ABOUT US

deRuyter Nelson brings an uncommon level of sensitivity to the graphic design and communications planning process. By combining our background in the field of grief and loss with our broad range of creative services experience, we are uniquely positioned to offer intuitive communications solutions for a variety of situations.

Founded in 1975, deRuyter Nelson has provided graphic design and communications services to corporations and institutions for over 30 years. After one of the firm’s owners experienced the death of a child, deRuyter Nelson started a division of the business that designs, publishes, and provides worldwide distribution of support materials for bereaved families and the caregivers and institutions that support them. In addition, the company’s extensive grief web site with sharing bulletin board provides a wealth of information gathered firsthand from those living through a crisis situation.

It is by combining this expertise in both design and grief issues that deRuyter Nelson has evolved into the company it is today — a firm that offers sensitive communications solutions for “when life happens.”

Calvin deRuyter founded deRuyter Press in 1975 upon graduating with a fine arts degree from Hamline University. In addition to publishing a community newspaper in St. Paul, Minnesota, he started a computer typesetting business that provided graphic services for educational institutions and corporations.

Today he serves as president of deRuyter Nelson where he manages the overall operations of the business and serves as webmaster for the company’s 400+ page A Place To Remember web site.

In addition to his office duties, he is a regionally known watercolor artist and teacher and has shown his work in both metropolitan as well as outstate galleries. Calvin will be the featured artist for the Look Gallery of Marshall Fields in 2006. The artwork for the deRuyter Nelson logo is taken from one of his paintings.

Tim Nelson became a full partner in the company after graduating from Hamline University in 1976 with a major in political journalism. Over the years he has served as both marketing director and creative director for deRuyter Nelson’s corporate design and grief publishing divisions.

Following the death of his infant daughter in the mid-1980s, he became an active volunteer with a nonprofit organization that offered support to families who had suffered a pregnancy loss or neonatal death. He eventually became president of the board of directors of the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center, serving in that capacity for 3 years. He also wrote one of the first small books offered for fathers of stillborn children, “A Father’s Story,” and began speaking at local and national bereavement conferences. In 2004 he wrote his second book entitled, “A Guide for Fathers – When a Baby Dies.” He recently earned his certification as a GRIEF RECOVERY® SPECIALIST from the Grief Recovery Institute in Sherman Oaks, California.

Because of his personal loss, deRuyter Nelson started a publishing division of the company in 1994 called “A Place To Remember.” Today, it is one of the United States’ largest for-profit distributors of support materials for those who have been touched by a crisis in pregnancy or the death of a baby. The A Place To Remember web site has over 79,000 postings in its Sharing Section for bereaved families and 10,000 entries listed in the Remembrance Book of babies who have died.

Bob Wasiluk has served as deRuyter Nelson’s senior graphic designer for nearly 20 years. He is a very talented illustrator using mediums such as colored pencil and pen and ink. In addition, his extensive knowledge of computer aided design has allowed deRuyter Nelson to offer clients the latest techniques in design and layout as well as 3-dimensional illustration, animation, and building presentations with programs such as Flash.

While with the company he has designed award-winning annual reports, marketing materials and web sites for Fortune 500 companies, illustrated children’s books, and has been key to the success of A Place To Remember’s grief product line.

Denis Woulfe came to work as an editor and marketing manager for the company following his graduation from Hamline University. While his main responsibilities lie with managing all operations for deRuyter Nelson’s two neighborhood newspapers, he frequently serves as a consultant and editor for the company’s book publishing division. Denis recently celebrated his 25th anniversary with the company.