One Person Sharpening Another The Power of Relationships for Both Time and Eternity

Richard W. (Dick) Nelson was born on a farm six miles west of Corning, Iowa on September 9, 1939. He joined the family with two older sisters, Marilyn the oldest and Ruby June. He rode a horse to attend a country school two miles from his home. It consisted of eight grades in one room, with one teacher for all grades. He then attended high school in Corning Iowa, graduating in 1957. During his senior year he played on the school's undefeated football team. Dick attended Parson College in Fairfield, Iowa for two years (1957-1958), before dropping out and joining the U.S. Army Reserves, which included six months of active service. He had met Karen Bassett at Parsons College and they married on April 2, 1961. After his military service, Dick returned to Parsons and earned a B.A. in Business in 1963. Following graduation, he joined 3M Company in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1963. After sales training, he was transferred to Denver, Colorado to sell copy products, ranking among the upper 2 percent of the 3M sales force. During that time, Dick and Karen adopted their son, Todd (1965), and daughter, Tracy (1968). Dick was transferred to Des Moines, Iowa, managing a program for 3M, then back to corporate headquarters in St. Paul. After offering 3M a service idea to expand the CBSA program he had been managing, and being turned down, Dick left 3M and became a one-man consultant to insurance companies and employers in rehabilitating injured employees. He was considered a pioneer in the field of Private Sector Rehabilitation in the U.S.A. Dick incorporated the business, National Rehabilitation Consultants, Inc. (NRC), and it grew to 27 offices in 11 states, having 130 employees. From 1976-78, he commuted from the Twin Cities to University of San Francisco to earn a M.S. degree, in Rehabilitation Management. In 1999 Dick became a member of the Christian Network Team, a small group of business owners that provide a safe haven for sharing common business challenges, sharing their faith and encouraging one another. Eventually he decided to be a facilitator in starting two CNT groups, one in Rochester, Minnesota and another in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis. After turning the Rochester group over to a local Rochester business owner to facilitate, Dick continues to facilitate the Northwest CNT Group, a group of 20 men that meet on a monthly basis, growing in their faith and becoming close friends as they share life's challenges and joys.