Hall of Fame--On Top of the Mountain

As the organization grew, so did the involvement of ownership, which had not been involved to a great extent in the earlier days. Carlson soon found he had philosophical differences with ownership and decided in 1985 to resign from the chain of companies he had helped develop. The following year, Carlson laid the groundwork for American Spirit Graphics and a number of top executives from his former company joined the new endeavor. He also found support in the form of manufacturers, suppliers and customers in the industry.