Granger K. Costikyan And His Successful Oriental Carpet Business

Granger Kent Costikyan (29 March 1907 – 10 March 1998) was a well-known Armenian-American banker whose brilliance in banking was put to good use in several banks. His father, who hailed from Turkey (then known as the Ottoman Empire), brought his family from Constantinople to the United States in 1884. His father established Costikyan Freres, which is currently known as Kent-Costikyan, Inc., a successful import firm specializing in oriental carpets; the business prides itself on centuries of carpet-making traditions resulting in world-class carpets for domestic and international distribution.

Instead of going into the family business, Costikyan went into banking and finance. He was educated at Hotchkiss School and then proceeded to get his university degree at Yale University; he graduated in 1929.

He worked with several banking firms including the New York Trust Company (1929 to 1959); the Brown Brothers Harriman as partner for several years; Vice President of the Chemical Bank of New York (1959 to 1962); Senior Vice President of the First Bank System of Minneapolis (1962 to 1969); and Chairman of the First Bank System of Minneapolis.