NELSON Worldwide today launched a new brand positioning unifying all design, architecture and strategy disciplines under one shared vision that leverages insight and perspective across multiple business sectors to benefit clients with the power of collective expertise.

NELSON has been aggressively expanding with the acquisition of 15 industry-leading firms in the last five years. The new organizational structure will unify a robust network spanning over 25 offices and more than 1,100 employees with a refreshed brand and portfolio strategy, including a new visual and verbal identity to communicate the expansive service offering to the marketplace. This effort will establish centers for excellence with strategic practice verticals that collaboratively work to transform the collective human experience:

“Work”

Experiences centered on our work lives, from corporate office towers to co-working spaces – and even the warehouses that supply us, which count business verticals including Corporate, Tenant/Landlord, Speculative Office, and Industrial, will go to market as NELSON.

“Serve”

The places where communities serve each other in pursuit of education, governance, and healthcare, each with their own unique needs and opportunities will include Healthcare, Government, Education, Justice, and Religious and will go to market as NELSON.

“Play”

The environments where consumers experience brands, in the destinations where we dine, shop, explore, and engage with one another, including Retail, Restaurants, and Entertainment. Recognizing the unique retail strategy, design and architecture equity embodied in the FRCH name, this business will go to market as FRCH NELSON, a NELSON brand.

“Thrive”

The intersection and convergence of many human experiences in one destination, where consumers come together to stay, live, and spend time will include business verticals such as Mixed Use, Hospitality, Commercial Multi-Family, and Senior Living, will go to market was NELSON.

NELSON now touts universal capabilities across all verticals in architecture, interior design, graphic and environmental design, and brand strategy, primed for regional, national, and international applications. This change marks a key turning point in response to consumers’ brand preferences and the future of experiential design in the 21st century.

“This organizational strategy has been twenty years in the making, signaling an exciting era for our company to utilize cross-functional teams, spanning from innovation to implementation services to collaboratively influence the dynamic nature of brand
experiences,” said John “Ozzie” Nelson Jr., Chairman and co-CEO of NELSON.

Today’s consumers engage with brands in a fluid manner, moving in and out of different types of brand experiences. By taking a consumer-centric approach to the impact that NELSON has across the human experience, the company is creating more meaningful and informed solutions for both clients and consumers. With expertise now in all consumer-facing environments, NELSON provides a holistic approach that is unrivaled in the industry.

“Consumers are expecting something much different from brands today than in the past. Through this new organizational strategy, we are saying to current and future clients and the broader market in general, that a very nuanced blending of expertise is needed to build experiences that truly transcend environments, and both inspire and engage consumers,” said Jim Tippmann, Co-CEO of NELSON.

Under this brand repositioning, NELSON will brand its retail-focused practice areas including: specialty retail design, large format, department stores, restaurants, and entertainment, as FRCH NELSON, a cohesive retail center of excellence for Fortune 500 category leaders and boutique clients.

Client partnerships across the NELSON network include: Bank of America, Saks Fifth Avenue, Google, Hershey’s, Cisco, Kroger, Simon Property Group, Macy’s, Westfield, SAP Fieldglass, Hilton Worldwide, Target, T-Mobile, Dick’s Sporting Goods, American Girl, YUM! Brands, and many more.

MINNESOTA — Nov. 20, 2023 — Matt Johnson has joined NELSON Worldwide as Senior Project Manager, Civic & Justice. In his new role, Matt will lead large-scale justice work, including the new Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) facility, a $320 million correctional facility that will provide secure infrastructure, modern technology and improved conditions for incarcerated individuals, the largest project ever built by the State of Georgia. He will also directly support John “Ozzie” Nelson, CEO of NELSON Worldwide, in endeavors to grow and diversify work out of the Minneapolis office with the pursuit of ground-up, core and shell projects.

Matt brings over 33 years of professional experience to his new position as Senior Project Manager for Civic & Justice, with prior positions at several reputable architecture and engineering and real estate firms. Having managed project teams and spearheaded projects in multiple sectors, Matt’s expertise is fortified by a history of steering complex projects. Notably, his impactful tenure on City Council, coupled with a term on the national AIA Strategic Council, showcases a robust commitment to community development and leadership.

In his decision to join NELSON, Matt was attracted to the firm’s expansive reach, both professionally and geographically, and its diverse market pursuits. Matt’s trajectory spans leading offices, teams, and diverse projects, paralleled by his instrumental role in community leadership and association engagements, aligning seamlessly with his new role at NELSON.