Louis “Lou” M. Jacobs is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Delaware North, a family-owned, global leader in hospitality. Delaware North has annual revenue exceeding $3 billion and more than 55,000 employees, and it serves half a billion customers annually on four continents.
As Co-CEO, Lou provides stewardship to the more than 100-year-old Delaware North and its seven operating subsidiaries, which include global industry leaders in food and retail operations at airports and sports venues, sports facility ownership and management, operations of parks and major tourist attractions, hotel ownership and management, gaming operations, and fine dining and catering. Lou additionally serves as an alternate governor for the six-time Stanley Cup-winning Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Delaware North supports non-profit institutions throughout the world, including in Buffalo, N.Y. where the company maintains its headquarters. Notably, Delaware North has committed more than $50 million to the University at Buffalo, the largest institution in the State University of New York system. The university’s medical school is named for the Jacobs family, in recognition of their many years of support. Lou serves on the board of directors for FeedMore WNY, a non-profit agency that works to alleviate hunger across four counties in the Western New York region. He also serves on the board of directors for the UB Foundation, which supports and promotes the University at Buffalo’s activities and programs by assisting in the acquisition of strategic assets and managing and providing resources. Additionally, Lou is a member of the American Gaming Association CEO Roundtable and the Wall Street Journal CEO Council. He is also a Committee Member on the Harry M. Zweig Memorial Fund for Equine Research at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Lou completed both a Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Business Administration at Harvard University. He and his wife Joan reside in East Aurora, N.Y. They have two children, Louis Jr. and Charlotte.