Tribute to Mort Bernstein

Mort Bernstein, born in 1928 was one of the founding fathers of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. An Army veteran and alumni of Boston University, Mort joined Grossman Lumber Company in 1951. Through tremendous growth, Mort propelled his career leading him to the Executive VP of Evans Retail group in 1968. His lumber roots brought him to Central PA in the mid 1970’s.

During the early 80’s, Mort embarked on another venture: bringing customers Good Stuff Cheap! Thus, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet was born in 1982. As President/CEO until 2003, Mort was a driving force behind the growth of Ollie’s. Mort spent the remainder of his career building one of the most exciting retail companies in America: Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. Mort served as Chairman of the Board of Directors from 1982 until his death in October of 2004. While Mort’s career spanned several decades, his legacy still lives on today.