The Carlson Legacy of Leadership

Entrepreneur Curtis Carlson (1914-1999), founder of Carlson – a global family of marketing, travel and hospitality companies and services including familiar brands like T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants and Radisson Hotels & Resorts – began to diversify his business interests in the 1950s and 1960s through real estate investments.

During that period, Mr. Carlson acquired luxury hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, and office and warehouse space throughout North America. He also purchased large tracts of suburban farmland west of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mr. Carlson set aside a significant portion of these properties west of the metropolitan area, preserving their woodlands and wetlands to create a premier setting for a visionary development complex—Carlson Center.

In 1985, Carlson Real Estate Company was formed to focus on the broad portfolio of holdings. As the portfolio was refined, the foundation for a successful approach to real estate development, ownership and management was forged.

As we pursued the ongoing development of Carlson Center in the 1990s, Carlson Real Estate Company established a reputation for exceptional service standards and valuable expertise. At the same time, we grew our Phoenix portfolio by developing flex and office space. In 2006 we further expanded our national presence by purchasing 1.3 million square feet of quality flex and light industrial properties in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Carlson Real Estate Company has managed 6 million square feet of property and land holding located in Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina. Always, we're proud to carry on the Carlson legacy of leadership.