz.
Zarett Rehab & Fitness at 19th and South is a great personal-training gym. I also go there and get massages. And I go to Cadence in Manayunk for [6] bike gear. I like to attack the hills when biking. I literally go out of my driveway in Gladwyne and the best bike roads, the steepest hills, are right there.”
