Brad Nelson

Vice President, Communications

Brad Nelson is a 32-year veteran of the automotive industry, having worked more than 25 years in engineering/technical roles before seeking new challenges in public relations and marketing. His somewhat rare combination of skills and experience gives Nelson a broad range of abilities and insightful industry perspective.

Nelson currently runs BN Communications, an automotive consulting business he began in 2002 and operated until 2007 when he joined an automotive agency called RWB, LLC as director of marketing communications. While at RWB, Nelson oversaw Lexus, Toyota and Scion marketing projects and supported tier-1 suppliers as well and other automotive OEM clients.

Nelson moved into public relations work from his previous role as principal engineer at Toyota in 2002 when he began as a full-time consultant at Lexus Public Relations in their corporate headquarters. In 2005 he joined the Lexus marketing team to support the company’s efforts in Grand Am racing while developing new motorsports initiatives. He was also instrumental in the launch of the Lexus IS F high-performance sedan as an integrated member of the IS F launch team.

In 1980, Nelson began a 22-year career with the Toyota Technical Center, initially as a technician supporting test and development activities. In 1988 he moved to engineering where he helped develop several generations of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, led suitability test teams and produced company-wide prototype evaluation and target-setting events for future models until the division moved to Michigan in 2002.

In support of his “second career,” Nelson earned a Public Relations Certificate from the University Of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2006. While at Toyota he studied vehicle dynamics, noise and vibration and management topics as well as Japanese language. Nelson has also been active in motorsports throughout much of his adult life, supporting a number of successful pro and amateur road racing teams with technical expertise in his spare time.