Aspyr Living isn’t just another “eco-friendly” label trying to sneak onto a Whole Foods shelf. This is a company built to dethrone chemical-heavy giants that have ruled America’s laundry rooms and kitchen counters for decades. Founded in January 2023 by Benjamin Shell, Aspyr Living develops and manufactures home care products powered by proprietary botanical formulations. The mission is unapologetically simple: help families live healthier lives by removing petrochemicals from the home while proving that safe, science-backed cleaning products can actually outperform the old guard. Headquartered at 515 East Las Olas Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale, this is less about lifestyle branding and more about shaking the foundation of a $32 billion industry that hasn’t seen real innovation in generations.
Benjamin Shell is no rookie founder. He spent sixteen years as Chairman and CEO of Heartsoft, Inc., a publicly traded educational software company. He went on to build viaMarket Consumer Products, Agaia Inc., and most recently led Naturbased, Inc. from 2018 to 2022. Four decades of entrepreneurial grind, and now Shell is back with Aspyr Living, a company that blends sustainable science with market-tested execution.
The latest move? A $250,000 lead investment from RJD Green (OTCPK: RJDG), announced September 29, 2025, as part of a $3 million seed round. RJD Green, founded in 2009 in Tulsa, has built its name as a holding company in environmental and specialty contracting. Led by CEO Ron Brewer for more than nine years, with CFO John Rabbit and interim COO Mark Gould stepping in after the passing of longtime COO Jerry Niblett, RJD Green isn’t just writing a check. They’re offering operational expertise and partnership to accelerate Aspyr Living’s climb.
Aspyr Living already has the receipts. A 3,000-store Walmart private label test delivered $5.3 million in sales, with 2.2 million units moving into 500,000 households. Ninety-eight percent of customers chose the botanical-based products over legacy chemical competitors after a single use, and 72 percent bought again. Independent UL and NSF tests confirmed that Ascend, Aspyr’s flagship brand, outperforms heavyweights like Tide, Windex, and Dawn without leaving toxic residue. Market research points to U.S. home care chemicals reaching $38.32 billion by 2034, but Aspyr Living is already proving the demand is now.
The Ascend brand is where the disruption gets real. Patent-pending botanical technology replaces petrochemicals with safe, high-performance plant-based science. The Ascend Home Essentials three-pack will launch in early 2026, followed by the Ascend Sanitizing Laundry Detergent in summer 2026, the first consumer detergent proven to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria in a standard washer. Shell calls it the most significant advance in laundry care in 70 years, and the data says he might be right.
Behind Shell is a leadership team designed for scale. Eric Wahl, Chief Brand Officer since January 2025, brings over 30 years in consumer marketing, from founding 99 Brands to executive roles at Safebrands and Wahlrich Group, backed by a Magna Cum Laude degree from UMass Amherst. Diana Schoenmann, Vice President of Investor Relations since July 2023, brings senior leadership experience from The New York Times to multiple executive roles, supported by a BA in Business Administration from Iowa State. Together, they’re positioning Aspyr Living not as an upstart but as the next serious contender in home care.
This funding isn’t just validation, it’s ignition. With proven consumer demand, a disruptive product line, and capital from RJD Green, Aspyr Living is stepping into 2026 with momentum most startups only dream of. The chemical incumbents may not like it, but Benjamin Shell and his team aren’t here to play nice. They’re here to win.
