Carlson, a privately held, global hospitality and travel company, today announced it has been named as one of the "Best Adoption-Friendly" companies in the United States by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Carlson ranked first in the hotel and travel industry category for the fourth consecutive year.

The recognition is based on the adoption benefits that companies offer their employees, including financial assistance and paid leave. Carlson provides up to USD 5,000 and six weeks of paid leave per adoption to adoptive parents.

“We understand the unique challenges adoptive parents face when bringing a child into the family,” said Rick Clevette, corporate vice president human resources, Carlson. “Our adoption-assistance benefit helps our employees balance their work and family lives, especially in a time of adjustment and change.”     

Carlson’s adoption package includes financial aid, along with a comprehensive assistance program that helps employees locate adoption resources, counseling services and support groups.

Clevette notes that the adoption benefit is one more reason the company ranks highly as a family-friendly employer. Carlson was also recently recognized for the eighth time on Working Mother magazine’s list of the Best 100 Companies for Working Mothers. Carlson’s other key employee benefits and programs include onsite childcare, flexible work arrangements, mental health assistance and webinars on a variety of topics, including financial planning.

The Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list was compiled with data collected from 500 U.S. companies. To see the entire list, visit www.DaveThomasFoundationforAdoption.org.

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About Carlson

Carlson is a privately held, global hospitality and travel company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. Carlson encompasses more than 1,075 hotels, including Radisson®, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson^SM, Park Inn® and Park Plaza®; more than 1,000 restaurants, including T.G.I. Friday’s® and Pick Up Stix®; and a majority stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel®, the global leader in business travel management. Carlson operates in more than 150 countries and its brands employ about 150,000 people.  http://www.carlson.com

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Contacts:

Joan Cronson or Ben Gardeen, Carlson | 1 (763) 212-1418 or 1 (763) 212-8129| jcronson@carlson.com or bgardeen@carlson.com