Today we’d like to introduce you to Damien Nelson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Damien. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have been involved in print & web design, web development, and marketing since 1999 when I was a key player in the development and sale of an early dot-com era company. After the sale, I did a one-year stint at a more traditional graphic design firm, but realized how much I liked working with the designers and developers on new media projects as well as the more traditional print design projects. With that revelation, I went on to form Nelson & Co., LLC (N&C) in 2002.
My first clients were in the Oil & Gas industry, however I soon reconnected with a past contact, Thomas Hensey of Rhino Marketing. Thomas provided me with office space in exchange for my web knowledge. This worked out well for us both for a number of years, and we worked together on a number of great sports related projects including the Houston Texans’ Kris Brown, The Shell Houston Open and Red Bull U.K. Those experiences helped shape our company in the early years. I eventually came to the decision I needed my own space where I could hire a small staff and subsequently moved out to Sugar Land, where I did just that. With a small team in place, we landed some NASA advocacy work with a number of space contracts and through another marketing agency, Griffin Marketing, which kept us busy for a number of years. We have always tried to maintain more of a boutique type image and offer personal service, and for this reason, we have resisted the urge to grow so large that we lose that personal connection with our clients.
Today we are a five person staff, and service a wide variety of industries throughout the Greater Houston area. Though I see the dot-com era as the starting point for Nelson & Co., I also realize that other factors contributed to my passion for this industry including a Marketing degree from the University of Houston, small business experience working for my father, surviving cancer, and having a wonderful family to care for. These are all factors that played into the development of Nelson & Co.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When we lost our first anchor account to a dishonest contractor and a client merger. We weren’t sure we would be able to survive without this client, but we made it work and grew because of it.
When politics caused the cancelation of our NASA contract, we had to retool our efforts.
When we landed a large contract with a new dot-com and they didn’t get 2nd round of funding after we tooled up a team to handle them.
Economic factors in Houston surrounding the Oil & Gas industry.
After twelve years, we lost Shell Houston Open when Shell dropped the tournament and my key contact retired.
These were huge pivot points for us, and times when we have had to reimagine ourselves and move forward.
Please tell us about Nelson & Co.
We offer graphic design for print and web, web development, web marketing and retainers for handling ongoing service needs for these items. We take pride in being able to offer years of experience to mid-sized business throughout Greater Houston and in helping these businesses imagine or reimagine the face of their companies. It is very satisfying to do this, especially when we are able to find ways to improve a company’s efficiencies through web based tools. We have always felt our greatest differentiator is the ability to develop complex technical web sites and tools, but do so with design aesthetics and user experience as the leading driver. This seems like an obvious thing, but we have always found that design firms make pretty websites that aren’t as functional, scalable or able to improve business processes with tools. Alternately, many technology firms can make great web tools for a business, but can’t do so with design and usability in mind. We take pride in bridging both.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I have many fond memories participating in activities such as surfing, snowboarding, wakeboarding, motorcycles, fishing, hunting, etc. It isn’t really one memory, but a collage of memories that I’m still adding to today and sharing with my daughters.
Contact Info:
- Address: 245 Commerce Green Blvd.
#125
Sugar Land, TX 77478 - Website: http://www.nelsonandco.net
- Phone: (8320532-7220
- Email: info@nelsonandco.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NelsonAndCompany/
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
