The Founders
Mark Lacek
Co-founder of Faith's Lodge
Mark was born and raised in Mercer, a small resort community in northern Wisconsin, where he gained his love for the outdoors and adventure. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls with an honors degree in Economics, he began pursuing both physical and business pursuits. These included bicycling across the U.S. from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., skiing competitively in water ski tournaments, climbing both Mt. Rainier and Mt. Kiliminjaro, and hunting and fishing around the world. On the business side, he received his MBA from the University of St. Thomas while beginning his career as a marketing leader in the airline industry. After ten years in management with Republic and Northwest Airlines, Mark left to form his own consulting business. In 1993, he and a business partner started The Lacek Group, a global marketing agency with offices in Asia, Australia and the U.S., now owned by Ogilvy Worldwide. A side enterprise, Lacek Development, was started in 1997 to focus on the creation of a lodging and entertainment complex in Siren, Wisconsin, comprised of The Lodge at Crooked Lake – a 60 room hotel and conference center – as well as a restaurant, theater, retail mall, real estate office and hockey arena. Mark continued his entrepreneurial career with the creation of MilePoint, an Internet technology company that was acquired by a Toronto public company in 2004. With these various businesses now being led by others, Mark is currently focused on making the dream of Faith’s Lodge a reality. His greatest accomplishment in life is being father to his daughters Emmy (Emilia), Ally (Alexandra) and Faith Ann, who is their angel in heaven looking over all of them.
Susan Lacek
Co-founder of Faith's Lodge
Susan was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the youngest of four daughters. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a journalism degree, she moved to Minneapolis to pursue a career in marketing. After positions with Carlson Marketing Group and International Market Square, she joined The Lacek Group in 1995 as an account executive and met Mark, then president and CEO. They were married in July of 1999 at Mark’s lake home in Webster, Wisconsin. After their marriage, Susan focused professionally on the marketing of their hotel and conference center, The Lodge at Crooked Lake, and personally on their dream of starting a family. A year later, Faith Ann Lacek was stillborn due to an unexplained umbilical cord accident. After this devastating loss, Susan sought comfort in being with others who shared this experience. She began volunteering at The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center in Wayzata and was instrumental in the creation and dedication of the Angel of Hope statue, a memorial in Maple Grove for those who have lost a child. In 2001, the Lacek’s second daughter, Emilia (Emmy) Hope, was born; she was joined by sister Alexandra Grayce in 2003. Grateful for the successful arrival of two beautiful and healthy daughters, Susan concentrated full-time on motherhood and the pursuit of Faith’s legacy. In 2005, she led the charge with another bereaved mother to pass legislation at the Minnesota Capitol giving parents of stillborn children the opportunity to receive a legal birth certificate. After testifying at both House and Senate hearings, Susan was present when Governor Pawlenty signed the bill into law in May, 2005, and was one of the first in the State of Minnesota to receive such a birth certificate for her daughter, Faith. She continues to advocate for the support and well-being of bereaved parents through her work on the creation of Faith’s Lodge.
Family Programming Funded By Ronald McDonald House Charities, Upper Midwest