John Surdakowski

Founder & CEO, Avex – NYC-based Ecommerce Agency for High-Growth and Enterprise Brands

With two decades of experience in digital, I’ve worked through every major evolution of the web—from the early days of Web 1.0 and Flash to the rise of mobile commerce and now, Artificial Intelligence. I’ve led through constant change, staying ahead of the curve while helping brands do the same—with clarity, speed, and results.

I’m the Founder and CEO of Avex, a digital commerce agency based in New York City. We partner with high-growth and enterprise brands to scale their Shopify commerce experiences through conversion-optimized UX, custom development, and lifecycle retention strategy. What began as a solo consultancy in 2015 has grown into a 40+ person agency serving both category leaders and market disruptors.

Earlier in my career, I consulted for some of the world’s most respected agencies and brands—including JWT, Havas, Estée Lauder, BBDO, MRM Worldwide, NBC, MTV Networks, and Nickelodeon. That foundation shaped my approach: combining creative thinking with operational discipline and commercial outcomes.

Avex has since partnered with globally recognized brands such as Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, KITH, O’Neill, Quip, AriZona Beverages, Equinox, and more. In 2025, we were selected for the Shopify Premier Partner program—one of only a handful of agencies in the world to earn that designation.

I remain hands-on as a leader. I take pride in building high-performing teams, navigating complexity, and driving growth for our clients. My approach is grounded in experience, focused on execution, and always driven by outcomes that matter.


Founder & CEO

Founder at &Collar

Started a dress shirt company because I hate dress shirts. 

Ben Perkins

Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Own your own business and retire at 28 years old? Well, what if I told you if you help me sell to 3 people and they sell to 3 people that all of that can be yours?!

For real... &Collar is paying for good intros to corporate swag and branded apparel which is the fastest growing part of our business. 

Some highlights (massive thank you to these customers and partners):
	•	Every student at the Marriott School of Business at BYU getting a custom polo each fall
	• Utah’s most exclusive networking group commissioning custom blazers as Christmas gifts
	•	Embroidering polos for the sales team at one of Provo’s coolest survey/experience management companies
	•	To a bank with a red key logo outfitting their bankers in custom embroidered dress shirts

We can do just about anything and would love to have the opportunity to wow.

If you:
	1.	Purchase branded apparel from us, or
	2.	Introduce us to the person who handles branded apparel at your or another company

…and they place an order, we’ll pay you 10% of the first order as a finder’s fee.

Real numbers:
	• 10 polos @ $32 = I Venmo you enough for Cubbies + a Hucklelala shake + rosemary fries 🍟
	• 1,000 embroidered dress shirts @ $28 = $2,800 in your pocket 💰
	• 10,000 quarter zips @ $35 = $35,000 (hello 2026 Prius) 🚗

It might be the highest-paying side hustle in Utah if you do it on an hourly basis 👀

Please DM me if you know the right person or simply want to discuss Arsenal's bottling the league.

Proud Platinum Sponsor of Hale Centre Theatre 🎭 

*Newsies, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and Grease. Three of the greatest non-animated movie musicals ever made.*

(Although Grease hits very differently when you watch it as an adult.)

We just want to remind all theater patrons and performers that if you’re going to break a leg on stage, you might as well be comfortable and cool under pressure.

At &Collar, that’s exactly what we’re built for.

After partnering with both University of Utah Athletics and BYU Athletics, we’ve learned Utah audiences can be… passionate. Fortunately, there’s a little less tribalism between Hale Centre Theatre and Eccles Theater.

We’re proud to support the arts and the incredible performers who bring these productions to life.

Break a leg. We’ll handle the comfort.

taplio

The Battle

John Surdakowski

Ben Perkins

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreBen Perkins's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

John Surdakowski

Ben Perkins

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ben Perkins's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreBen Perkins's LinkedIn Performance