Nelson's Catering of Springfield was founded in 1995 and began operations from the back of the Williamsville IGA, using a single pickup truck with a camper top to service clients. The business has grown substantially from its humble beginnings and is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new barbecue menu, online ordering and a continued commitment to the company motto: "experience is everything."
"We now average about 100 events per week, and over the years we have transformed into a company that can do everything from basic barbecue to a full, sit-down event," said Josh Lindvall, president of the company. "We are working hard to be Springfield's best homegrown, full-service catering company. We've done parties as small as 20 people all the way up to serving 7,500 at a single event."
Nelson's is based in northern Indiana, and Lindvall and his father, Doug, bought the franchise for the Springfield area in 1995 from the founder, Nelson Gongwer. The local Nelson's franchise services all areas within a two-hour radius of Springfield and now has its own complex on Springfield's west side and a fleet of 25 vehicles. It employs 15 full-time and up to 75 part-time workers.
At first the Nelson's Catering menu was pretty basic, offering half chickens (still Lindvall's favorite), baked beans, potatoes and salad. Now the company offers full-course gourmet meals as well as its signature barbecue, which is still prepared in founder Nelson Gongwer's patented, stainless-steel rotisserie grill. For the 30th anniversary, Nelson's is also debuting online ordering as well as new barbecue styles such as Memphis, Carolina and other regional favorites.
Getting all of that food prepared and on its way is a task overseen by operations manager John Bale.
If you think that scene has the makings of a chaotic ballet, you would be right.
"It's pretty hectic; there's a lot going on, it's very fast-paced and requires a lot of teamwork," Bale said. "But everybody jumps in to help, and those busy days go by pretty quickly."
Sales manager Mindy Beeler, who also likes the beef tenderloin with bourbon peppercorn sauce, has had several roles at Nelson's since joining the firm in 2007. She helped implement employee-training programs, worked in the catering division and now leads the event-planning team.
"We have a great formula and great people; our service and food are top-notch," Beeler said. "We want to be the caterer that wows the customer. We use our experience to talk to each customer about what we can do for them, and we are willing to do just about anything."
"That's about a month's worth of catering in just three days," Beeler said. "We have been able to adapt as the event keeps growing larger, adding more golf carts, more food, more people and more happy customers."
Beeler said that Nelson's added a higher-end menu about 10 years ago in order to accommodate a more diverse clientele.
"When it comes to catering in Springfield, you'd better be pretty diversified," Beeler said. "You can't just be a barbecue or a boutique caterer, you have to be able to please everybody. So we have this other, higher-end menu with service levels that are up a notch for places like the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum."
The actual on-site event experience is the forte of catering services manager Margo Maynerich, who likes Nelson's meatless lasagna and also has a commitment to make sure each client receives the food and experience they desire.
"When I schedule staff, I try to make sure each team has what it needs," Maynerich said. "You might need a good lifter to carry items, a speedy person who can quickly get to all areas of the venue and seasoned people to show newer staff how things are done."
Maynerich also makes sure that potential food allergies are addressed before each event.
"That's a huge issue right now, and I probably get six such special requests every weekend," Maynerich said.
Nelson's sweet potatoes and pork loin are the favorite items for wedding coordinator Wanda Croxton, who makes sure that everything is perfect for the couple's big day.
"This will likely be the most important day of their lives up to this point, so this is a big deal to me because it's a big deal to them," Croxton said. "We provide the most exceptional service and make sure the menu features food the couple wants, that everyone is going to like and will be well-suited for the event."
Like all of Nelson's employees, compliments are Croxton's greatest reward.
"We love to hear people come up and say, 'The food and service were so good, we loved everything,'" Croxton said. "That is an amazing feeling."
Three years ago, Lindvall bought his brother out and started to give ownership of Nelson's Catering to key staff members, including all of those quoted in this article.
"I think that's the key to growth and the longevity of the company," Lindvall said. "We are excited about what the next 30 years will bring."