Larry Gies is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist best known as the founder and chief executive officer of Madison Industries, a global industrial company. He has built and led businesses across fields that include filtration, medical diagnostics, life sciences, safety equipment, and indoor air quality. Alongside his business career, Gies has supported education and community organizations, including the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where the business college bears his name.
Gies’s story links business building with a long-running interest in education. He earned degrees from the University of Illinois and Northwestern University and has remained involved with both institutions. His philanthropic work includes major gifts to the University of Illinois and support for organizations focused on education and health.
Larry Gies: Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Larry W. Gies |
| Known for | Founder and CEO of Madison Industries |
| Profession | Entrepreneur and philanthropist |
| Undergraduate education | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |
| Graduate education | Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University |
| Business interests | Industrial products and services, including filtration, medical diagnostics, and safety |
| Philanthropic focus | Education and health |
| Notable university connection | Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois |
Who Is Larry Gies?
Larry Gies is a business leader who founded Madison Industries in 1994. The company describes itself as a global industrial business that builds and develops branded companies. Its areas of work include filtration, medical diagnostics, life sciences, industrial equipment, marine products, safety and rescue equipment, and indoor air quality.
Gies’s leadership has centered on acquiring, developing, and growing businesses. Madison’s stated purpose is to build companies that create practical products and services while helping make the world safer, healthier, and more productive. Its portfolio includes operations in industries that may be less visible to consumers than household brands but supply equipment and services used in workplaces, hospitals, buildings, and other settings.
Education and Early Career
Gies studied accountancy at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1988. He later completed a master’s degree in management at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. His education connected him to two institutions that would remain important throughout his career and philanthropy.
Before founding Madison, Gies began his career in accounting and gained experience working with businesses. Madison Air’s board biography identifies his University of Illinois accounting degree and Northwestern management degree. Public profiles describe his early work as helping him develop the financial and operating experience he would later apply to building a privately held company.
Gies founded Madison Industries in 1994. The business grew by investing in companies and supporting their development across multiple industrial sectors. Rather than focusing on one consumer product, Madison built a portfolio of businesses in fields such as air filtration, process equipment, medical products, and safety systems.
Madison Industries and Business Leadership
Madison Industries is the central enterprise of Gies’s business career. As founder and CEO, he has led the company’s expansion into a broad range of industrial markets. The company’s executive profile describes a model focused on building branded market leaders and developing businesses over the long term.
Its industries include filtration and indoor air quality, medical diagnostics, life sciences, industrial equipment, marine products, instruments and controls, and safety and rescue equipment. This breadth means Madison’s companies serve different kinds of customers, from healthcare providers and laboratories to industrial operators and public safety organizations.
In 2026, Madison Industries’ air-focused business, Madison Air, completed an initial public offering. Madison’s leadership page describes the IPO as a major milestone for that business. Madison Air’s investor profile identifies Gies as its founder and board chair, while he continues to lead Madison Industries.
The IPO brought public-market attention to one part of a larger private-company portfolio. Madison Industries and Madison Air are related, but they are not interchangeable names: Madison Industries is Gies’s broader company, while Madison Air is the air-focused business that became publicly traded.
Career and Leadership Milestones
| Year or period | Milestone | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Earned an accountancy degree from the University of Illinois | Established an academic and alumni connection that later became central to his philanthropy. |
| After undergraduate study | Earned a management degree at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School | Added graduate business education to his accounting background. |
| 1994 | Founded Madison Industries | Started the business platform that became the focus of his entrepreneurial career. |
| 2017 | Made a $150 million gift to the University of Illinois College of Business | The gift led to the college being named Gies College of Business. |
| 2025 | Gave $100 million to University of Illinois athletics | The gift supported the university’s Division of Intercollegiate Athletics and honored his father. |
| 2025 | Received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Illinois | Recognized his connection to the university and his contributions. |
| 2026 | Madison Air completed an initial public offering | Marked a significant public-market milestone for Madison’s air-focused business. |
Philanthropy and the Gies Foundation
Gies and his wife, Beth, have supported education and health through philanthropy. He serves as president of the Gies Foundation, which describes its focus as democratizing education and enhancing health. Their charitable work includes support for schools, universities, and organizations working on educational opportunity.
One of the most prominent gifts came in 2017, when Gies gave $150 million to the University of Illinois College of Business. The university renamed the school the Gies College of Business. The gift was intended to strengthen the college, expand opportunities, and support new programs and initiatives.
In 2025, Gies made another major gift to the University of Illinois, directing $100 million to its Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. The university renamed Memorial Stadium as Gies Memorial Stadium in honor of his father, Larry Gies Sr., a U.S. Army veteran. The donation was reported as the largest in the athletics department’s history.
Gies has also been involved with Chicago Jesuit Academy, a full-scholarship school serving students on Chicago’s West Side. Madison’s biography notes his role in establishing the Gies Campus of the academy. He also serves on the boards of Northwestern University and the Accelerate Institute, an organization focused on educational leadership and achievement.
Connection to the University of Illinois
Gies’s relationship with the University of Illinois extends beyond donations. He graduated from the university, has taught and mentored students, and has supported its academic mission over many years. The university’s business college was renamed in recognition of his 2017 gift.
The 2025 athletics donation created another visible connection through the naming of Gies Memorial Stadium. Gies said the naming honored his father, linking the gift to family as well as to the university. In 2025, the University of Illinois awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
His philanthropy has attracted public discussion, as large gifts can prompt questions about the influence of donors and the priorities of institutions. In the case of the university, the gifts have supported business education and athletics, while the naming decisions have made the donor’s role especially visible.
Personal Life
Public sources identify Beth Gies as Larry Gies’s wife and philanthropic partner. She has her own background in education and community service and serves as president of the Gies Foundation. The couple’s public profile is closely connected to their giving and work with educational organizations.
Gies’s father, Larry Gies Sr., was a U.S. Army veteran. The University of Illinois’ 2025 athletics gift and the naming of Gies Memorial Stadium were made in his honor. Gies’s philanthropic interests and university ties are among the best-documented aspects of his public life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Larry Gies?
Larry Gies is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. He founded Madison Industries in 1994 and serves as its CEO.
What is Madison Industries?
Madison Industries is a global industrial company with businesses in areas such as filtration, medical diagnostics, life sciences, industrial equipment, safety, and indoor air quality.
Where did Larry Gies go to college?
He earned an accountancy degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a graduate management degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Why is the University of Illinois business school named after Larry Gies?
The school was named Gies College of Business after Gies made a $150 million gift to the University of Illinois in 2017.
What is Gies Memorial Stadium?
Gies Memorial Stadium is the University of Illinois football stadium, renamed in 2025 after Larry Gies gave $100 million to the university’s Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. The naming honors his father, Larry Gies Sr.
What does the Gies Foundation support?
The Gies Foundation focuses on education and health. Larry Gies serves as its president, and the foundation supports initiatives and organizations in those areas.
Is Larry Gies connected to Madison Air?
Yes. Gies founded Madison Air and serves as chair of its board. Madison Air is the air-focused business that completed an IPO in 2026; it is part of the broader Madison business story.
Final Word
Larry Gies has built a business career around growing companies in industrial markets and paired that work with substantial support for education and health initiatives. His leadership at Madison Industries, degrees from the University of Illinois and Northwestern, and major gifts to the University of Illinois define much of his public story. The Gies College of Business and Gies Memorial Stadium reflect the lasting connection between his business success, philanthropy, and alma mater.