NELSON
NELSON Worldwide is a private architecture, interior design, engineering, and strategy firm founded in 1977, serving enterprise clients across healthcare, hospitality, industrial, workplace, retail, mixed-use, and civic sectors in the US and internationally through integrated, multi-disciplinary design services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersMinneapolis, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NELSON does
NELSON Worldwide is a privately held architecture, interior design, engineering, and strategy firm founded in 1977 and structured as an LLC, with its primary operating base in Atlanta and headquarters in Minneapolis. The firm delivers integrated design services across nine vertical practices—Healthcare, Hospitality, Civic & Justice, Industrial, Workplace, Mixed-Use & Master Planning, Retail, Education, and Multifamily—serving enterprise and institutional clients across the United States and internationally in South Korea, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Costa Rica, and Saudi Arabia. Its project portfolio spans boutique hospitality (LIVELY Hotel at OAK, Hilton's 2025 Tapestry Hotel of the Year), large-scale industrial and logistics facilities (Ford Assembly Campus at 1.6 million SF, BMW Inland Port, CJ Logistics' 1.1 million SF automated facility), and major mixed-use destinations (Shadowbox Studios' 182-acre film campus, The Battery Atlanta adjacent to Truist Park).
The core offering is professional services rather than a software platform. Capabilities span architecture, interior design, engineering, design visualization, brand identity, experiential graphic design, signage and wayfinding, and sustainable (LEED/Fitwel) design, with NELSON Asset Intelligence positioned as a distinct asset verification and portfolio optimization service. Revenue is generated through project-based fees, with pricing driven by project scope, square footage, complexity, and client requirements; no public pricing or standardized rate cards are published. The firm operates a vertical-segmentation go-to-market, acquiring enterprise clients through direct business development, RFP responses, an inbound inquiry pipeline, thought leadership content (insights, podcast "Building Communities Where People Want to Stay"), and a segmented email newsletter. Marquee customers include Hilton, BMW, Ford, Baptist Health South Florida, Jackson Health System, Miami Heat, The Home Depot, Shake Shack, Truist Park/Atlanta Braves, and Wake Forest University, indicating a diversified enterprise mix across healthcare, hospitality, industrial, retail, workplace, entertainment, and civic/government end markets.
NELSON firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NELSON
- Legal name
- NELSON Worldwide, LLC
- Website
- https://nelsonworldwide.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- NELSON Worldwide is a private architecture, interior design, engineering, and strategy firm founded in 1977, serving enterprise clients across healthcare, hospitality, industrial, workplace, retail, mixed-use, and civic sectors in the US and internationally through integrated, multi-disciplinary design services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NELSON industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Architecture & Design Services
- NAICS
- Architectural Services (54131), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Interior Design Services (54141), Specialized Design Services (5414)
- SIC
- General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
Keywords
Where NELSON is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Minneapolis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
NELSON business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Architecture and Design Services: Professional services revenue generated through architecture, interior design, engineering, and design visualization engagements with enterprise clients. Projects range from small-scale renovations to large-scale mixed-use developments, typically billed on a per-project basis with fees based on project scope, complexity, and square footage.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
NELSON product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NELSON Worldwide provides integrated architecture, interior design, engineering, and strategy services to enterprise and public-sector clients across the United States. Engagements span sector-specific practice areas — Healthcare, Hospitality, Industrial, Workplace, Retail, Mixed-Use & Master Planning, Civic & Justice, Education, and Multifamily — supported by enabling services in brand identity, design visualization, experiential graphics, signage & wayfinding, sustainable design, and the proprietary NELSON Asset Intelligence platform for building verification and portfolio optimization. Projects range from small-scale interior renovations to multi-million-square-foot mixed-use and industrial developments, billed on a project-fee basis.
