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NELSON, Black Cow Architects announce “inverted merger”

Thursday, September 02, 2010

Combine local, national ties to form unique powerful influence in Boston

BOSTON (July 14, 2009) -- NELSON, a global interior design, architecture, engineering, strategies, workplace services, and information services firm, has merged its local operations with Black Cow Architects, one of Boston’s top architectural firms with an excellent reputation for leadership and service. Operating under the NELSON name, the firms together will provide strategic and creative solutions to clients in the Boston area while also capitalizing on NELSON’s national reach and global service capabilities.

NELSON and Black Cow Architects have coined the phrase “inverted merger” to describe their relationship – a unique approach to creating new opportunities for growth and development in challenging economic times. NELSON’s goal was to bring fresh leadership to its strong, existing team in Boston, and Black Cow Architects desired the ability to quickly capitalize on existing opportunities it previously had been considered too small to service. This inverted merger – with its local, national and global influence – will combine the resources of a large firm with the boutique approach of an attractive small firm.

The combined firm will have a local presence of over 25 team members with access to a network of approximately 500 designers, architects, engineers, strategists and other experts. Local leadership will be provided by Brad Black, RA, IIDA, LEED® AP, and Stacy Chambers, current Principals of Black Cow Architects.

“The Boston market offers tremendous opportunity for a firm with top leadership, talent, strategic insights and a true service mentality,” said John “Ozzie” Nelson, Jr., President and CEO of NELSON. “To take full advantage of those opportunities, we wanted to find the right partner that would allow us to expand our resources overnight and lead the way to deliver immediate impact. We were fortunate that in Brad and Stacy we not only found one perfect fit, but two who share our vision, values and passion to be a leader in Boston and the industry.”

“When I formed Black Cow Architects 10 years ago,” said Brad Black, Managing Principal of the combined firm, “I quickly realized our team and business approach offered something special. We’ve never lost our commitment, creative passion, and spirit of fun – and we apply all of it to provide the finest strategic design solutions for our clients. We will keep the best of our “small firm” attributes – including a focus on providing personalized, dedicated service – while incorporating the best of what NELSON offers. By uniting our resources, we will be able to accomplish much more than we ever could individually.”

“We believe that the group that will benefit most from the union of Black Cow Architects and NELSON is our clients,” said Stacy Chambers, Managing Principal of the combined firm. “They will experience a seamless transition but will immediately begin to benefit from access to additional talent, subject matter expertise and resources. Our ‘herd’ is excited to begin mixing with the local NELSON team and those around the world, and to bring that creative energy to our current projects and new business efforts.”

A sample of clients that will continue to be served in Boston includes Bank of America, Liberty Mutual, GVA, Biogen Idec, CIGNA, Iron Mountain, McCall & Almy, and REIT M&R. NELSON and Black Cow Architects will consolidate their Boston operations at the current Black Cow office, located at 112 Beach Street, Unit A.

NELSON was formed in 1977 as an interior design firm. Since that time, the company has grown to an integrated services firm offering six integrated lines of business. NELSON now has more than 500 Teammates in 36 locations around the world and revenues of almost $69 million. With strong experience in a broad range of industries, NELSON works with more than 20 percent of companies in the Fortune 100 and is nationally ranked as the #2 firm specializing in Corporate / Office Design on Interior Design Magazine’s Top 100 Giants list. The firm also specializes in sustainable design and advisory services, professional services spaces (including the legal workplace), the financial industry, retail and hospitality design, and multi-family housing. For more information, visit www.nelsononline.com.

Black Cow Architects, established by Brad Black in 1998, specializes in corporate, commercial, retail and industrial projects, with a mission to provide full-service, cutting-edge design and the highest level of personal attention to its clients. For more information, visit www.blackcowarchitects.com.

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NELSON, Black Cow Architects announce “inverted merger”

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