Company Officers

Prior to full time responsibilities at Labovitz Enterprises in 2005, through Labovitz Consulting, he provided marketing research, database analysis and project management services to clients including RBC Dain Rauscher, Wealth Enhancement Group and Macy’s online. Mark managed the marketing research and database department of RBC Dain Rauscher from 1996 to 2003.

He started his career in 1985 as an investment banking analyst in Dain Bosworth’s Public Finance Department. After earning his MBA in 1990 from the Peter F. Drucker Graduate School of Management in Claremont, California, Mark held positions in the Corporate Development and Strategic Information departments of First Bank System until he rejoined Dain in 1996. Mark graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1985 with a degree in Business Administration.

Mark is a member of the Advisory Board of the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at UMD and has been a guest lecturer in marketing research courses at the school. He is also a member of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary. Mark is a Duluth native and resides in Minneapolis with his wife, Jennifer, and their two sons, Jackson and Franklin.

Mark began his career in the hospitality business in 1990 as a night auditor and has held several other positions including Guest Services Manager, Director of Sales & Marketing, and General Manager.

He is a 1994 graduate of Leadership Duluth, a 10-month program sponsored by the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, and a 2006 graduate of the Blandin Community Leadership Program, a program sponsored by the Blandin Foundation based in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

Mark has been active in several professional and civic organizations including Rotary, the United Way, various Chamber of Commerce committees, is a past President of the Waco Hotel Motel Association and the Duluth Steam Cooperative. Mark is a past Chairman of Visit Duluth and has served on the Texas Hotel Motel Association and the Great Lakes Aquarium Board of Directors.

He is currently President of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) Board of Directors and is a member of the St. Luke’s Hospital Board of Directors and serves on the University of Minnesota Duluth College of Liberal Arts Board of Advisory.

Mark graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Mark was born in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. He and his wife, Heather, have two children, Benjamin and Elizabeth.

In his position as Chief Information Officer, he is responsible for determining information needs and directing staff toward the fulfillment of those needs.

Wayne began his business career with positions in accounting and finance in various retail, manufacturing and wholesale distribution companies. He also spent five years in public accounting before joining Labovitz Enterprises as its Controller in 1983. In his numerous and varied positions at Labovitz Enterprises, he has played an active role in the management and operation of the Labovitz hotels, operating as Lion Hotel Group. They include the Holiday Inn in Bozeman, Montana; the Residence Inn by Marriott and the Courtyard by Marriott in Beavercreek, Ohio; the Hilton Garden Inn in Palm Coast, Florida; and the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites and Holiday Center Shopping Mall in Duluth.

In 1993, Wayne was honored with the company’s “Fixer of the Year” award, recognizing his ability to repair items, generally technology-focused, with stuff found in his desk drawer.

Wayne graduated cum laude from Marywood College (Scranton, PA) in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. He has been a Certified Public Accountant since 1983.

Wayne’s primary civic service was on the Board of Directors of the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) during a period of significant renovation and expansion. He cast the deciding vote which preserved and transferred the retired US Steel ore carrier William A. Irvin to the DECC. This ship is now a major tourist attraction and a highly visible landmark in Duluth.

Wayne was born in Los Alamos, New Mexico. He and his wife, Cindy, have two children, Jonathon and Heather.

Joel has conducted seminars for and lectures to faculty at UMD, where he gave the 1988 Annual Commencement Address. Joel served as Adjunct Professor at the College of St. Scholastica, a private liberal arts college, and was a member of the Business Liaison Advisory Committee at the college. He has conducted a Colloquium on Entrepreneurship at Macalester College in St. Paul. Each year the UMD Center for Economic Development recognizes regional entrepreneurs by presenting Labo Awards, named in honor of Joel.

In 2003, the University of Minnesota Duluth Campus School of Business and Economics was renamed the Labovitz School of Business and Economics in recognition of a $4.5 million gift to the School from Joel and his wife, Sharon Labovitz. See additional details at http://www.d.umn.edu/lsbe/.

Until January 1981, Joel was President and Chief Executive Officer of Maurices Incorporated, a Duluth headquartered, 600-plus store group specializing in retail women’s and men's fashion apparel. Maurices stores are located nationwide.

Joel’s father, Maurice Labovitz, established the first Maurices store in Duluth in 1931. Joel joined his father in 1950, when the company operated three stores. Subsequent to that time, Joel became the majority stockholder. Under his direction, Maurices grew to a chain of approximately 175 stores by 1977. In late 1978, Maurices Incorporated was sold to the Amcena Corporation of New York. In 1979 and 1980, Maurices grew to 271 stores, occupying approximately 750,000 square feet of selling space. Joel remained as President and Chief Executive Officer for the new owners, until January 1981.

Joel is and has been active as a member and/or director of numerous civic, charitable and nonprofit organizations. Some of his activities over the years are:

• City Marble Championship 1940 – Runner-up
• Named Business Leader of the Year by University of Minnesota Duluth Student Business Administration Club and Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce
• Numerous local, statewide and national business, trade and charitable associations
• First recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Minnesota Duluth
• Board of Directors – Minnesota Public Radio
• Board of Directors – Timken Museum of Art, San Diego

Joel was born in Duluth and graduate from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 1949 with a B.A. in Business Administration. He and Sharon have been married since 1960 and are members of the La Jolla Congregational Church of La Jolla, California. They have three children, Mark, Anne and Sarah, and seven remarkable grandchildren.

He has held administrative and faculty appointments at Marquette University, Boston College and Maryville College, St. Louis. In the late 1960s, he was the Chief Consultant for a study assessing Florida's independent higher education.

Bruce has been civically active serving on numerous business, health care, and community and statewide boards and committees during the past thirty years in Duluth.

He was chosen One of Ten Outstanding Minnesotans in 1978. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Law Degree from the College of St. Scholastica in 1981. In 2005, Bruce was named Business Person of the Year by the University of Minnesota Duluth Labovitz School of Business & Economics.

Bruce is a member of ALLETE’s Board of Directors, a diversified utility company and Northern Minnesota's largest shareholder-owned NYSE company. He served as ALLETE’s Board Chairman and now as Lead Director. Bruce is a Trustee of the C.K. Blandin Foundation and Trust, a $400 million charitable foundation and served as its Chair for four years. He is a member of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee, the Labovitz School of Business Advisory Committee at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and is a Board Member of APEX (Area Partnership for Economic Expansion). Bruce has also served as the interim Sandbulte Professor of Business and Ethics at the College of St. Scholastica.

Bruce is a native of Monroe, Wisconsin. He and his wife, Kaye Lee, have four adult children and five grandchildren. He has combined many years of experience in business and education with particular emphasis on organizational development, management, and corporate and non-profit board governance.