April 2015
| Business World
193
By combining good prices with great service,
Nelson Electric has been a leader in their in-
dustry for over a century. Since 1908, when
founder Ben Nelson began the business, the
companyhas lived up to their family values,
maintaining a reputation for competitive
pricing and hard work well done.
Four generations later, the company is still
strong and still in Nelson hands. They now
offer complete design / build services, as well
as updating, new construction, commercial
and industrial work, remodeling, systems
wiring, lighting design services, and more.
According to Jerry Nelson, President of the
company, Nelson Electric now takes on a
broad variety of projects that can range any-
where from $100 to $4 million and “every-
where in between.”
Jerry is one of founder Ben Nelson’s grand-
sons, and became involved in the company
in the 1960s. When his father Chuck retired
in 1989, Jerry and his brother Paul took over
management.
Chris Nelson, Vice President, is Jerry’s son,
and has been with the business since 2008 –
the same year Nelson Electric celebrated its
100th anniversary. He joined the company
after earning 10 years of experience in gen-
eral contracting.
A GOOD WORKING
ENVIRONMENT
Over Nelson Electric’s lengthy history, the
company has mainly operated from their
base in Ames, Iowa. In the fall of 2009, how-
ever, they opened a branch office in Water-
loo, Iowa to serve the Cedar Valley area.
