- Source of Wealth: Hotels, Travel
- Marital Status: Married (Edwin “Skip” Gage)
- Full Name: Barbara Carlson Gage
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Former CEO, Chairwoman and Co-owner of Carlson
- Education: Northwestern University
- Children: 4
Barbara Carlson Gage is an American businesswoman and she has an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion. Together with her sister Marilyn Carlson Nelson, she inherited a huge fortune from their father who passed away in 1999. The siblings received the ownership of Carlson Inc., the company founded by their father, which started as a gold bond trading stamp business in 1930 but now stands as a successful corporation that encompasses real estate, travel agencies, and dining. The privately held company has primary subsidiaries that include CWT, a travel management company, and Carlson Private Capital Partners, a family office that manages the wealth of the owners.
Aside from the wide variety of restaurants and hotels, the company also owns the internationally renowned brand Blu, the Radisson Country Inns & Suites as well as the T.G.I. Fridays. She eventually oversaw the Carlson Foundation that makes philanthropic activities for children’s charities. It raises around $6 million in grants annually as it focuses on education and at-risk children. With Queen Silvia of Sweden, the Carlson family also became the co-founder of the World Childhood Foundation. It supports 120 programs in 17 countries with the aim to raise awareness and provide aide to sexually abused or trafficked women and children around the world.