A little over two years ago, in the midst of a happy night at Mt. Brighton Ski Resort, in the midst of a happy year, the unthinkable happened to the Nelson family.
Lisa Baker Nelson and her husband, Brandon, were inside the clubhouse with friends, watching the activity on the hill and enjoying the night while their son, Wyatt, then in the sixth grade, was on the ski hill with pals. Suddenly Brandon, 52, collapsed on the floor with what the family would later learn was a stroke; his condition was determined to be inoperable, and he died in the hospital within a few days.
Lisa found herself at the age of 53, without warning, raising two teenagers alone, dealing with her own grief at the loss of her spouse of 24 years, and keeping life on an even keel for everyone.
On top of all that, she now had sole responsibility for the two businesses the family owned.
Lisa has owned the downtown lingerie boutique Hush since 2007, as she’s been a prominent and active member of the downtown Brighton business community. She has served on the Downtown Development Authority, the Principal Shopping District board, and the Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce board.
Four years prior to this, Brandon purchased Foam Works, an industrial firm that manufactures foam products used in building construction.
Daughter Hannah was in her senior year at Brighton High School, with all of the activities that entailed. She was on the competitive cheer team, which involved travel to events. Wyatt was in sports as well. So the busy activities that come with two teens, as well as senior celebrations for Hannah, were suddenly interrupted with the shock of losing their dad.
For Lisa, the decision of what to do with the businesses was before her in the midst of her grief. One option — selling the Foam Works operation — was pretty much out of the question right off the bat, for one important reason: She didn’t have a good way to personally know what it was worth. She felt there was a danger of being taken advantage of for that reason.
“In my mind,” she said, “I did not know enough to know what the business was worth.”
So she decided to keep it.
Keeping and running Hush was not in question. Over the years she was able to step away from the day-to-day of that retail operation, while still overseeing it.
“My employees just stepped up for me,” she said.
But with a master’s degree in industrial engineering (her profession prior to opening Hush), she felt equipped to take the step needed to run Foam Works: She needed a builder’s license.
“There was zero reason to think I can’t handle this business,” she said. State regulations mandate that someone within the company have a builder’s license. And that needed to be her.
So she figuratively rolled up her sleeves and went to work obtaining that training. She got her builder’s license within months.
It was a rigorous program, with 60 hours of online class time, encapsulating 94 videos, a 300-page workbook and a 900-page textbook. She found herself reviving study habits she had not used since 1999. Hannah, now a student at Michigan State University, gave her study hints, she said.
Nelson worked the studies into her busy life, working on it at all hours as she was able to grab the time.
“I was super motivated to get through this because I knew it was something I had to do,” she said.
She passed the course in December 2024 after taking the 160-question test. A 70 percent correct score is needed to pass, she said, though applicants are only notified if they pass or fail. Still, she takes pride in passing it on the first try.
Now she spends several days each month in Ludington, where the company is headquartered. She relies the rest of the time on the local managers that she praises highly. There are living quarters at the plant. She takes the dogs and Wyatt stays in Brighton with close friends for those days. To fill the quiet downtime in the evenings in Ludington, she found herself at Hobby Lobby, and has taken up some hobbies, including knitting blankets.
Nelson says it’s amazing how it works out. She’s appreciative of the friends stepping up to take in Wyatt once a month.
“What a neat gift,” Nelson said. “I would never have asked them to do it. But they are all having a ball.”
Life is busy. When in Brighton, Wyatt’s school and sports schedule take up much of her time not devoted to the two businesses. She is still navigating a way of life she didn’t anticipate, with all that come with going it alone. She recently painted her own living room.
Nelson said that in the months before his death, she and Brandon had been talking about “What’s next?” regarding the two family businesses. This was not in the plans. But she is satisfied with her decision to keep them both going.
“I’m living out his legacy,” she said.
