Curtis Leroy Carlson (July 9, 1914 – February 19, 1999) was an American businessman and founder of Carlson and

Radisson Hotel Group Radisson Hospitality, Inc. (trading as Radisson Hotel Group) is an American multi-national hospitality company. It started as a division of Carlson Companies, which owned Radisson Hotels, Country Inns & Suites and other brands. In 1994, Carlson s ...

Early life and education

Carlson was born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

, Minnesota, the son of Charles and Leatha Carlson. Charles Carlson was a Swedish-American immigrant who arrived as a child in Minnesota; Leatha Carlson was born in

Downing, Wisconsin Downing is a village in Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States. Bordering St. Croix County to the west, the village is otherwise surrounded by the Town of Tiffany. The population was 265 at the 2010 census. Geography Downing is located at (4 ...

of a Danish father and Swedish mother. Curt began a career with

Procter and Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer hea ...

after earning a BA in Economics in 1937 from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

where he served as President, and Recruitment Chair for

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond), and its national headquarte ...

fraternity- MN Alpha chapter.

Career

Carlson began working for Procter & Gamble and then founded the Gold Bond Stamp Company in 1938. Carlson used "Gold Bond Stamps", a consumer loyalty program based on trading stamps, to provide consumer incentive for grocery stores. Carlson was the first entrepreneur to develop a loyalty program for the grocery chain through the issuance of trading stamps. What began as a simple loyalty program for grocers in the Midwest grew into one of the largest service providers of frequent shopper / buyer programs across a variety of retail and hospitality sectors. Carlson expanded his offerings by purchasing the downtown Minneapolis

Radisson Hotel Radisson Hotels is an international hotel chain headquartered in the United States. A division of the Radisson Hotel Group, it operates the brands Radisson Blu, Radisson Red, Radisson RED, Radisson Collection, Country Inn & Suites, and Park In ...

in 1960 and building it into a national chain. He also acquired

TGI Fridays TGI Fridays (operating in the UK as FRIDAYS) is an American restaurant chain focusing on primarily American cuisine and casual dining. The restaurant's founder said the name stood for "Thank God It's Friday", although some television commercial ...

, Carlson Leisure Group and hundreds of other hospitality businesses. The

Carlson School of Management The Curtis L. Carlson School of Management is the business school of the University of Minnesota, a public research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Carlson School offers undergraduate and graduat ...

at the

is named for him, in recognition of his $25 million gift, the largest single donation to a public university at that time. Curt Carlson created an estate in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin which was later converted to a business resort for corporations.

Awards

* Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Linnean Medal presented by H.M. Carl XVI Gustaf,

King of Sweden The monarchy of Sweden is the monarchical head of state of Sweden,See the Instrument of Government, Chapter 1, Article 5. which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system.Parliamentary system: see the Instrument ...

*Viking Baron Award from the American Swedish Cultural Foundation *Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

, 1977 * Horatio Alger Award; the Swedish-American of the Year Award, Stockholm, Sweden in 1981 *Chairperson Emeriti of the Swedish Council of America from 1985 to 1989 *

Town and Country magazine ''Town and Country Magazine'' was an 18th-century London-based publication that featured tales of scandals and affairs between members of London's upper classes. History ''Town and Country Magazine'' was founded by Archibald Hamilton in 1769. ...

Philanthropist of the Year Award, 1987–1988 *International Citizen of the Year Award from the

City of Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

* 1989

Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame The Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame (SAHF) was established in 1984 in Minot, North Dakota, by the Norsk Høstfest Association. The Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame is "an enduring means of honoring the persons of Scandinavian descent in North ...

inductee * 1995 DeMolay International Hall of Fame

Selected works

*''Good as Gold : the Story of the Carlson Companies'' (Carlson Companies, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, 1994)

References

External links

The Carlson Family FoundationMinnesuing Acres
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlson, Curt American people of Swedish descent Businesspeople from Minneapolis University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni 1914 births 1999 deaths Burials at Lakewood Cemetery American people of Danish descent 20th-century American businesspeople