MINNEAPOLIS, July 10 — NELSON Worldwide (“NELSON”) announced today that it has taken a strategic investment from Palm Beach Capital Fund VI, L.P. (“PBC”), through one of its investment entities – United Design Partners, Inc. (“UDP”). NELSON is an award-winning national design and architecture firm focused on unlocking value for its clients across several core practice areas.
UDP’s strategic investment in NELSON significantly advances their charter to build an integrated national architecture and design services platform. UDP will continue to build its platform around NELSON’s robust infrastructure, national reach, and operational depth. PBC will continue to provide growth capital to support a robust acquisition strategy and organic growth initiatives as it seeks to expand further across architecture and design services as well as the platform’s geographical reach.
UDP has made two previous investments in the architecture and design sector including Knoxville, Tenn.-based MBI Companies and Fort Myers, Fla.-based Studio+. Together, NELSON, MBI Companies, and Studio+ form the foundation of UDP, with each legacy firm contributing to the platform’s overall direction and growth.
With the addition of NELSON’s 14 offices, the platform will expand to 20 locations across the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, and West Coast. NELSON will retain its client-first focus as well as its workforce and leadership team, which will continue to oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring continued growth and uninterrupted service.
“From the day I joined my father’s 14-person boutique interior design firm, my vision has been clear: to grow, achieve industry leadership, maximize the return and value for our financial partners, and create exceptional career opportunities for our people. This partnership with PBC elevates that vision to an entirely new level, providing the scale, resources, and long-term stability needed to sustain our growth well into the future,” said John “Ozzie” Nelson, Jr., CEO, NELSON Worldwide.
“As firms like ours evaluate a range of strategic paths, we feel incredibly fortunate to have formalized our relationship with PBC. Their shared values, strategic alignment, and commitment to our people make them the ideal partner for the next chapter of our journey,” added Nelson.
“NELSON stands out for the consistent quality of its design work and the depth of expertise across its team – they have a strong foundation that’s hard to find at this scale which is what attracted us to the business. With ten specialized practices and a true national footprint, the firm is exceptionally well positioned to keep growing across new markets and sectors. We’re excited to partner with the NELSON team as they enter this next chapter, and to support them as they continue building on nearly five decades of growth,” said Nate Ward, Palm Beach Capital Co-Founder and Managing Partner.
PBC, among the first of private equity firms that invested in the AEC sector, has a long history of driving transformative growth with our partners. As the lead investor and growth engine behind Universal Engineering Sciences (“UES”) (ENR #39), the fastest-growing AEC firm according to Zweig Group in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, PBC played a pivotal role in helping UES achieve unprecedented scale and success. Additionally, PBC has been the growth partner for Pape-Dawson (ENR #63), which continues to expand rapidly as a result of PBC’s investment and on-going execution of its long-term value creation. These accomplishments underscore PBC’s commitment to fostering meaningful growth and partnerships within the AEC sector.
Dale Hersey, Director at Palm Beach Capital, will continue to lead PBC’s investment in UDP, working closely with NELSON and future acquisition targets to realize the platform’s long-term value creation goals.
Dennis L. Knoer from Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP served as seller’s legal counsel, and Reggie Zachariah and Matt Whited from Greenberg Traurig, LLP served as buyer’s legal counsel on the transaction.