What Carl A. Nelson & Company does

Carl A. Nelson & Company (CANCO) is an Iowa-based design-build, construction management, and general contracting firm founded in 1913 in Burlington, Iowa, with a second office in Cedar Falls. The firm serves industrial, commercial, institutional, and public-sector clients across the Midwest and is licensed in 21 states with a primary service area within roughly 350 miles of Burlington. Its customer base spans food processing, pet food and agricultural manufacturing, healthcare, K-12 education, recreation, civic, laboratory, power and utilities, water/wastewater, and warehouse/distribution — illustrated by named projects for Western Smokehouse Partners, Royal Canin Canada, Deere & Company, Van Buren County Hospital, Burlington and Sioux Center Community School Districts, the University of Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory, and Central Iowa Power Cooperative.

The firm earns revenue through four delivery models — Design-Build, Construction Management (Agency, Agency+Design, and at-Risk), General Contracting, and Pre-Construction / Needs Assessment advisory — supplemented by recurring maintenance work through Nelson Plant Services. Approximately 40% of work is self-performed using in-house crews spanning carpentry, welding, concrete, structural steel, millwright, and equipment installation, supported by approximately $4 million in owned tools and equipment. Design work is internalized via Nelson Design, Inc., which provides architectural services, BIM coordination, and code review to integrate decision-making from concept through construction documents.

The business model is project-based and relationship-driven, with no publicly disclosed pricing and no digital or channel-partner GTM; approximately 80% of annual business is sourced from repeat or referred clients. The company is entirely employee-owned (ESOP) since 1946 with 26 employee-owners among its 100+ direct-hire workforce and operates independently of venture capital or private equity sponsors. BIM and prefabrication sequencing are used to reduce field conflicts and rework rather than as a customer-facing platform.

Name

Carl A. Nelson & Company

Legal name

Carl A. Nelson & Company

Website

https://carlanelsoncoconstruction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Carl A. Nelson & Company is an Iowa-based, employee-owned design-build, construction management, and general contracting firm founded in 1913, serving industrial, commercial, institutional, and public-sector clients across the Midwest with self-performed construction capabilities and in-house design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Design-Build Services: Single-source design and construction delivery method. Has delivered Design-Build projects since early 1970s. Represents significant portion of annual work with high percentage of repeat clients.
2. Construction Management Services: Provides pre-construction advisory services and construction leadership. Offered as CM Agency, CM Agency + Design, or CM at-Risk depending on client needs and risk tolerance.
3. General Contracting Services: Traditional general contracting for projects with complete design and defined scope. Self-performs significant portions including concrete, steel, carpentry, and millwright work.
4. Nelson Plant Services - Maintenance: Ongoing maintenance and small construction support inside operating facilities. Revenue from repeat client relationships for facility modifications and preventive/corrective maintenance.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Carl A. Nelson & Company (CANCO) is an Iowa-based design-build, construction management, and general contracting firm founded in 1913 and employee-owned since 1946. It delivers industrial, institutional, and commercial construction projects across the Midwest through three primary delivery methods (Design-Build, CM Agency/at-Risk, General Contracting), supported by self-performed crews handling roughly 40% of work, an in-house design subsidiary (Nelson Design, Inc.), and an industrial maintenance division (Nelson Plant Services).

Product overview

Carl A. Nelson & Company operates as a construction services firm offering three primary delivery methods: Design-Build, Construction Management (with variations including CM Agency, CM Agency + Design, and CM at-Risk), and General Contracting. These core services are supported by specialized capabilities including Pre-Construction Services (cost analysis, constructability review, value engineering), Self-Performed Construction Services (handling approximately 40% of work in-house), and in-house design subsidiary Nelson Design, Inc. (providing architectural services, BIM coordination, and code review). Additional services include Needs Assessment & Master Planning for early-stage project clarification and Nelson Plant Services for industrial maintenance and small construction within operating facilities. The firm also specializes in Pre-Engineered Metal Building (PEMB) construction. Services span multiple market sectors including Industrial, Healthcare, Education (K-12), Recreation, Commercial & Office, Civic & Community, Laboratory Facilities, Power & Utilities, Water/Wastewater Treatment, and Warehouses & Distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of annual business from repeat or referred clients
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gilbane Building Company: Family-owned construction manager and design-builder with deep education, healthcare and industrial practices; comparable in delivery methods (CM at-Risk, Design-Build) and self-perform capabilities.
• Miron Construction: Wisconsin-based design-build, construction management and general contracting firm of similar scale serving industrial, food-processing, education and healthcare clients in the Upper Midwest.
• JE Dunn Construction: Midwest-rooted (Kansas City) national design-build/construction management firm with strong industrial, healthcare and education portfolios — relevant for CANCO's growth and competitive benchmarking, though larger in scale.
• Hoffman Construction: Northwest/Midwest-active, family-owned industrial design-builder with strong food-processing and pet-food plant portfolio (overlap with CANCO's Western Smokehouse and Royal Canin work).
• The Weitz Company: Iowa/Midwest-headquartered design-build, construction management and general contracting firm of comparable age and profile; closest direct peer given shared geography, delivery methods, and client profile (industrial, education, healthcare).
• Boldt Company: Wisconsin-based, 130+ year-old employee-owned design-builder serving industrial, healthcare and education clients across the Midwest — comparable size, ownership structure and service mix to CANCO.
• McCarthy Building Companies: Employee-owned national design-build firm with especially strong industrial, healthcare and laboratory practices that overlap directly with CANCO's food-processing, healthcare and lab project portfolios.

Broad incumbents

• Walsh Group / Walsh Construction: Chicago-based, family-owned national builder with substantial Midwest presence across industrial, healthcare, education and civil work — broader portfolio than CANCO but directly competitive in shared verticals.
• DPR Construction: National, employee-owned design-builder with healthcare, higher-ed/lab and industrial food-process expertise; relevant benchmark for where CANCO could scale, though materially larger in revenue and footprint.
• Burns & McDonnell: Employee-owned Kansas City-headquartered engineering, architecture and construction firm with power/utilities, water/wastewater and industrial practices that overlap CANCO's Power & Utilities and Water/Wastewater segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/canco1913
• Facebookfacebook.com/carlanelsonco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carlanelsonco
• Xx.com/CarlANelsonCo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carl A. Nelson & Company