What Nelson Architects does

Nelson Architects is a privately held, full-service architecture firm headquartered in Great Falls, Montana, providing integrated architecture, interior design, construction management, and consulting services. The firm serves enterprise clients across four primary verticals: healthcare systems (Benefis Health System, Great Falls Clinic, St. Peter's Community Hospital, Alluvion Health), educational institutions (Montana State University, Great Falls College MSU, Great Falls and Havre Public Schools), commercial developers (North 40 Outfitters, Loenbro Properties, ADF International), and historic preservation projects (Hotel Arvon, Montana Building).

The firm's technical differentiation is concentrated in healthcare design — specifically USP 797-compliant clean room pharmacy construction with complex cascade HVAC systems, multi-phase renovations executed while facilities remain operational 24/7, and LEED-certified sustainable design (notably a LEED Silver certification achieved for the Miller Dining Commons at Montana State University in 2017). The practice also maintains capability in adaptive reuse and historic preservation, demonstrated on the 1890 Hotel Arvon and the Montana Building (Lofts at 503) condominium conversion. No proprietary software, AI tooling, or technology platform is disclosed; delivery relies on conventional architectural and project management workflows supported by collaborative partnerships with specialty firms (Morrison-Maierle for engineering, Porter Khouw Consulting for foodservice planning, Mesher Shing McNutt for interior design).

The business model is professional services, project-based, with fees structured by scope and complexity and billed across multi-year contract cycles. Revenue is generated through direct enterprise engagement — competitive proposals, RFP responses, and repeat-client relationships — with no public pricing or subscription model. The firm is founder-led (Dale Nelson) with a small team of 1–10 employees including two principal architects, and is currently hiring a Production Drafting Technician, indicating active capacity expansion. Geographic scope is regional Montana; there is no evidence of national or international footprint.

Name

Nelson Architects

Legal name

Nelson Architects

Website

https://nelsonarchitects.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Nelson Architects is a privately held Montana architecture firm offering integrated architecture, interior design, and construction management services, with deep specialization in healthcare facility design (USP 797 clean rooms), LEED-certified educational facilities, and occupied renovation projects for Montana-based enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Construction management services
• Healthcare facility design
• Historic preservation design

Headquarters

HQ city

Great Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture Services: Project-based architectural design services including pre-design, site planning, architectural design, and construction administration for commercial, healthcare, educational, and residential projects.
2. Interior Design Services: Interior design services including space planning, furniture selection, finish specification, and interior styling for commercial and healthcare facilities.
3. Construction Management Services: Pre-construction services, cost estimating, contractor oversight, and construction administration services.
4. Consulting & Analysis: Feasibility studies, funding advice for federal/state programs, historic preservation consulting, and project proforma analysis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nelson Architects is a full-service architecture firm delivering architectural design, interior design, construction management, and consulting services to healthcare systems, educational institutions, commercial developers, government entities, and industrial clients across Montana. The firm specializes in healthcare facility design (including USP 797-certified pharmacy/clean room design), LEED-certified sustainable design, multi-phase occupied construction, and historic preservation/adaptive reuse. Project engagements span pre-design, planning, design, construction administration, and feasibility/consulting advisory for projects ranging from $1M to $27M+ in construction value.

