Through the Years
Nelson-Rudie started as a two-person company in 1976. Explore our company’s history and how we’ve grown through the years.
1976: FOUNDED
Nelson-Rudie was founded in July 1976 by Dennis Nelson and Scott Rudie and initially offered structural and mechanical consulting engineering services. Dennis and Scott previously worked together at The Cerny Associates, an architectural and engineering firm in Minneapolis, where Dennis led the structural engineering department and Scott led the mechanical engineering department. The first Nelson-Rudie office was located downtown Minneapolis.
1976: FIRST EMPLOYEES
The first two employees hired were Steve Peeke, mechanical drafter (August 1976) and Ron Severson, structural drafter (September 1976). Steve and Ron retired from Nelson-Rudie after 40+ years with the company.
1977: ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING ADDED
Electrical consulting engineering services were added to Nelson-Rudie with the hire of Pepito Albay.
1978: FIRST OFFICE EXPANSION
Dennis Nelson, Scott Rudie and David Runyan purchased a building at 2412 Valentine Avenue in St. Paul just off Highway 280 and north of I-94. The building was remodeled to house the separate offices of Nelson-Rudie and David Todd Runyan & Associates (architects).
1985: CAD DRAFTING
Nelson-Rudie was one of the first Minnesota consulting engineering companies in the Twin Cities to utilize a CAD drafting and design system for building engineering services. One of the first clients for which we implemented these services was Shopko Stores, in associated with KKE Architects.
1987: NEW OFFICE OPENED
Nelson-Rudie opened an office in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis in the same building as KKE Architects located on First Avenue North and North 3rd Street (300 First Avenue North).
1996: OWNERSHIP EXPANSION
Joseph Pearce, structural engineer; Michael Woehrle, mechanical engineer; and Andrew Erdmann, electrical engineer, all with more than 12 years of experience with Nelson-Rudie, joined in company ownership with Dennis Nelson and Scott Rudie.
1996: RELOCATION
Nelson-Rudie moves back to St. Paul into a CSM Corporation development near University Avenue West and adjacent to Highway 280 (2575 University Avenue West).
1996: MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY
Nelson-Rudie celebrated its 20th anniversary.
2003: OWNERSHIP TRANSFER & CO-FOUNDER RETIRES
Dennis Nelson sells the last of his remaining stock in Nelson-Rudie to the remaining partners. Dennis works part-time for approximately 1 1⁄2 years and the company respectfully honors his request of a silent retirement in 2004.
2009: RELOCATION
The company grows rapidly requiring larger office space and moves to a new location in the Minneapolis suburb of New Hope, east of Highway 169 (9100 49th Avenue North).
2012: OWNERSHIP EXPANSION
John Brison, mechanical engineer; Frederic Decourt, mechanical engineer; and Jeffrey Piehl, electrical engineer, joined in company ownership.
2014: OWNERSHIP TRANSFER
Scott Rudie and Andrew Erdmann sell remaining shares of stock to the owners. Both Scott and Andy work as consultants until 2017.
2016: MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY
Nelson-Rudie celebrated its 40th anniversary with an open house attended by the company founders, current and former employees, clients and business associates.
2017: OWNERS & FIRST EMPLOYEES RETIRE
Scott Rudie, co-founder; Andrew Erdmann, owner; and Nelson-Rudie’s first two employees, Steve Peeke and Ron Severson, retire from the company. These long-standing employees provided the following years of service to Nelson-Rudie: Scott (41 years), Andrew (31 years), Steve (40 years) and Ron (41 years).
2021: 100% EMPLOYEE-OWNED, LEADERSHIP EXPANSION & OWNER RETIREMENT
Nelson-Rudie completed a transition from a five-person ownership model to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) organization. As part of the ESOP transition, the company appointed four new principals:
- Eric Nelson, PE, structural practice leader and chief engineer
- Eric Nebelung, PE, LEED AP BD+C, mechanical practice leader and senior engineer
- Joseph Tupy, electrical practice leader and senior designer
- Gregory Lindberg, PE, refrigeration practice leader and chief engineer
The transition to an ESOP organization, plus leadership expansion, strengthens the 46-year-old company’s position for continued growth and success for years to come.
In addition, Principal and Mechanical Engineer John Brison, PE, retired after a rewarding career of 40+ years in the consulting engineering industry.
TODAY
The Minneapolis-based company continues to offer structural, mechanical, electrical and refrigeration engineering services, and has grown to more than 55 employees with professional engineers registered/licensed in all 50 states, District of Columbia and five Canadian provinces.
The company’s principals are: Joseph Pearce, Eric Nelson, Michael Woerhle, Frederic Decourt, Eric Nebelung, Jeffrey Piehl, Joseph Tupy and Gregory Lindberg. Learn more about our leadership team.
