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joel labovitz

Impression

“UMD and Duluth are our garden, and we are lucky that we can tend to our garden.”

Joel Labovitz used these words to describe the gift of $4.5 million he and his wife, Sharon, made to the UMD Labovitz School of Business and Economics in May 2003. Their gift is dedicated to the construction of a new building to house the UMD Labovitz School of Business and Economics. These funds are now being used in the design process for the building. The University Board of Regents plans to ask the state for construction money in 2006, with the building scheduled for completion in 2008.

Joel has been closely involved with the UMD School of Business and Economics for many years. He was named a Senior Fellow at the school and taught its first course in entrepreneurship. He was presented the “Business Leader of the Year” award in 1985 and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1988. He continued to teach both faculty and students at UMD on the topics of entrepreneurship and business ethics until moving to La Jolla, California, where he and his wife now spend nine months of the year.

“I loved being part of the School of Business, creating an environment with a great faculty that inspires students,” said Labovitz. “ Northeast Minnesota has faced some major changes in its economy, moving from the extractive industries of taconite and timber, and we need other industries and businesses—good employers. Duluth is a wonderful place, and a top-grade school of business will create the entrepreneurs who will generate the businesses of the future.”

In 1993, the UMD Center for Economic Development launched the Joel Labovitz Entrepreneurial Success Awards, or Labo Awards, to recognize the contributions of small business owners and entrepreneurs in northeastern Minnesota. Today, winning a Labo Award is a significant recognition of success in business.

Joel graduated from UMD in 1949, and in 1950 joined his father Maurice at Maurices, a women’s clothing store in downtown Duluth. The two men expanded the local business through the 1960s and 1970s. When Joel sold the company in 1978, Maurices had 175 stores in 18 states. He stayed on as President and Chief Executive Officer for two years, adding another 100 stores before stepping down in January 1981. Today, over 430 Maurices stores are operating across the country, with the giant retailer’s corporate offices still located in downtown Duluth.

While he says he is working on lowering his golf handicap, Joel remains very active in business. He is Chairman of Labovitz Enterprises, a Duluth-headquartered firm with interests in various businesses. He is also the principal owner of four hotels and Chairman of Lion Financial Corporation and Lion Hotel Group. He is also an advisor to ZMC Hotels of Duluth.

Like Joel, Sharon has been an active leader and philanthropist in numerous civic, educational, and cultural organizations for many years. Sharon serves as President of the Sharon and Joel Labovitz Charitable Foundation and served on the Board of Directors of the College of St. Scholastica for 12 years. She currently serves on the Board of Athenaeum, a Fine Arts and Music Library in La Jolla, California.

In accepting their gift, Chancellor Kathryn A. Martin said, “We are enormously grateful to these two outstanding Duluthians for their tremendous support and commitment to UMD and to this entire region. The wonderful generosity of Sharon and Joel Labovitz will provide benefits to students and area residents for decades to come.”