Death & Obituary: Ollie’s Bargain Outlet co-founder, Mark Butler, died on Sunday, December 1, 2019 at the age of 61.
Butler’s death was announce by the Dauphin County company, Monday morning.
“Mark was an exceptional entrepreneur, merchant, leader, philanthropist, friend and family man,” said Richard Zannino, board member of Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc.
The company, which has three stores in the Lehigh Valley area, said Butler died while spending the Thanksgiving holiday weekend with his family. Effectively immediately, the board has named John Swygert, a 15-year Ollie’s executive, as interim president and CEO.
As the story goes, Butler along with Mort Bernstein, Oliver “Ollie” Rosenberg and Harry Coverman founded Ollie’s Bargain Outlet on the idea that “everyone in America loves a bargain.”
The founders opened their first store in Mechanicsburg on July 29, 1982. The company said Butler helped ring in the first sale at Ollie’s, which opened its second store later that year in Harrisburg, followed by its third location in 1985 in York.