John Nelson

Introducing John Nelson: Born on August 24, 1963, in Clinton, Iowa, John Nelson is a dedicated individual whose life reflects a commitment to service, education, and perseverance, shaped by his early years in a historic town, his military discipline, and his academic achievements.

1963-1984

John Nelson was born on August 24, 1963, in Clinton, Iowa. During the 1870s, Clinton was the richest town per capita in the United States, thanks to the steel and lumber barons who thrived along the Mississippi River at its widest point—1.67 miles. Growing up in this historic river town, John was the eldest of six children. His mother had five children between 1963 and 1968, with the youngest arriving in 1974.

The Nelson family came from a devout Black Irish Roman Catholic background, which strongly influenced their upbringing. John attended Catholic school from fourth through eighth grade and began high school at St. Mary’s. However, his mischievous nature led to his dismissal after his freshman year, during which he famously earned seven detentions in a single day despite having only six classes. He completed high school at Clinton High School, graduating in 1981.

After high school, John spent two years at junior college, which he humorously described as "high school with ashtrays." In 1983, he enlisted in the United States Army, beginning his military journey with basic training and airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia. By February 1984, John graduated from airborne school and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

1984-1989

John's first major deployment was jumping into Fort Bragg as part of Cohort 3, a company of 165 paratroopers, in late February 1984. In early 1985, his unit was transferred to Vicenza, Italy, where they were re-designated as the 4th/325 Airborne Combat Team. During his time in Italy, John married Dana Brandenburg, a beautiful young woman who joined him in Vicenza shortly after his arrival. The couple lived there until August 1986 when John returned to Fort Bragg to complete his service.

Throughout his military career, John served as a team member and later a squad leader in an 11 Charlie 81 mm mortar crew. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in September 1986 and received an honorable discharge in 1987 after four years of service.

Following his military career, John pursued higher education at the University of Maryland, College Park. He enrolled in the fall of 1987 and graduated in the summer of 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, specializing in Russian and Slavic international relations. During his time at the university, he was inducted into the prestigious Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

John’s life journey reflects a commitment to service, education, and perseverance, shaped by his early years in a historic town, his military discipline, and his academic achievements.

1989-1992

After graduating from the University of Maryland in August 1989, I moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where my wife, Dana, was working for the U.S. government. Shortly after arriving, I began a new job at AGEA, a wine store in Geneva, and also started my master’s program at the Business School Lausanne (BSL) in October 1989.

I worked at AGEA for a year while continuing my MBA studies. Thanks to my undergraduate degree in Russian and International Relations, I was offered a position at a private Swiss bank in Geneva, a connection facilitated by one of my professors. My role involved evaluating newly opened businesses in Czechoslovakia. This included assessing the assets of various factories, performing corporate triage, and developing a program to translate Czechoslovak financial statements into U.S. GAAP format. Between 1990 and 1992, I visited over 30 Czechoslovak factories as part of this work.

In 1992, I graduated magna cum laude from the MBA program at BSL, while Dana, who had graduated a year earlier, also achieved magna cum laude honors. Following my graduation, we returned to the Washington, D.C., area due to Dana’s new promotion and duty assignment.

In August 1992, after moving to the Washington, D.C., area, I immediately began searching for new job opportunities. During this time, I took a part-time position at NordicTrack in Pentagon City Mall, Arlington, Virginia, in the fall. While working at NordicTrack, I continued to pursue job leads throughout the fall and into early spring of 1993.

1993-1997

In the spring of 1993, a former colleague reached out with an opportunity to join his Atlanta-based company in sales and operations. After some negotiations, I relocated to Atlanta in July 1993 and began working for the travel company. As the months passed, the job showed great potential, and Dana joined me in Atlanta after leaving her successful role in the Washington, D.C., area. She quickly secured a position with an insurance company in the marketing field.

I continued working for the travel company until 1996, when I decided to start my own business. In March 1996, I founded Son Tours Inc., launching the company from our home in Duluth, Georgia. At the time, Dana was six months pregnant with our daughter, Sarah. Sarah was born on June 16, 1996, one of the happiest days of our lives.

While Dana was recovering at home for six weeks, I took on the dual responsibilities of caring for Sarah and building the foundation for Son Tours. I purchased school directories from seven states to create a potential customer database and worked tirelessly on data entry and developing a direct mail campaign. My first mailing campaign was highly successful, and I was able to secure several new groups that traveled with Son Tours in 1997.

In the fall of 1997, Dana resigned from her position with the insurance company to join me full-time at Son Tours. Together, we began building the company into the success it is today.

1997-Present

Our journey has been deeply rooted in faith, church fellowship, and the guidance of pastoral advice and prayer. These values have shaped our professional path and instilled in Son Tours the core pillars of love, truth, honesty, and integrity. As a result, our company has flourished, maintaining an outstanding 96% customer retention rate.

The hallmark of Son Tours' success has always been our commitment to personalized customer service—before, during, and after each tour. We prioritize building lasting relationships with our clients, treating them not just as customers but as family. Our highly trained office staff also serve as on-site escorts, ensuring that every aspect of the tour runs smoothly while making real-time decisions to support schoolteachers, group leaders, and students.

By fostering strong relationships with our customers, Son Tours has remained resilient through major economic and global challenges, including 9/11, the 2008 recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Our elite team consists of highly driven professionals, including former 82nd Airborne NCOs and top-secret clearance government officials, all extensively trained in safety and security. This background has allowed us to develop a hyper-focus on ensuring the safety of students and educators traveling with us.

Travel is our passion and expertise. Our executive team has collectively lived overseas for more than 30 years and has traveled to six of the seven continents, as well as most of the United States. With a deep-rooted love for exploration, my personal goal is to reach Antarctica and the South Pole by March 2028.