Curt Carlson
Curtis Leroy Carlson (July 9, 1914 – February 19, 1999) was an American businessman and founder of Carlson and Radisson Hotel Group.[1] Carlson developed a popular trading stamp consumer loyalty program for grocery stores in the United States.
Early life and education[edit]
Carlson was born in Minneapolis, 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 of a Danish father and Swedish mother. Curt Carlson began a career with Procter and Gamble after earning a BA in Economics in 1937 from the University of Minnesota where he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.[2][3]
Career[edit]
Carlson began working for Procter & Gamble and then founded the Gold Bond Stamp Company in 1938.[4] 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 a grocery chain through the issuance of trading stamps.[5][6]
Carlson expanded his offerings by purchasing the downtown Minneapolis Radisson Hotel in 1960 and building it into a national chain. He also acquired TGI Fridays, Carlson Leisure Group and hundreds of other hospitality businesses.[7]
The Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota is named for him, in recognition of his $25 million gift, the largest single donation to a public university at that time.[8] Curt Carlson created an estate in Lake Nebagamon, Wisconsin which was later converted to a business resort for corporations.[9]
Awards[edit]
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Linnean Medal presented by H.M. Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden
- Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement, 1977[10]
- Horatio Alger Award; the Swedish-American of the Year Award, Stockholm, Sweden in 1981
- Town and Country magazine Philanthropist of the Year Award, 1987–1988
- International Citizen of the Year Award from the City of Minneapolis
- 1989 Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame inductee[11]
- 1995 DeMolay International Hall of Fame[12]
References[edit]
- ^ Former Owner /CEO of Radisson Hotels, Carlson Travel (Murat Shrine.org [1] Archived May 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Carlson, Curtis L. Minnesota entrepreneur.Founder of Carlson Companies (New York Times. February 23, 1999) [2]
- ^ "Sigma Phi Epsilon Journal". March 1, 2003. Retrieved July 22, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Curt L. Carlson, President and Board Chairman, Carlson Companies". Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Curtis Leroy Carlson (The University of Houston, Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management)"Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 14, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Business leader Curt Carlson(Star Tribune. March 26, 1999)". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011.
- ^ Gold Bond Stamp Company / Carlson Companies 1938 – 1998 (Harvard Business School) [3]
- ^ "Driven: The Campaign for the Carlson School". Carlson School of Management. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ Obituary of Curtis L. Carlson, Founder and Chairman (Hotel Online data base of News and Trends) [4]
- ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "SAHF Inductees". hostfest.com. Norsk Høstfest. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ "Curtis L. Carlson DeMolay International Hall of Fame". DeMolay International.
External links[edit]
- The Carlson Family Foundation Archived August 8, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- University of Minnesota. Carlson School of Management Archived May 23, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Minnesuing Acres
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