Tuesday, July 9, 2013

On this date in Minnesota history: July 9

July 9, 1914 – Curt Carlson, founder and CEO of Carlson Companies, was born in Minneapolis on this date. “Carlson founded the Gold Bond Stamp Company in 1938. [He] used ‘Gold Bond Stamps,’ a consumer loyalty program based on trading stamps, to provided 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 in 1960 and building it into a national chain. He also acquired TGI Fridays, Carlson Leisure Group and hundreds of other hospitality businesses.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Carlson




Gold Bond Stamps

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_bond_stamps.jpg

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