Morton mandel biography

In the summer of 1940, the Mandel brothers – Jack, Joseph and Morton – pooled together $900 to purchase a small auto parts business from their uncle, Jacob Mandel, who moved to Chicago. From these secondhand fixtures, furniture and inventory remnants, the brothers launched Premier Automotive Supply – the humble beginnings of a highly successful worldwide company.

Timeline of the Mandel Foundation


Initially, the brothers had a modest goal of making a living as suppliers of common automobile replacement parts. But after Joe and Mort returned from service in World War II, they recognized that continued growth would require differentiating themselves from the competition. So, in 1947, they began asking customers which items were difficult to find, shifting their focus toward specialty parts that were less widely available. This was the start of the “find a need and fill it” philosophy and the commitment to superior service that would underscore the company’s growth for decades to come.

During the 1950s and 60s, the business expanded into multipl

Morton Mandel

"There are three things about Mort that always stick with me. The first is the absolute integrity of the man. Secondly, he’s the only person who knows how to do an acquisition successfully. Ninety percent of acquisitions misfire, but 90 percent of Mort’s work in acquisitions has been successful.  The third thing is that he has been exceedingly successful with his nonprofit work."—Peter Drucker

Morton Mandel is a self-made billionaire, entrepreneur and philanthropist. With his brothers, Jack and Joseph, he cofounded Premier Industrial Corporation in 1940, eventually merging it with Farnell Electronics in a $3 billion transaction. The three Mandel brothers established the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation which funds numerous social leadership initiatives all over the world.

Morton Mandel was named by Peter Drucker as one of three impressive CEOs alongside Jack Welch and Andy Grove.  He learned how to start and build enduring institutions from the ground up.  His financial success and passion allowed him to partner

Morton L. Mandel, P’73, H’89, philanthropist who gave to causes worldwide, dies at 98

By Mark SullivanOct. 17, 2019

Morton Mandel, P’73, H’89, who was one of Brandeis University’s greatest benefactors, died on Oct. 16 at the age of 98.

His was a rags-to-riches tale crowned by remarkable generosity. 

Born in 1921 in Cleveland, Ohio to Jewish immigrants who fled pogroms in their native Poland, Mr. Mandel and two brothers in 1940 scraped together $900 for an auto parts business they built over the decades into a $3-billion multinational electronics corporation.

Philanthropy was a constant over Mr. Mandel’s career. He and his older brothers, Jack and Joseph, made their first gift to Brandeis in 1953, only five years after the university’s founding, and the same year they established a charitable foundation in their family’s name. 

Since then, the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation has donated an estimated $1 billion worldwide to higher education, the arts and humanities, among other causes. More than half a billion dollars of

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