Many people search for a Larry Gies Wikipedia page because his name is on a famous business school and a football stadium. This article gives you the facts in plain words. You will learn who he is, what he built, how much he is worth, and what is new in 2026.
Who is Larry Gies and Why Does He Matter?
Larry Gies is an American businessman and giver of large gifts. He is the founder and chief executive of Madison Industries, a big private company based in Chicago. Madison buys and grows many kinds of businesses, such as filters, safety tools, medical tests and air products.
He also leads The Gies Foundation. The foundation works to make school easier to reach for more families and to help people stay healthy.
Most people first heard his name in 2017. He and his wife Beth gave 150 million dollars to the University of Illinois. The school then named its business college the Gies College of Business. In 2025 he gave another 100 million dollars to Illinois sports, and the school named its football home Gies Memorial Stadium.
Quick Fact: Larry Gies is not a singer, actor or politician. He is a business owner, and he is known for building companies and giving money to schools.
Larry Gies Current Status as of October 20, 2026
The biggest news this year is the Madison Air IPO. Madison Air Solutions began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on April 16, 2026, under the letters MAIR. The shares were priced at 27 dollars, and the company raised about 2.23 billion dollars. It was reported as the largest US IPO of 2026 at that time.
Larry Gies founded the company and still controls it through a special class of shares that carries the voting power. Reports from the first day said he owned about 15 percent of the company, worth more than 2 billion dollars then. Madison Air makes air systems for homes, offices and data centers. Its brands include AprilAire and Big Ass Fans.
Important Dates:
1988: Graduates from the University of Illinois
1994: Starts Madison Capital Partners
2017: Gives 150 million dollars to Illinois
2025: Gives 100 million dollars to Illinois sports
April 16, 2026: Madison Air starts trading as MAIR
What to Know About Larry Gies
Early Life and Family Background
Larry Gies grew up in the small farm town of Mendota, Illinois. He has said that before college he had never been on a plane and had only visited a few states. He often speaks about how the University of Illinois opened the world to him.
He went to Mendota High School and finished in 1984. Friends from his hometown say he always loved the University of Illinois.
Career
After college, Gies began his work life at the accounting firm Touche Ross, which is now part of Deloitte. In 1994 he started Madison Capital Partners. Over time it grew into Madison Industries, a holding company that buys and builds businesses.
Forbes reported that Madison has done more than 80 deals in over 20 countries. Madison Industries has owned or run more than 100 businesses. The company builds brands in filters, medical tests, life science, safety, rescue gear, marine products and indoor air.
Madison Air is the best known piece of that group. It was put together through many deals that began in 2017, and it reached the stock market in April 2026.
Age
Larry Gies is about 60 or 61 years old in 2026. One report lists his age as 61. His exact birth date is not shared in the sources we checked, so we will not guess it. His high school class year of 1984 fits with that age range.
Religion
Larry Gies has not shared his religion in public interviews that we could find. His foundation helped start the Gies Campus of Chicago Jesuit Academy. That is a fact about his giving, and it does not tell us his own faith, so we leave the answer open.
Wife
Larry Gies is married to Beth Gies. She is also a University of Illinois graduate. He has said the most important link he made on campus was meeting her. Together they made the 150 million dollar gift in 2017, and they have both been part of their giving work since.
Net Worth
Money sites do not agree on one number. Some reports place his net worth between 4 and 6 billion dollars in 2026. Forbes Argentina used a headline figure of 6 billion dollars. The IPO day reports said his 15 percent stake in Madison Air was worth over 2 billion dollars on its own.
Please Note: Net worth is an estimate. Madison Industries earns about 5 billion dollars in yearly sales, but that is company money, not his personal money.
Parents
His father was Larry Gies Sr., a US Army veteran who has passed away. The 100 million dollar gift to Illinois sports was made to honor him and all soldiers who served. That is why the stadium is called Gies Memorial Stadium. Public sources do not share his mother’s name, so we do not list it.
Height
His height has not been shared in any trusted source we found. Sites that give a number are guessing, so we will not add one here.
Education
Gies earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign in 1988. He was active in Delta Chi, Beta Alpha Psi and student government. He later earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. One source lists the MBA year as 1992.
In 2025 the University of Illinois gave him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. He also spoke at the school’s big graduation in May 2019.
State of Origin
Larry Gies is from Illinois. He was raised in Mendota, a town in the north central part of the state, and he now works from Chicago.
Social Media and Official Links
We could not confirm any personal social media pages for Larry Gies, so we do not link to unchecked accounts. These official pages are safe places to learn more:
Larry Gies FAQ
Is there a Larry Gies Wikipedia page?
People search for one often. This article gathers the same kind of facts from news reports, school pages and company pages, so you can check each detail yourself.
Who is Larry Gies?
He is the founder and chief executive of Madison Industries and the president of The Gies Foundation. He is a University of Illinois graduate.
How old is Larry Gies?
He is about 60 or 61 in 2026. His exact birth date is not public in the sources we checked.
What is Larry Gies net worth?
Reports in 2026 give a range of about 4 to 6 billion dollars. It is an estimate and it can change with the price of Madison Air shares.
Who is Larry Gies wife?
His wife is Beth Gies. She also graduated from the University of Illinois, and the two met there.
Why is the Gies College of Business named after him?
He and Beth gave 150 million dollars to the University of Illinois in 2017. It was the biggest gift in the school’s history, so the business college took the Gies name.
What is Madison Air and when did it go public?
Madison Air Solutions makes air systems for homes, offices and data centers. It started trading on the New York Stock Exchange on April 16, 2026, under the letters MAIR.
Final Word on Larry Gies
Larry Gies grew up in a small Illinois farm town and became the leader of one of the largest private companies in the country. His story is mostly about buying plain businesses, running them well and holding them for a long time. The Madison Air IPO in April 2026 was the biggest moment of that story so far.
Key Takeaway: He turned a small start into a large business, and he has given hundreds of millions of dollars back to the school where it began.
If you came looking for a Larry Gies Wikipedia style page, we hope this guide answered your questions on his age, wife, family, schooling and money. We will update this page when new facts come out.
Disclaimer: This article is for information only. It uses public news reports, school pages and company pages. Net worth and age figures are estimates and may change. This is not financial advice. If you find a wrong detail, please contact us and we will fix it.