Product overview

Nelson Architects is a full-service architecture firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of design and consulting services. The firm's core service offerings span Architecture & Planning, Interior Design, Construction Management, and Consulting & Analysis. These services are delivered through specialized practice areas including Healthcare Facility Design (hospitals, clinics, pharmacies with USP 797 certification, laboratories, memory care), Educational Facility Design (schools, universities, LEED-certified buildings), Commercial & Retail Design (offices, stores, restaurants, casinos), Industrial & Manufacturing Facility Design (fabrication shops, warehouses), Senior Living & Memory Care Design, and Historic Preservation & Renovation. The firm primarily serves clients in Montana and the surrounding region, with notable expertise in occupied healthcare construction and complex renovation projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture & Planning Services Comprehensive architectural design services including pre-design services, building evaluation/due diligence, feasibility studies, land planning, master planning, programming, site selection and analysis, permit and zoning approvals, project management and scheduling, ADA compliance studies, adaptive re-use and modification, green building/LEED certification, and construction administration for commercial, healthcare, educational, and public-sector clients in Montana.
• Interior Design Services
• Construction Management Services
• Consulting & Analysis Services
• Healthcare Facility Design
• Educational Facility Design
• Commercial & Retail Design
• Industrial & Manufacturing Facility Design
• Senior Living & Memory Care Design
• Historic Preservation & Renovation

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced 'door-to-doc' time through improved emergency department design (Benefis ED)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Cullen ArchitectsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Cullen Architects of Helena on joint venture projects including Eagles Manor, demonstrating cooperative working relationships on architecture projects in Montana.
• Porter Khouw ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaryland-based foodservice planning and design firm engaged as collaborative design team member for Miller Dining Commons project at Montana State University, bringing specialized foodservice expertise.
• Mesher Shing McNuttcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle-based interior design firm providing conceptual interior design services as part of collaborative design team for Miller Dining Commons university project.
• Prime IncorporatedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBozeman-based signage and graphic design firm engaged for wayfinding and signage design components on university projects.
• Morrison-MaierlecoreTechnology or IntegrationBozeman-based multi-discipline engineering firm providing structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering services as part of collaborative design team for Miller Dining Commons project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Slaterpaull: Denver-based architecture firm focused on healthcare, education, and workplace. Regional peer: directly comparable in healthcare design expertise (USP 797, occupied renovation) and project type, but headquartered outside Nelson's Montana territory.
• Anderson Mason Dale Architects (AMD): Denver-headquartered architecture firm with strong education and civic portfolios serving the broader Mountain West. Regional peer: similar project scale and integrated architecture/interior design services, but operates primarily outside Montana.
• W Architecture: Denver-based architecture firm specializing in healthcare facility design. Regional peer: directly comparable healthcare design specializations including clean room and surgical environments, but serves a different primary geography.

Broad incumbents

• EwingCole: Philadelphia-headquartered national architecture firm with a strong healthcare and higher-education practice. Broad incumbent: directly comparable healthcare design specializations including clean-room and surgical suite work, but operates nationally and at larger scale.
• CannonDesign: Large national design firm with deep healthcare and education practices. Broad incumbent: competes on the same healthcare and higher-education RFPs Nelson targets, with substantially deeper bench and national reach.
• HGA Architects and Engineers: National architecture and engineering firm with one of the largest dedicated healthcare practices in the U.S. Broad incumbent: competes for the same types of healthcare design work (USP 797, complex renovations) at a much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Others

• DCI Engineers: Structural engineering firm serving healthcare, education, and commercial sectors across the Western U.S. Adjacent: Nelson partners with structural firms on its projects; DCI represents the type of specialized structural consultant that competes for design-team slots on the same RFPs.

Direct peers

• Morrison-Maierle: Bozeman, Montana-based multi-discipline engineering and architecture firm that is an existing partner of Nelson Architects on Miller Dining Commons. Direct peer: same Montana operating geography and overlapping healthcare/education/civic client base, with full engineering depth.
• CTA Architects Engineers: Billings, Montana-based architecture and engineering firm serving healthcare, education, and commercial clients across the Northern Rockies. Direct peer: comparable firm size, same Montana footprint, and overlapping healthcare and education specializations.
• Cushing Terrell: Montana-headquartered (originally JRG Engineers and CT Consultants, merged) full-service architecture and engineering firm. Direct peer: same regional Montana base, similar integrated architecture/interior design/engineering delivery, and overlapping healthcare, education, and commercial client mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NelsonArchitect
• Facebookfacebook.com/NelsonArchitects

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Nelson Architects