Company Overview

Carlson Companies was founded in 1938 by Curtis Carlson as the Gold Bond Stamp Company. In the late 1960s, the firm diversified into the hospitality and travel services markets and, in 1973, changed its name to Carlson Companies. The firm is co-owned by sisters CEO Marilyn Carlson Nelson and director Barbara Carlson Gage. Today, Carlson owns 800 hotels under such brand names as Radisson, Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, Park Inn, and the luxury Regent International Hotels. It owns more than a dozen restaurant chains including the 700-unit T.G.I. Friday’s. It shares ownership of travel giant Carlson Wagonlit with French hotelier Accor. Headquartered in Minneapolis, the company runs hospitality services in more than 40 countries. Following the travel slowdown after 9/11, Carlson was a leader in reviving the lagging tourism and travel industry. CEO Nelson lobbied the American government to protect jobs and businesses, even those not associated with Carlson, and to expand small business loans and unemployment benefits for those affected by the slowdown. Nelson has been lauded for her company’s humanitarian and ethical business practices, and she is recognized as one of the most powerful women in business today.