Primary Job Title Board of Director Primary Organization 
Carlson
Gender Male Also Known As Skip Gage
Edwin Gage is the founder and chairman of Gage Marketing Group. Having watched the evolution of marketing in the ‘70s and ‘80s on the agency side and as a client, Gage was convinced that most marketers were being underserved by their agencies because of the typical agency’s singular focus on broadcast advertising as the solution of choice. To take
advantage of this market opportunity, he decided to form a marketing firm with broad functionality, deep expertise, and an ability to integrate the various elements of marketing communications, promotion, and direct marketing into unified solutions for clients. The early manifestation of that vision was the formation of Carlson Marketing Group in the early 1970s. With a later manifestation of that vision, Gage formed Gage Marketing Group in 1992. His prior experience came in handy. As president of Carlson Marketing Group, Gage transformed the organization from a small trading stamp company to the largest freestanding promotion company in the world. Then, as president and CEO of Carlson Companies, he doubled their annual revenue to $8 billion while moving them to focus their efforts in marketing, travel and hospitality from a diversified holding company primarily using a marketing approach to the company. Gage stays heavily involved in the community and is on the board of several business and charitable organizations. He was inducted into the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism Hall of Achievement in 2009 and was also recognized by Twin Cities Business Monthly with an Outstanding Directors Award in 2007 and an Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1999.
