Irwin Jacobs 1941 - 2019

Irwin L. Jacobs left for the better World on tenth April 2019 aged 77 years.  Irwin was found dead with is wife for 57 years Alexandra also aged 77 years old at their Lake Minnetonka home.  Born July fifteen 1941 Jacobs was raised in Minneapolis and at eight years old he started working for his father’s Northwestern Bag Company, collecting and reselling burlap sacks.  In 1973 Jacobs founded COMB or Close-out Merchandise Buyers, a catalogue-based mail-order retailer, and along with several cable television magnates he later created the Cable Value Network, an innovative shopping channel sold to QVC in 1989.  Jacobs became wealthy by taking big stakes in Fortune 500 companies with friend Carl Pohlad, becoming a relentlessly bold and aggressive businessman, unlocking value by breaking companies up thus earning the nickname “Irv the Liquidator.”  Jacobs founded Genmar in 1978, this will become a bigger empire in 1986 as other companies in Minstar Inc are entered in Genmar.  In its peak Genmar was the second pleasure boat builder in the USA; owning over the years Aquasport in 1989 stopping production in 2005, Carver Yachts acquired in 1991, Champion Boats in 2002, Crestliner sold to Brunswick in 2004, Glastron in 1987, Hatteras Yachts bought in 1985 and sold to Brunswick in 2001, Larson Boats in 1977, Lowe Boats in 2001 sold in 2004 to Brunswick, Marquis created in 2004, Scarab Boats in 1984, Trojan Yachts in 1992 liquidated in 2002, and Wellcraft in 1984.  In 2009 following the Great Recession Genmar, which at the time owned Carver, Champion Boats, Glastron, Larson, Marquis, Scarab, and Wellcraft will go bankrupt.  Irwin Jacobs with friend John Paul DeJoria though will in 2010 buy some of the Genmar assets back with JandD Acquisitions; including Carver and Marquis.  Jacobs will sell Carver and Marquis to Polaris in 2019.  Irwin is preceded in death by his parents, Samuel and Rose Jacobs and brother, Sheldon Jacobs. He is survived by his children, Mark Jacobs, Sheila Jacobs, Melinda Jacobs, Randi Jacobs and Trisha Blake; grandchildren, Cole, Madeline, Alexander, Caroline, Jordan, Gillian, Tess, Finn; and great grandson, Ozzie; Irwin's sisters, Elaine Yablonsky and Sharon Milavitz; and multiple beloved nephews and nieces.