Our History

In 1947, Earl Nelson, his father Ted, Herb Jameson and Bob Dougherty founded Nelson-Jameson as a dairy equipment and supply business in Toluca, Illinois. Their goal was to serve as a comprehensive resource for dairy plants, but they soon discovered that their Illinois location wasn't ideal. So Ted and Herb studied dairy production maps and relocated the business to Marshfield, WI—the heart of dairy production. Shortly after, Jameson and Dougherty left Nelson-Jameson to pursue other business opportunities, leaving the company in the hands of
the Nelson family.

Today, Nelson-Jameson is run by the fourth generation of the Nelson family and continues to grow. The organization has added distribution centers in California, Idaho, Pennsylvania, and Texas to meet the needs of its markets. Over the years, Nelson-Jameson has expanded its product offerings to meet the needs of food, dairy and beverage plants—becoming the supplier of choice in all 50 states, as well as many foreign countries.

1947

Nelson-Jameson is founded

NJ began as a dairy equipment and supply firm in a vacant cheese factory in Toluca, IL. In addition to the four founders: Earl Nelson, his father—Ted Nelson, Herb Jameson, and Bob Dougherty, the only employee was a secretary/bookkeeper.

1949

Move to Marshfield, WI

With distances between dairy plants relatively long in Illinois, NJ's founders studied cow density maps and decided to relocate the business to Marshfield, WI—the heart of dairy production. Shortly after the move to Marshfield, Dougherty and Jameson left the firm to pursue separate careers, leaving the company in the control of the Nelsons.

1949

Marshfield, WI location serves USA

The move to Marshfield proved to be fortuitous for the young firm, as Nelson-Jameson's customer list grew to include virtually every type of food processor in all 50 states and Canada.

1966

Richland Center, WI, Distribution Center Opens

Nelson-Jameson built the first of what would become several branch locations in Richland Center, WI, to better serve its strong dairy industry base. This location would remain open until 1992.

1975

John Nelson joins Nelson-Jameson

Earl's son, John Nelson joins the family business. John worked on numerous projects during his years with the company, including sales and route delivery, product management of the chemical line, and the annual physical inventory counting and reconciliation. He also was instrumental in starting the laboratory products line.

1977

New Marshfield, WI distribution center & corporate office opens

A brand new building at 2400 E 5th Street became the home base for Nelson-Jameson, Inc. The building, designed by John Nelson, featured office and warehouse space designed for growth. The design also earns the 1977 National Design Award of Merit.

1978

Carol Nelson joins Nelson-Jameson

Carol, Earl Nelson's wife, was instrumental in developing Nelson-Jameson's Human Resource Department and was responsible for hiring several key individuals within the organization.

1979

Green Bay, WI distribution center opens

Green Bay becomes the second Wisconsin branch location of the company and serves Eastern WI customers until 1991.

1982

Marshfield, WI warehouse expansion

When the building on East 5th Street was built 5 years earlier, it was said that employees thought it would take 30 years to fill the warehouse space. However, Nelson-Jameson would end up adding on several warehouse additions over the years to accommodate the growing product lines.

1983

Firm of the Year

Nelson-Jameson is named Marshfield's Firm of the Year by the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MACCI).

1987

Marshfield, WI expands warehouse and docks

Nelson-Jamesonadds much-needed warehouse space and six new loading docks.

1991

John Nelson leads Nelson-Jameson

John Nelson takes over day-to-day operations of Nelson-Jameson when Earl & Carol Nelson retire from the company.

1992

Jerry Lippert joins Nelson-Jameson

Jerry Lippert held many roles at Nelson-Jameson over the years, including sales management, Director of Operations, Vice President/General Manager, and President. He assumed the President's role in 2002 and held that position until 2020.

1993

Turlock, CA distribution center opens

To better serve the 13 Western states, Nelson-Jameson establishes a branch in Turlock, CA.

2001

Twin Falls, ID distribution center opens

Twin Falls, Idaho, becomes a new branch of Nelson-Jameson to better serve customers in the Northwest United States.

2002

Marshfield, WI distribution center expands warehouse

This is the third of what would be five additions to the 5th Street distribution center in Marshfield, WI.

2005

Adam Nelson joins Nelson-Jameson

John Nelson's son, Adam Nelson, is instrumental in establishing a strong IT Department, as well as the company philosophy of utilizing technology to make processes more efficient.

