Nels Carlson
Managing Director, Practice Lead
As managing director, practice lead, Nels Carlson is responsible for the direction and management of Alerus’ ESOP fiduciary practice. This role includes engaging in highly complex corporate transactions in collaboration with business valuation firms, law firms, investment bankers, merger and acquisition specialists, business owners, and boards of directors.
Nels has specialized in ESOPs for approximately 25 years. He has served as a managing director at Alerus since 2008. Prior to joining Alerus, he served as general counsel for a national trust and employee benefits company and as a partner in the corporate/employee benefits practice of a commercial law firm, focusing specifically on ESOPs, qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, and corporate transactions. He frequently shares his ESOP and fiduciary expertise through educational presentations at national and regional industry conferences.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut; a Juris Doctor degree from Ohio Northern University, and a Master of Laws degree, with a focus on tax and employee benefits law, from Georgetown University. Nels is a licensed attorney in Minnesota and is a member of the Minnesota and Hennepin County Bar Associations, the National ESOP Association, and the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).
Nels and his wife, Beth, have two sons and live in Maple Grove, Minnesota.