NWI Congratulates Dave Nelson On Nearly 50 Years of Service to the Nonwovens Industry

The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) would like to congratulate Dave Nelson upon his retirement from his role as NWI’s assistant director of industry engagement and education earlier this year, capping a career in the nonwovens industry that has extended over nearly 50 years.

Dave grew up in western Minnesota. He was an active participant in high school athletics and attended SW Minnesota State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Geology. Upon graduation, Dave joined 3M in his hometown of Hutchinson, Minnesota, at what was the company’s largest facility where he received his first experiences in the fibers and nonwovens businesses and earned a degree in Chemical Engineering. He also expanded his experiences into the company’s acetate film business as a production engineer; all the while getting to know scientists in corporate research. 

Later, Dave moved to 3M Corporate Research and earned an MBA at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. At this time, he became involved in product innovation across many markets and developed a deep understanding of the value of personal mentorship, of championing ideas, and the importance of strategic thinking in a technology organization.

“Dave was a long-time supporter of the Institute during his time with 3M,” noted Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., executive director of NWI. “It was always a pleasure to see Dave at our semi-annual Industrial Advisory Board meetings where he made significant contributions to NWI as a member participant.”

During his time at 3M Corporate Research, Dave was instrumental in the development of Filtrete™ filtration media; electrostatically charged to act like tiny magnets that attract and capture microscopic particles from the air as it passes through the filter. He would then relocate to Breda, Netherlands, in support of 3M’s Filtration Products business in 1990 where he continued his technical, professional and personal development. Dave would return in the U.S. five years later, and in 1997 he was appointed as manager of 3M’s Nonwovens Technology Center in St. Paul; a position he held for 17 years.

Though the Technology Center spanned the breadth of 3M’s businesses, “My heart was always in the nonwovens area,” said Dave. During this time, Dave became involved in TANDEC (Textiles and Nonwovens Development Center) at the University of Tennessee, INDA – Association of the Nonwovens Industry, and NWI where he represented 3M on The Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) for 17 years. 

“Dave was a long-time supporter of the Institute during his time with 3M,” noted Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Ph.D., executive director of NWI. “It was always a pleasure to see Dave at our semi-annual Industrial Advisory Board meetings where he made significant contributions to NWI as a member participant.”

In 2014, Dave retired from 3M and began his “second act” as he undertook responsibility for external outreach at NWI. 

“NWI was like home to me,” said Nelson, “It was the same level of excellence I had experienced at 3M.”  During his tenure, he coordinated and developed training programs, membership activities, research contracts and student mentorship.  A major step was to align with INDA in 2014 to jointly promote a broad training curriculum. 

“This initiative was very successful and, in July 2024, was strengthened to further leverage the two organizations’ competencies to create an unmatched training and education program,” said Tom Daugherty, deputy director at NWI. “Dave’s path to NWI was similar to mine,” added Daugherty, “I first engaged with NWI as a member participant with Procter & Gamble before joining the Institute as a full-time staff member. I always enjoyed engaging with Dave during our time together as members, and even more so working closely with him at NWI. I wish Dave all the best in his retirement and look forward to remaining connected as friends in the years to come.”

“Nonwovens represent revolutionary materials to benefit the world,”  reflected Nelson, “I feel honored to have seen the industry evolve.”

In his retirement years, Dave looks forward to getting out to the golf course a bit more, enjoying the outdoors and spending time with his family.

In closing, Dr. Pourdeyhimi extended the appreciation of the entire NWI team, “We thank Dave for his many years of service to the nonwovens industry and to NWI, and we wish him much enjoyment in his retirement!”