BUY The Book
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Mark Wibel Brings His Inspired Vision to the MRA Board PresidencyBy Darcy Gifford
As a college student in the 1970s, Mark Wibel thought he latched onto the next big thing: turquoise heishi necklaces. The budding entrepreneur, studying at the University of New Mexico, saw the contemporary Native American jewelry that was all the rage in Albuquerque and decided to sell the beaded necklaces in Michigan.
His plan was simple. He’d purchase a cache of necklaces in New Mexico, then head to picturesque Harbor Springs, a quaint hamlet on the northwest shores of the Lower Peninsula. Wibel’s family had vacationed there for decades, and he was familiar with the quaint shops that dotted the tree-laden streets. Heishi (pronounced hee-shee) was extremely popular—and not just in the Southwest. Surely the shop owners will buy the necklaces, he thought. Then they, in turn, will sell them to tourists.
With that, he made his foray into the entrepreneurial world.
Selling turquoise heishi necklaces was his real summer job, but to make ends meet, he took on a part-time gig at the exclusive Harbor Pier restaurant. He started as a dishwasher, then bussed tables before eventually working his way up to server. He soaked in every facet of the business he possibly could, and within two years another restaurant came calling. They wanted him for a management position. Wibel’s life was about to spin in a very different direction.
And the heishi world’s loss was definitely the restaurant industry’s gain.
Today, Wibel runs Wibel Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Carrabba’s Italian Grill restaurants in the Midwest. Wibel has developed 18 Carrabba’s in four states (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois) since 2000. Eight of those are in Michigan. His vast career in the restaurant industry includes stints with familiar national chains (Chi-Chis, for example)—and some that are not so well known, like Rosa Corona’s. In the 1990s, he built and developed management teams at 18 Outback Steakhouse restaurants. Just prior to his Carrabba’s venture, Wibel served as the vice president of operations for 200 Outback Steakhouse restaurants in the Midwest. (Outback is the parent company of Carrabba’s.)
Not bad for a guy who started washing dishes just to make some extra money.
Now he’s accepting a new challenge. Wibel, 54, was recently named president of the Michigan Restaurant Association’s Board of Directors. An MRA board member since 1997, he was treasurer in 2003 and vice president in 2004. Serving as board president for the 4,500-member organization is an opportunity that the unassuming yet extremely driven Wibel fully embraces.
“Anyone who loves the restaurant business and the entrepreneurial spirit should join the Michigan Restaurant Association,” Wibel said. “The MRA prides itself in protecting small businesses and maintaining the free enterprise system. We work on a day-to-day basis on issues that affect all types of businesses ranging from fast food to catering to fine dining.
“As restaurateurs, we’re part of the largest private industry in Michigan,” he continued. “And we must protect our businesses. In this day and age, you have to be involved.”
According to Wibel, the association’s 2005 goals include staying close to legislative issues (smoking and minimum wage, for example); increasing membership; educating industry members about the MRA’s mission; and maintaining its status as a high-end professional organization which has gained a lot of clout.
“One thing I’m very proud of is how we’ve created a culture of activity on the Board of Directors,” Wibel said. “We all realize that we can’t be absent—not just physically but mentally—and think that problems are just going to go away.”
With Wibel at the helm, the MRA’s hard-earned clout is sure to flourish. Part visionary, part “roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-to-work” kind of guy, Wibel is talented and ambitious. He is also extremely well-versed in virtually every aspect of the industry. He has to be. Developing a 6,300 square-foot restaurant—complete with Tuscan countryside décor, colorful Italian memorabilia and space for 250 guests— requires a full complement of skills. He oversees all aspects of development for each new Carrabba’s, including financing, real estate, construction, staff recruitment and marketing.
Moreover, he truly enjoys what he does. Wibel encountered his restaurant business Rorschach test 29 years ago, when he was washing dishes at the Harbor Pier and pocketing a minimum-wage reward. He was drawn to the interaction with people, and he knew that he found his calling.
“Everybody enjoyed their jobs a lot,” he said, reflecting on his Harbor Pier days. “People really liked coming to work each day. It made me want to stay there, learn more about the restaurant, and work my way up. It was a long process, but worthwhile.”
His uncanny knack for connecting with people served him well early in his career—and continues to endear him to his peers today. Now, as board president of the MRA, Wibel is hoping to be able to give back to an industry that has done so much for him and his family.
“I want MRA members to feel like I can get things done,” he said, an unmistakable thrill prevalent in his voice. “At the very least, I hope they know that I am approachable. I always strive to make sure that problems are solved the right way. I always ask, ‘How does this problem affect the members? What would the membership say about it?’”
For Wibel, the board presidency is his chance to enthusiastically support an industry that has infused every part of his life. Remember Rosa Corona’s, the little-known restaurant from one of his early career stops? The high-end Mexican concept in Indianapolis didn’t thrive, but Wibel’s personal life did. It was there in 1981 that he met Barbara, the restaurant’s hostess. Within two years they were married. Thirteen years later they had moved nine times as Wibel’s career skyrocketed with Chi-Chis and Outback.
The moving trucks have stopped their regular runs, as the Wibels (and daughter Marissa, 16) have settled in Bloomfield Hills—not far from Mark’s hometown of Birmingham. He still vacations in Harbor Springs; in fact, the Wibels have a place there and try to venture north as much as possible. When he visits the town that has been his second home for years, he realizes that he has come full circle.
“There are a lot of memories there for me,” he said thoughtfully.
Funny how things work. Twenty-nine years ago, Wibel was selling necklaces for $20 a pop. Now he is managing million-dollar restaurant deals. And despite his enormous success, it’s the little things that he remains passionate about. Free enterprise. Entrepreneurs. The restaurant industry.
“I love what I do,” Wibel said. “Michigan has been really good to Outback and to Carrabba’s. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
