Marilyn Carlson Nelson Net Worth & Biography

Marilyn Carlson Nelson is an American heiress and businesswoman who is best remembered for being one of the two daughters of the late Curt Carlson, founder of the Carlson Inc. conglomerate. Ms. Nelson is a former chairwoman and chief executive officer of Carlson Incorporated, a global travel and hospitality corporation headquartered in Minneapolis, which includes Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Country Inns & Suites, Park Plaza, Park Inn, Radisson Red, and Radisson Blu. More details follow below.

Life & Career

Marilyn Carlson Nelson is one of the two daughters of Curt Carlson, who passed away in 1999. She studied at Smith College and also attended the University of Paris. Her sister is Barbara Carlson Gage.

The sisters were brought up by two of the most dedicated and successful hoteliers ever — Curt Carlson and his wife Arleen, who brought success to anything they touched. With a $55 loan, they started a customer-loyalty company known as the Gold Bond Stamp Company. In 1960, they purchased a tenth of a hotel and grew it into the Radisson chain. In 1975, they acquired a small group of restaurants that stands today as TGI Fridays. Curt and Arleen built their business with tireless work and trust, and those attributes that helped them achieve success in their business endeavors seem to be what they passed on to their daughters.

As they grew older, Marilyn succeeded her father as the chief executive officer of Carlson, continuing to build the business and expanding it into an international corporation. Barbara, on the other hand, succeeded her late father as the president of the Carlson Family Foundation, concentrating it on youth issues and education. Marilyn and her sister inherited their parents’ ability to achieve what they set their minds to and the drive to think beyond themselves.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson serves on the boards of The National Endowment for Democracy, the United Nations Global Compact, and The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy. She is a former board member of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and ExxonMobil. Furthermore, she served as chairperson of Mayo Clinic’s board of trustees for 4 years before stepping down in 2014. Her husband, Glen Nelson, is a doctor and an ex vice chairman of Medtronic, a medical device company.

Also worthy of mention is the fact that this woman is the best-selling author of the book titled “How We Lead Matters: Reflections on a Life of Leadership.”

Ms. Marilyn Nelson and her family currently live in Long Lake, Michigan.

Achievements: Awards & Honors

Her remarkable performance as a businesswoman in the highly competitive American business industry has won her many accolades over time. She has been featured by Forbes magazine on its “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” list and was listed as one of “America’s Best Leaders” by the popular outlet U.S. News and World Report. Under her leadership, Carlson Inc. became the first international travel and hospitality company headquartered in the United States to sign the industry’s global “Code of Conduct” to protect children and women from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism. In 2013, the company was the first business in the country to receive the Presidential Award for “Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking.” To also include, Ms. Nelson is the recipient of the Oslo Business for Peace Award. She is also an inductee in the French Legion d’Honneur in recognition of her exemplary leadership and service to humanity.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson Net Worth

A graduate of Smith College with a degree in international economics, the American businesswoman and heiress, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, has a net worth of $1.7 billion dollars. She is one of the richest people in Michigan, thanks to the huge fortune she has made from her career over the years.

Born into the family of Curt and Arleen Carlson, Marilyn started her career properly in the late 90s following the death of her father, founder of the successful Carlson Company. She and her only sibling, Barbara, inherited their father’s business which includes popular restaurants and hotels, in addition to real estate and travel agencies. Marilyn’s inheritance of this company is what made her a billionaire. The company currently controls popular brands like Blu, the Radisson Hotels, T.G.I. Fridays, and the Radisson Country Inns & Suites. A recent report shows that the company is currently in the process of increasing its portfolio to include more than a thousand hotels in the next decade. There’s no doubt in our minds that this gifted entrepreneur and happily married family woman will continue to take Carlson Incorporated to newer levels of development and continue to achieve many great things in business with her sister, Barbara.