Design-Build General Contractor | Iowa / Midwest

Design-Builder | Construction Manager | General Contractor

Carl A. Nelson & Company is a trusted and experienced industrial, commercial and institutional construction company serving clients in Iowa, around the Midwest and across the United States from locations in Burlington and Cedar Falls, Iowa. 


Our pledge to clients on every project is to live up to our core values of: 


• Fairness and Honesty,

• Quality Workmanship, and

• Service Second to None.


This commitment to customer service is why approximately 80% of our business annually comes from repeat and referred clients.



Contact us today for a consultation about your project needs.




Our Services

We are capable of delivering a full range of services to clients, including multiple project procurement options, as well as needs assessment and master planning, pre-construction, design, self-performed construction and maintenance. Choose an option from the list below to learn more:

• General Contracting

• Design-Build

• Construction Management


Additional ways we can meet your project needs:

• Needs Assessment & Master Planning
• Pre-Construction Services
• Code Study, BIM & Design-Assist
• Self-Performed Construction
• Nelson Plant Services

Our Experience

Our team of engineers and construction managers has extensive experience in numerous construction markets, and today serves the design-build construction, construction management (agency and at-risk) and general contracting needs of clients in a range of market sectors. To learn more about the work we do, and to see project examples from our portfolio, choose one of the options below:


About CANCO

In business since 1913, Carl A. Nelson & Company — you can call us CANCO — is a design-build, construction management and general contracting company. Founded and still operating in Burlington, Iowa, we also have an office in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Our offices work as one to better serve our customers' needs. Learn more about what sets us apart from the competition, where we work and why more than 80 percent of our business is from repeat clients, by visiting the About Us section of the website.

Our Story | Safety First | Where We Work | Leadership Team


CANCO News

Stories in our news section are taken from the pages of our wibi newsletter, breaking project-related news, coverage of company events, and more. Click below for some recent headlines, or visit the news section to see what else we've been up to.

Here are some recent headlines. Discover more in our CANCO News section.

New project engineer joins CANCO in Cedar Falls office
New project engineer joins CANCO in Cedar Falls office

Eastern Iowa native Thad Clark is a 2023 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa in construction management. Thad Clark joined Carl A. Nelson & Company's north office in Cedar Falls in April 2024, looking forward to expanding his horizons in commercial and industrial construction…

Read More...

CANCO welcomes back former foreman in new leadership role
CANCO welcomes back former foreman in new leadership role

After almost three years away, Raleigh Annis comes home to Carl A. Nelson & Company as a project superintendent. To Raleigh Annis, whose second stint with Carl A. Nelson & Company ended in 2021 in pursuit of interests outside of the construction industry, coming back for a third…

Read More...

Experienced field supervisor joins Carl A. Nelson & Company
Experienced field supervisor joins Carl A. Nelson & Company

Steve Ray, who began his construction career in the early 1980s in New England, will lead CANCO K-12 project starting soon in western Iowa. Carl A. Nelson & Company's newest project superintendent arrived on the job in April with more than 40 years of construction industry experience…

Read More...

wibi Newsletter

Based on an acronym that represents shorthand for our quality assurance efforts, the wibi newsletter is mailed to clients in the industrial, healthcare and education markets, as well as published online in an e-edition. It features our projects, articles on topics helpful to clients — Decoding the Code focuses on code-related issues that can affect project budgets and long-term costs of ownership; and Building Value, which aims to help facility owners achieve value in their plans, projects and upkeep — and spotlights on our people and our safety program.

Visit our wibi page to see current and back issues of the newsletter.


Experience (is) the Carl A. Nelson & Company difference

Thank you for visiting our website. It's here 24/7 to help demonstrate the value of choosing Carl A. Nelson & Company for your organization's next construction project. To take advantage of the CANCO pledge to deliver Fairness & Honesty, Quality Workmanship and Service Second to None, contact us today.

Design-Build, Construction Management and General Contractor | Offices in Burlington and Cedar Falls, Iowa