Chairman And CEO Of Carlson Companies, Inc.
Honored By Hotel And Restaurant Society As Executive Of The Year

15 August 2000
University Park, Pa. --Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Carlson Companies, Inc., has been named the 2000 Hospitality Executive of the Year by the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS).

"It is truly an honor to receive this award, which has a rich tradition of more than 40 years behind it," Ms. Nelson said. "The recognition is really a tribute to my many Carlson colleagues across the globe, who serve our hotel and restaurant customers every day through our Regent, Radisson, Country Inns & Suites hotels brands and our TGI Fridays and related restaurant brands."

Ms. Nelson will receive the award at the 40th Annual Hospitality Executive of the Year Award Dinner, which will be held 6:30 p.m., November 12 in conjunction with the International Hotel, Motel and Restaurant Show, at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers.

"Marilyn oversees one of the largest privately held corporations in the world and is a member of the World Travel and Tourism Council and is currently the National Chair of the Travel Industry Association of America. Her presence in the hospitality industry is enormous and the multitude of her accomplishments are nothing short of inspirational," says James Purdum, President of the Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society.

"Her leadership and integrity are just some of the reasons why Carlson Companies, Inc. is a global leader in travel, hospitality and marketing industries. Throughout her 30-year career, she has combined tradition with innovation and has worked hard to ensure that the company creates jobs, serves customers well and contributes to society."

Carlson Companies, Inc. was founded by Ms. Nelson's father, Curtis L. Carlson, in 1938 as the Gold Bond Stamp Company. Among the names in the Carlson family of brands and services are: Thomas Cook travel and financial services, Carlson Wagonlit Travel®, Regent® International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts™, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises®, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson®, T.G.I. Friday's® restaurants and Carlson Marketing Group®, the largest relationship marketing services company in the United States. The company is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In 1999, Carlson brands and services generated more than $31.4 billion in gross sales system-wide and currently employs about 188,000 people in more than 140 countries.

"She is creating a new model of a modern corporation, one that is known for heart as well as financial success," says Sara C. Parks, director of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation Management in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development.

"Carlson Companies focuses on what its customers want and being the best at delivering that product, and all the time remembering that satisfied employees are the key to all of this happening. Marilyn has the type of management style that we try to instill in our students," added Parks.

The Penn State Hotel and Restaurant Society (PSHRS) is an alumni society formed over 50 years ago by alumni and friends of the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Recreation Management in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development.

PSHRS began presenting the Hospitality Executive of the Year Award to industry leaders in 1960. Past winners include Harrison A. (Skip) Hartman, Jr., vice president and managing director for Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C. and regional vice president of Loews Hotels; Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, Joseph Neubauer, chairman and chief executive officer of ARAMARK; Henry R. Silverman, chairman and CEO of HFS Incorporated; J.W. Marriott, Jr. Chairman of the Board and President,

Marriott Corporation; Raymond Schultz, former President and CEO, Promus Hotel Corporation; Herman Cain, former President, Godfather's Pizza; and Barron Hilton, Chairman and President, Hilton Hotels Corporation.

Recognized as a worldwide business leader, Ms. Nelson currently serves on the boards of Exxon Mobil Corporation and Qwest Communications International, Inc. She has led discussion of the Travel and Tourism industry at the prestigious World Economic Forum since 1997. At the invitation of President Clinton, Ms. Nelson was a delegate to the White House Conference on Tourism in 1996. She is a regular on Fortune Magazine's list of the Most Powerful Women in Business (1998 & 1999) and has been selected by Business Week as one of the Top 25 Executives in business.

Capitalizing on her international business expertise, Ms. Nelson leads the management of a global business portfolio encompassing Carlson Companies' major operating groups, specializing in two business groupings: Carlson Corporate Solutions and Carlson Consumer Services. Carlson's businesses include: Carlson Hospitality Worldwide (hotels, restaurants and cruise ships); Carlson Wagonlit Travel (business travel and leisure travel brand); Carlson Leisure Group (leisure travel agencies and tour operators); and Carlson Marketing Group (incentive and loyalty marketing).

An active leader with community programs, Ms. Nelson has served as President of the United Way of Minneapolis, Board Member of United Way of America, Chair of New Sweden '88, and leader of the Governor's Task Force to bring the 1992 Super Bowl to Minnesota. Supporting the family's strong Swedish heritage, she chaired the nine-month long "Scandinavia Today" celebration in the U.S. During "Scandinavia Today," the King of Sweden bestowed upon her the Royal Order of the North star, First Class, and the President of Finland presented her with the Order of the White Rose, Officer First Class.

Ms. Nelson graduated with honors from Smith College with a degree in International Economics and a minor in Theater. She also attended the Sorbonne in Paris and the Institute des Hautes Etudes Economiques Politiques in Geneva, Switzerland, where she studied political science and international economics.

The School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Recreation Management in Penn State's College of Health and Human Development graduates more than 250 students per year in hospitality management. The School is widely recognized by both lodging and restaurant CEOs as one of the top hospitality schools in the nation. Its students are acknowledged by recruiters as being among the best prepared of all college graduates.

The award will be presented by Diane Ryan, executive director of Penn State's Alumni Association, and James Purdum, PSHRS president. Tickets for the event are $175 and are available by contacting Nancy DeCrappeo at (814) 865-1851.

Contact Steve Infanti, coordinator of external relations for Penn State's College of Health and Human Development, at 814-863-4325. For more information on Marilyn Carlson Nelson or for photos, contact Sam Macalus, Carlson Companies, Inc.'s public relations director, at (763) 212-2477.