NEW YORK — July 15, 2024 — NELSON Worldwide, an award-winning architecture, design, and strategy firm, is excited to announce that Ray Ehscheid is joining the team as National Practice Leader, Retail. With a distinguished 30-year career in retail and workplace design, Ray brings a unique blend of dynamic creative vision and focused business acumen. His expertise has consistently driven growth and innovation in both experience and physical design across the luxury, lifestyle, retail, and financial sectors.

Ray is known for transforming spaces into experiences that resonate with consumers and align with client and internal business objectives. His ability to stay ahead of market trends and translate them into actionable, forward-thinking solutions has made him a sought-after industry thought leader. In this new role at NELSON, Ray will spearhead strategic growth within the retail sector. Ray will blend business acumen with design expertise to build on the team’s success to inspire and support the global team. This initiative will catalyze ongoing innovation, delivering design excellence for current clients and new partnerships.

“Ray embodies versatility as a thought leader, strategist, spokesperson, and client advocate,” says John “Ozzie” Nelson Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at NELSON Worldwide. “We look forward to having him collaborate with our cross-functional leaders across NELSON’s multiple practice areas to bring new insights and focus to craft concepts into actionable plans and measurable results.”

NELSON’s forward-thinking approach to integrating technology, sustainability, and human-centric design principles resonates deeply with Ray’s vision for the future of retail environments. The firm’s global reach and diverse client base offer the chance to make a significant impact on a larger scale, while its entrepreneurial spirit encourages the kind of innovative thinking that has been a hallmark of Ray’s career.

Ray is an advocate for driving the integration of digital and customer experience services into architectural solutions, from an early career with Reebok, through extensive tenure reshaping Bank of America’s retail branch network, and onwards through work with a diverse and top-tier group of clients in both retail and workplace sectors. Passionate about the retail design industry, Ray maintains an active voice in key industry organizations like IIDA, PAVE, and the Retail Design Institute (RDI), where Ray was honored to be named a Fellow of the Institute in 2023.

As designers, we find inspiration all around us. Whether it’s a culinary experience in a new country, a hotel stay in a new city, or even within our own homes, we are constantly discovering ways to evolve and innovate to come up with fresh, intentional, and emotive designs for our clients. To express our love for hospitality and the projects we create, we asked a handful of our colleagues from the hospitality practice to share the words and images that bring them inspiration.

Venture | Relax | Develop

“Hospitality is about designing the perfect escape for guests, creating something they can’t experience at home.”

-Mike Davin, Technical Director

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Project Spotlight

Westin Dawn Beach Resort & Spa

EXPLORE | ENDEAVOR | DEVELOP

“The sights, sounds, and smells of new experiences, especially when shared with others, kindles my love for hospitality.”

-Alex Campbell, Studio Director, Hospitality Architecture

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Project Spotlight

Hyatt House Nashville

EXPERIENCE | INQUIRE | FORM

“I love hospitality for its ability to connect people with places. Hospitality is something that cannot be confined – its love and spirit it transpires in communities, and it has the power to engage bring out the playful, unexpected nature of life that I really enjoy.”

-Amy Conroy, Interior Designer

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Project Spotlight

Hamptonality

From art galleries and farm stands, to secret pop-ups it’s almost always guaranteed you’ll discover something new while strolling through New York City. One day while walking off lunch before heading back to the office, I came across a new pop-up that couldn’t be missed from the sidewalk. With its large windows and bright neon balloon arch standing tall, I had to step in and see what was going on.

Just in time for the new school year, children’s apparel brand Rockets of Awesome opened their first-ever physical pop-up experience in the heart of the Flat Iron District. Stepping inside, I was immediately immersed in a rainbow, fantasy land showcasing the brands neon-colored clothing line chock full of kid-friendly activities and touchpoints.

After taking in the aesthetics of the space, I took a second to notice all the activity going on around me discovering a kid-friendly selfie station and centrally located “marshmallow” pit with dozens of kids having way more fun than me (If I were still pint-sized that pit would be calling my name!). After walking around, I realized that the experience wasn’t just for parents like most children’s clothing retail is, this one was designed with kids in mind too. While little ones enjoyed the marshmallow pit, DIY patching station, and getting photos with their besties, parents were given some time to shop. Smart call by the brand giving parents a short break, but also making the experience seem fun for its true end-users.

Moving on from one display and activity to the next, I found myself swooning over all the little details the designers managed to squeeze into the experience. Floor to ceiling mirrors were decorated with kid eye-level graphics (no more than 3ft up the mirror) read “you look great” or “flossing zone.” At a low sitting bar, kids could pick from buckets of patches to add to their Rocket of Awesome jackets or jeans. It’s not a surprise I left wishing they had one these neon pink bomber jackets in my size.

Overall, I give the Rockets of Awesome NYC Pop-Up a thumbs up. It’s not only a great example of experiential retail done well, but a pop-up done well. While some pop-ups only feel like a pop-up, this one had several layers of programming, visual merchandising, and activities.

LOS ANGELES – April 11, 2023 — Award-winning architecture, design, and strategy firm NELSON Worldwide is thrilled to announce the relocation of its LA office to downtown Los Angeles. Located in the historic Pershing Square Building, the new office sits in a central hub of the downtown area and is highly amenitized, boasting an iconic rooftop bar and restaurant atop the building.

“We are excited to strengthen our footprint in Los Angeles and with this move, we are committed to the city and enter a new era of growth,” notes chairman and Chief Executive Officer at NELSON Worldwide John “Ozzie” Nelson Jr. “NELSON’s relocation to downtown LA means we are able to expand our network of talent, clients, and opportunities given our centrality within the city limits and beyond.”

While NELSON offers flexible work options like hybrid and remote work, they still believe in the transformative power of the physical environment. Not only does the office act as a hub for collaboration, relationship building, and mentorship opportunities, it provides a way for teammates and clients to physically immerse themselves in the NELSON brand. Like NELSON’s other offices across the country, this new space will drive a deep connection to the brand’s purpose, mission, and values, in addition to highlighting the company’s diverse range of expertise.

“This relocation is another step in the growth of our SoCal team. While we are focused on the market and alignment of the sectors we serve, our team and leadership are further engaged in becoming contributors to the future of Los Angeles,” says Mark E. Levine, Regional Practice Leader and Vice President at NELSON Worldwide. “In addition to the incredible talent at NELSON, we continuously search for the brightest to join us.”

NELSON Worldwide’s new LA office is located at 448 S Hill Street, Suite 1001, Los Angeles, CA 90013 and close to the Metro Red Line and freeway entrances, as well as the Civic Center, Historic Core, Jewelry District, Fashion District, Central Library, Staples Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Ahmanson Theater, and Museum of Contemporary Art.

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About NELSON Worldwide

NELSON Worldwide is an award-winning firm, boldly transforming all dimensions of the human experience through architecture, interior design, graphic design, and brand strategy. With more than 700 teammates across 20 offices, the firm’s collective network provides strategic and creative solutions that positively impact where people work, serve, play, and thrive. The team combines industry knowledge, service expertise, and geographic reach to deliver projects across the country and around the world. Client partnerships across the NELSON network include Hilton, Macy’s, Comcast, Simon Property Group, Prologis, Yum! Brands, Boston Consulting Group, T-Mobile, Emory Healthcare, SAP Fieldglass, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, Kroger, Hyatt, Bayer, Target, and many more.