2009

Nelson-Jameson builds new distribution center in Turlock, CA

A new 32,700 square foot facility, including warehouse and office space, is built in Turlock, California.

2009

Amanda Nelson Sasse joins Nelson-Jameson

Over the years, Amanda Nelson Sasse, John Nelson's oldest daughter, held several roles including Account Manager, Director of Strategic Relationships & Web Development, and VP of Philanthropy and Social Impact.

2009

NEXT Logistics is established

The logistics of Nelson-Jameson's fleet of trucks and deliveries becomes a new entity, Next Logistics. A dedicated system of routes and delivery schedules are put in place to better serve customers across the United States.

2010

York, PA distribution center opens

Another branch location with offices and warehouse space opens in York, Pennsylvania, allowing Nelson-Jameson to better serve customers on the East Coast.

2012

Dumas, TX distribution center opens

A new branch location in Dumas, Texas, is established, allowing Nelson-Jameson to better serve customers located in the South Central United States.

2013

Marshfield, WI distribution center expands its warehouse

An additional 20,000 square feet of warehouse space is added to the Marshfield, Wisconsin, Distribution Center location.

2014

Chicago, IL sales office opens

A team of dedicated Inside Account Managers, supporting customers in various regions of the United States, are based out of Chicago, IL. The Chicago sales office remained open until 2023.

2015

Marshfield, WI distribution center expands to 2.2 million cubic feet

An additional 10,000 square feet of warehouse space with six additional loading docks is added to the Marshfield location. This brings the total warehouse space in Marshfield to 2.2 million cubic feet.

2017

New Amarillo, TX distribution center opens

Nelson-Jameson's Texas branch moves from Dumas to Amarillo, TX, to better serve customers, as well as to position itself for increased growth in the South Central United States. Nelson-Jameson built the Amarillo Distribution Center to be 25,000 square feet on a four-acre lot with three finished docks, 1,800 square feet of office space, and the capacity to hold 224 pallets of refrigerated products.

2020

New Marshfield, WI corporate office opens

Nelson-Jameson's corporate office moves into a newly remodeled building, located on Highway 13 on the south end of Marshfield, Wisconsin.

2020

The fourth generation of Nelsons

Leadership of Nelson-Jameson transfers to the fourth generation of the Nelson family as Adam Nelson is named Chairman of the Board, and Amanda Nelson Sasse steps into an executive management position as the Director of E-Commerce. Ann-Marie Nelson Brine remains a minority owner, functioning as the secretary of both NJ’s Advisory Board and its Board of Directors.

2020

Mike Rindy is named President of Nelson-Jameson

Mike Rindy has worked in the food and dairy industry for more than 34 years—bringing with him decades of experience leading diverse teams to achieve outstanding sales and operational results while fostering collaboration and servant leadership.

2021

Firm of the Year

Nelson-Jameson is named Marshfield’s Firm of The Year by the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MACCI). It is the 2nd time receiving this award since the prestigious program began in 1955.

2022

Nelson-Jameson celebrates 75th anniversary

Nelson-Jameson is honored to celebrate 75 years of success and growth. The organization looks forward to continuing to provide customers with the products and services they need to produce safe, quality food.

2023

Nelson-Jameson is featured in online documentary series "We Supply America"

Nelson-Jameson is recognized as a top distributor and fourth-generation family-owned business—focusing on company culture and employee experience.

2023

Mike Rindy named among "Family Business CEOs to watch 2023"

Nelson-Jameson President, Mike Rindy, is named among 23 top CEOs to watch by Family Business Magazine. As a lifelong dairy industry veteran, Rindy is recognized as bringing more than 30 years of experience to a rapidly growing Nelson-Jameson.

2023

Nelson-Jameson receives Great Place to Work Certification

Nelson-Jameson and NEXT Logistics officially receive the “Great Place To Work” certification. The certification evaluates a company’s culture from an employee perspective and recognizes employers who create an outstanding employee experience. Nelson-Jameson received an employee score of 94% compared to the typical score of 57% in U.S. based companies.

2024

New Jerome, ID distribution center opens

The Twin Falls distribution center is closed and relocated to a brand-new, state-of-the-art distribution center built to suit the needs of the company's Northwest customers and expand Nelson-Jameson truck route capabilities.