CCG President Max Spiegel Named One of '40 Under 40'

Max Spiegel, President of the Certified Collectibles Group® (CCG®), was recently recognized in the Florida Business Observer’s 2023 “40 Under 40” class. Each year, the publication seeks to “discover the brightest minds, boldest executives and best entrepreneurs in the region — those with demonstrable success, hustle and risk-taking; movers and shakers in their field” to honor and celebrate.

Since joining CCG in 2010, Spiegel has heavily influenced CCG’s strategic vision, collaborating with key leadership and stakeholders to leverage his deep knowledge of the company, its customers and global collectibles markets. Spiegel’s acumen for emerging markets ushered CCG’s successful expansion into valuable verticals including stamps, trading card games, sports cards, video games and more.

In his interview with the Business Observer, Spiegel recalls demonstrating these qualities when he jumped at the opportunity to expand CCG’s operations to Shanghai, China, after being at the company only three years.

“I basically said to my boss that I would be willing to do whatever it took to help the company to set up this operation in China,” he stated.

His boss Steven R. Eichenbaum, who is Spiegel’s mentor, took that chance despite Spiegel not having any formal training on how to set up operations. Eichenbaum is CEO of the Certified Collectibles Group.

“It allowed me to learn on the job,” Spiegel says, adding he’s now flown to China at least 40 times.

The task was daunting, as he recalls 14-and-a-half hour flights sitting in economy seats and then hosting meetings with clients and real estate brokers for a few days before heading back home. He says the experience was both educational and fulfilling.

“Now it’s a very significant portion of our business,” he says. Currently, CCG has 15,000 square feet of office space in China. A year after Spiegel’s project, the office had grown from one employee to three. But like Spiegel says, patience is key. Now there are 100 employees in Shanghai and Hong Kong.