Morton Mandel, Cleveland Businessman And Philanthropist, Dies At 98

Cleveland entrepreneur, businessman and philanthropist Morton L. Mandel died Wednesday at his home in Palm Beach, Fla., at the age of 98.

The chairman and CEO of Parkwood Corp., a Cleveland investment firm, Mandel dedicated much of his life to sharing the fortune he and his two older brothers built with charitable causes in Cleveland and beyond. The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation supported numerous causes in leadership development, management of nonprofits, humanities, Jewish life, education and urban engagement.

Mandel’s name is literally all over Cleveland, from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Welcome Pavilion at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo to the Mandel Community Building on Euclid Avenue Downtown to the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood.

Mandel was named a 2019 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy recipient in August.

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Welcome Pavilion at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. [Stephanie Jarvis / ideastream]

Born Sept. 19, 1921, to immigrant parents Simon and Rose, Morton Mandel was the youngest of four children. His parents ran a dry goods store on St. Clair Avenue and while the family often struggled to make ends meet, they still shared what they had with those who had even less, Mandel remembered.

He was a 1939 graduate of Glenville High School in Cleveland.

In 1940, the three brothers pooled $900 to buy an auto parts shop from an uncle. With the help of a $3,000 loan from another uncle, they opened Premier Automotive Supply Company on Aug. 1. Morton Mandel became general manager of the company on his return from U.S. Army service in WWII.

By 1946, the company became Premier Autoware, specializing in hard to get automotive parts. In 1960, the company changed its name to Premier Industrial Corp. and Mandel launched its initial public offering. Four years later, the company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company merged with Britain’s Farnell Electronics PLC in 1996 to form Premier Farnell PLC. Mandel served as the company’s deputy chairman until 2002.

From left to right: Joseph Mandel, Morton L. Mandel and Jack Mandel [Nannette Bedway / Mandel Foundation]

The brothers formed the family foundation in 1953 and by the late 1970s, Mandel was dedicating much of his spare time to Cleveland philanthropies. He served as president of the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland from 1974 to 1979; president of the United Way board from 1977 to 1979 and chairman of the board from 1979 to 1981; co-founded MidTown Cleveland in 1982 and the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University in 1984.

On May 19, 2013, at the age of 91, Mandel received his bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University upon completion of the academic coursework he originally began in 1939.

Mandel lived in Bratenahl and Palm Beach. He is survived by his wife, Barbara, three children, seven grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Developing Future Healthcare Leaders at the Cleveland Clinic

In July, the foundation donated $23 million to the Cleveland Clinic to build a program and courses for developing future healthcare leaders.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Mr. Morton Mandel who was an innovative leader, generous philanthropist, and dear friend to many,” said Dr. Tom Mihaljevic, President & CEO of the Cleveland Clinic in a written statement. “We are grateful for his guidance, support and the incredible legacy he leaves behind. Our sympathy is with his family and friends.”

The Cleveland Clinic is also home to the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Conference Center at the Health Education Campus, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Preventive Medicine Suite, and the Morton L. Mandel Chair for Urologic Cancer Research at the Glickman Urological Institute.

The Largest Gift In Tri-C's History

In 2015, Cuyahoga Community College opened the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center at the school’s Eastern Campus, funded by a $10 million gift from the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation – the largest gift in Tri-C’s history.

Honoring Excellence At Cleveland State University

To help provide merit-based scholarships, endow a chair and fund building renovations at Cleveland State University, the Mandel Foundation along with the Mandel Supporting Foundations donated $3.6 million in 2014 to create The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Honors College. 

[Cleveland State University]

"To prepare people to help others"

Case Western Reserve University's social work school bears the Mandel Foundation name following a donation in 1988. 

The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Community Studies Center at Case Western Reserve University funded by a grant by the brothers' foundation in 2007 [Google maps]

In a statement, CWRU president Barbara Synder said, “Mort Mandel believed fiercely in the extraordinary impact that a single individual can have. In acting on that belief—in his family’s philanthropy and business—he transformed lives on our campus, in Cleveland, and around the globe. His legacy will affect generations to come.”