Product overview
NELSON Worldwide is a professional architecture, design, and strategy firm operating as a single unified service offering rather than a modular software platform. Their portfolio consists of integrated design services organized around core practice areas including Architecture, Interior Design, and Workplace Design, complemented by specialized vertical practices (Healthcare, Hospitality, Industrial, Retail, Mixed-Use & Master Planning, Civic & Justice, Education, Multifamily) and enabling service lines (Brand Identity & Communications, Design Visualization, Experiential Graphic Design, Signage & Wayfinding, Strategy & Insights, Sustainable Design, Engineering). The firm also offers NELSON Asset Intelligence as a distinct analytical service focused on building verification and portfolio optimization. Projects range from small-scale interior renovations to large-scale master-planned developments spanning millions of square feet.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Architecture Services
- Interior Design
- NELSON Asset Intelligence
- Healthcare Design
- Hospitality Design
- Workplace Design
- Industrial Design
- Retail Design
- Civic & Justice Design
- Mixed-Use & Master Planning
- Sustainable Design
- Engineering Services
- Asset Strategy & Repositioning
Quantifiable outcome
- LIVELY Hotel at OAK won Hilton's 2025 Tapestry Hotel of the Year
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use NELSON
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
NELSON technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
NELSON partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Wake Forest UniversitymajorWake Forest University is developing a 100-acre mixed-use project called 'The Grounds' in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with a projected investment of $250 million. Development partners including NELSON are buying additional land near the project (June 2026). The project includes retail, office space, student housing, and community green areas, expected to be completed by 2027.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
NELSON competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gensler: Global architecture, design, and strategy firm spanning workplace, hospitality, retail, healthcare, and mixed-use — the closest direct competitor to NELSON's multi-disciplinary, multi-vertical model and the de facto market leader in the same integrated-design category.
- HOK: Global architecture and engineering firm with comparable practice breadth across workplace, healthcare, hospitality, sports, and civic — directly comparable in scale, vertical mix, and integrated delivery model to NELSON.
- Perkins&Will: Architecture and design firm with strong healthcare, workplace, and education practices — directly comparable to NELSON in vertical mix and emphasis on integrated architecture + interiors, with deeper specialization in healthcare.
- HKS: Architecture firm with major healthcare, sports/entertainment, and workplace practices — directly comparable to NELSON's healthcare and entertainment verticals, particularly around complex institutional projects like NELSON's Jackson Health and Truist Park work.
- CallisonRTKL: Architecture and design firm with strong retail, mixed-use, and hospitality practices — directly comparable to NELSON's Bloomie's, mixed-use, and hotel work, especially in experiential retail design.
- NBBJ: Architecture and design firm focused on healthcare, workplace, and sports — comparable to NELSON in healthcare and workplace verticals, with similar emphasis on integrated strategy + design delivery.
- SmithGroup: Architecture and engineering firm with healthcare, workplace, and mixed-use practices — comparable to NELSON in integrated service delivery and vertical mix, particularly around healthcare and civic projects.
Broad incumbents
- HDR: Large-scale architecture, engineering, and consulting firm with healthcare, civic, and workplace practices — broader than NELSON but overlapping meaningfully in healthcare facility design and civic/justice work.
- Stantec: Global architecture and engineering firm with workplace, healthcare, and industrial practices — overlapping NELSON's multi-disciplinary offering but at materially larger scale and with deeper engineering capability.
- Jacobs (Buildings & Places): Global professional services firm whose architecture practice spans workplace, healthcare, and civic markets — broader and far larger than NELSON, with overlapping capability on large institutional and government projects.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NELSON social profiles
Digital presenceNELSON compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
NELSON financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NELSON leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
NELSON subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
NELSON funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NELSON M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NELSON
What does NELSON do?
NELSON Worldwide provides integrated architecture, interior design, engineering, and strategy services to enterprise and public-sector clients across the United States. Engagements span sector-specific practice areas — Healthcare, Hospitality, Industrial, Workplace, Retail, Mixed-Use & Master Planning, Civic & Justice, Education, and Multifamily — supported by enabling services in brand identity, design visualization, experiential graphics, signage & wayfinding, sustainable design, and the proprietary NELSON Asset Intelligence platform for building verification and portfolio optimization. Projects range from small-scale interior renovations to multi-million-square-foot mixed-use and industrial developments, billed on a project-fee basis.
Is NELSON a public or private company?
NELSON is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was NELSON founded?
NELSON was founded in 1977. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is NELSON based?
NELSON is headquartered in Minneapolis, United States, in the North America region.
How does NELSON make money?
One revenue line is on record: architecture and Design Services.
Who are NELSON's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gensler, HOK, Perkins&Will, HKS, CallisonRTKL, NBBJ and SmithGroup. Broad incumbents are HDR, Stantec and Jacobs (Buildings & Places).
Does NELSON have an API?
No public API is recorded for NELSON.
What industry is NELSON in?
NELSON's product category is Architecture & Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning. Its NAICS code is 54131 and its SIC code is 1540.