Nelson-Rudie announces Matthew Elhadad as the engineering firm’s President
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (December 2, 2024) – Nelson-Rudie & Associates, Inc. (Nelson-Rudie) recently named Matt Elhadad as the new president and board chair of the 48-year-old consulting engineering firm specializing in structural, mechanical, electrical, and refrigeration solutions for projects nationwide and in Canada.
In his role as controller and as the Board of Directors secretary, Elhadad had previously led Nelson-Rudie’s finance, human resources and ESOP domains. He was instrumental in establishing the Board of Directors and helping finalize the company’s transition from privately held to employee owned. Before joining Nelson-Rudie, Elhadad held leadership roles at Dedicated Financial GBC (Roseville, Minnesota) and Ridemakerz (Santa Ana, California), leading initiatives that improved operational efficiency and customer service in the financial and retail sectors.
Nelson-Rudie is a newly formed ESOP, and maximizing the value of the ESOP is one of Elhadad’s priorities. He noted,
Through this structure, our collaborative hard work benefits each of us. It’s a foundation that creates an ownership mentality to foster an agile culture and help secure retirements for those who choose a lasting career with Nelson-Rudie.
Elhadad is taking the lead with the support of Michael Woehrle, PE, P.Eng., who will remain a key team member. Woehrle will also remain on Nelson-Rudie’s Board of Directors, creating sustaining continuity for Nelson-Rudie’s strong leadership—past, present and future. Under his tenure, Nelson-Rudie has grown to more than 65 employee-owners with professional engineers licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five Canadian provinces.
“I’ve watched how Mike is able to bring the engineering teams together to strengthen and grow Nelson-Rudie as the result of serving clients so well,” Elhadad said. “My father was a first-generation immigrant who worked hard to pursue engineering—a career that enabled our family to thrive. I was excited to join Nelson-Rudie because I saw the same commitment to the employees and clients that my dad experienced. I will continue that legacy to lead our employee-owners in providing the exceptional professional consulting engineering solutions that differentiate Nelson-Rudie.”
“This is an ideal time in our company’s evolution to have Matt take the helm,” Woehrle said. “We are expanding our capabilities to serve our long-time clients and accelerating our capabilities for new engagements. Matt has the skillful vision and leadership needed to drive this dynamic growth.”
Elhadad added, “Innovation and collaboration will define our way forward, from evolving what’s possible right now—such as reimaging sustainable refrigeration—to harnessing the technologies, tools and ongoing training that deliver measurable value for clients and equity for our employee owners.”
