Family Business Magazine's NextGens to Watch Class of 2024 consists of 22 standout rising-generation members who are making a difference in their family enterprises.
ALEXANDRA NELSON, 32
Third generation
Nelson Container Corp., Germantown, Wis.
Alex graduated from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with a bachelor's degree in marketing and a minor in 3-D arts. She joined Nelson Container after graduation as a customer service representative. About a year later, she left to take a position at Alsip MiniMill LLC, a manufacturer of corrugated medium, as a logistics specialist and backup scheduler. After two years, she returned to Nelson Container as customer service manager.
“A few years later, new opportunities arose to grow my skills and take on additional leadership responsibilities,” Alex says. “I took over both HR and accounting with the help of MRA – The Management Organization and a part-time CFO from Lauber Business Partners. I am now the controller for Nelson Container.”
She works with her father, mother, brother and sister at Nelson Container. The company, founded by her grandparents in 1962, provides corrugated packaging and complementary products and services.
“Alex is a third-generation family member who is in the beginning of taking a leadership role at the company,” says Tammie Miller, managing director of investment bank TKO Miller and a member of Nelson Container's advisory board. “I have seen her accept different roles within the company with intellectual curiously and gusto.
“She is very knowledgeable about the business' overall operations, and moving into diversified leadership roles has enhanced her skillset. She brings a fresh approach to issues that arise, and I am always truck by her good nature and willingness to accept help if she doesn't know something. I am so excited to watch her grow with the business.”
“Corrugated boxes are a crucial component for manufacturers to ship their products to customers,” Alex says. “I take pride and joy working at Nelson Container, helping our customers and our employees. I have always been willing to do any extra work to help Nelson Container achieve and surpass customer expectations, be it coming in to work on the manufacturing floor on the weekends when we need an extra hand, staying late to help a customer in need, or expanding my skillset with new and different responsibilities.”