Carlson Real Estate Company

What Carlson Real Estate Company does

Carlson Real Estate Company is a privately held commercial real estate firm founded in 1985 to own, manage, and develop office and industrial properties across the United States. The company traces its roots to entrepreneur Curtis L. Carlson (1914-1999), founder of the broader Carlson family of companies — a global conglomerate that includes T.G.I. Friday's restaurants and Radisson Hotels & Resorts — and operates as the dedicated real estate arm of that legacy. Carlson Real Estate manages approximately 6 million square feet of property and land holdings spanning Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina, with portfolio assets concentrated in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Featured properties include multiple office assets along the Carlson Parkway corridor in Plymouth and Minnetonka (One Carlson Parkway, Two Carlson Parkway, 301 & 401 Carlson Parkway, 701 Carlson Parkway/Carlson Towers, Carlson Center East I) and industrial/flex properties such as Bryant Lake Business Center in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, plus 1.3 million square feet of flex and light industrial space in Charlotte, North Carolina acquired in 2006.

The company's core offerings are commercial office leasing, industrial property leasing, professional property management, and real estate development services. It serves business tenants of all sizes — from small enterprises to large corporations — through a direct-to-client leasing model with no intermediaries or channel partners. Revenue is generated through rental income on owned and managed assets and property management fees, with pricing operated on quote-based, privately negotiated commercial terms rather than published rate cards. The company has 51-100 employees, is headquartered at 2 Carlson Parkway Suite 230, Plymouth, MN, and is guided by the Carlson credo emphasizing integrity, leadership, and caring service. In 2009, it received the International TOBY (The Office Building of the Year) Award from BOMA International. There is no disclosed technology platform, AI/ML capability, API offering, or external funding; the business operates as a traditional, privately capitalized real estate enterprise leveraging the Carlson brand heritage and in-house professional expertise.

Name

Carlson Real Estate Company

Legal name

Carlson Real Estate Company

Website

https://carlsonrealestate.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Carlson Real Estate Company is a privately held commercial real estate firm that owns, manages, and develops approximately 6 million square feet of office and industrial properties across Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina, serving business tenants of all sizes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Property Managers (531312), Lessors of Other Real Estate Property (53119)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512), Lessors Of Real Property, Nec (6519)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales) (FSAEAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Manufacturing & Heavy Industrial Facilities Brokerage (BPAJACAB)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate
• Office property leasing
• Industrial property leasing
• Property management
• Real estate development

Headquarters

HQ city

Plymouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Carlson Real Estate Company manages, leases, and develops commercial office and industrial properties. The company owns and operates a portfolio of approximately 6 million square feet of properties and land holdings across Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina, providing direct leasing, professional property management, and real estate development services to business tenants of all sizes.

Product overview

Carlson Real Estate Company operates as a unified commercial real estate platform offering office and industrial property leasing, property management, and real estate development services. The company's portfolio consists primarily of office properties (including 301 & 401 Carlson Parkway, Carlson Center East I, 701 Carlson Parkway/Carlson Towers, One Carlson Parkway, and Two Carlson Parkway in Minnetonka and Plymouth, MN) and industrial properties (such as Bryant Lake Business Center in Eden Prairie). Property Management Services and Real Estate Development are integral service offerings that complement the leasing business, enabling the company to manage, maintain, and develop its holdings while building long-term client relationships. The company has managed 6 million square feet of property and land holdings across Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Office Properties Commercial office leasing services offering modern, adaptable office spaces across multiple properties in Minnesota, including 301 & 401 Carlson Parkway, Carlson Center East I, 701 Carlson Parkway (Carlson Towers), One Carlson Parkway, and Two Carlson Parkway in Minnetonka and Plymouth. Targeted at businesses seeking flexible, high-quality office space with professional management.
• Industrial Properties Flexible and functional industrial properties located near major transportation routes and trade hubs, including Bryant Lake Business Center in Eden Prairie, MN, designed to accommodate tenants of various sizes seeking flex and light industrial space.
• Property Management Services Professional property management services including maintaining buildings and campuses with professionally trained staff scrutinizing every detail. Provided to tenants across the company's office and industrial portfolio in Minnesota, Arizona, and North Carolina.
• Real Estate Development Real estate development focused on developing relationships that enhance the long-term success of customers and associates, with a portfolio of office, industrial, and land holdings primarily in Minnesota, including ongoing development of Carlson Center.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services giant providing leasing, property management, and capital markets services. Overlaps with Carlson's property management and leasing business as part of a much broader global platform.
• JLL: Global commercial real estate services firm offering leasing, property management, and investment advisory. Comparable to Carlson's property management and leasing functions but with an international, multi-product platform.
• CBRE Group: Largest global commercial real estate services firm, active across leasing, property management, and investment sales. Comparable in service capabilities (leasing, property management for office/industrial) but as a vastly scaled incumbent.
• Prologis: Global industrial REIT and the dominant owner/operator of logistics and light industrial real estate. Comparable to Carlson's industrial book in product type, though vastly larger and publicly traded.

Direct peers

• Trammell Crow Company: Major U.S. commercial real estate developer and investor with deep office and industrial development pipelines. Comparable as an owner-developer of commercial product, though with significantly larger scale and development focus.
• Newmark Group: Commercial real estate advisory and services firm with strong leasing and property management capabilities across office and industrial. Comparable in service line (leasing/property management) though with a much broader geographic reach.
• Opus Group: Midwest-based commercial real estate developer and owner of office and industrial product with significant Twin Cities presence. Comparable to Carlson as a regionally anchored, family-influenced operator with a similar office/industrial mix.
• Ryan Companies: Minneapolis-headquartered commercial real estate developer, owner, and manager with deep Twin Cities roots and a national platform across office, industrial, and mixed-use. Highly comparable to Carlson in geography, product mix, and integrated ownership/management model.
• Colliers International: Global commercial real estate services firm offering brokerage, property management, and investment advisory across office and industrial. Comparable to Carlson in the property management and leasing functions, though at vastly greater scale.
• Shorenstein Properties: Privately held owner and operator of Class A office properties in select U.S. markets. Comparable to Carlson as a privately held, long-cycle office landlord focused on selective, high-quality urban and suburban office holdings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carlson Real Estate Company