NEST Overview

Bob Almond always had the passion to build a new and innovative product that would revolutionize the FM industry. In 1994, he brought that vision to life by founding NEST Nationwide. The term “NEST” is an acronym for “Negative Expense Systems Technology.” Bob’s goal was to bring financial acumen to the facilities world by using customized systems and technologies to drive the process within multi-facility businesses.

Exceptional service and a steady increase in contracted Independent Service Providers (ISPs) led NEST to finish the year at $1M in revenue. Bob and his team reinvested every dollar back into the business by purchasing additional office space and an improved technology infrastructure, and by attending the first of many trade shows.

Five years after opening its doors, NEST had multiplied our revenue tenfold and boasted a client roster that included some of North America’s leading retailers. Leadership chose to reinvest in the company once again, purchasing our headquarters in Southern New Jersey and committing to keeping the company local for the good of its current employees. The NEST Quality Assurance team was formed as the “boots on the ground” to ensure client satisfaction and brand standards are upheld.

From 2000 to 2004, NEST experienced a growing pain or two. While NEST was primed for success thanks to a new revenue milestone and a new company headquarters, changes to our client portfolio presented a few challenges. Bob Almond used the setback as an opportunity to refresh his thinking and goals for the future. As a result, NEST reinforced our focus on technology and automation.

With new technology, clients and service providers, Bob decided to focus inward once again and committed to making his employees a top priority. In 2006, Bob implemented the Great Game of Business. The program, taken from the book written by Jack Stack, is an employee bonus plan based on an open book fiscal policy that allows each employee to become a stakeholder and rewards them for healthy business decisions. NEST was also proud to see Rob Almond, Jr. be recognized by Chain Store Age as one of the Top 40 under 40 executives.

By 2009, NEST had reached their milestone of surpassing over 100 employees. That same year, NEST shifted from an off the shelf work order platform to a more customized and robust system, which allowed ISPs and clients to benefit from our customization as well. During this time period, NEST stopped accepting US Mail as a means to ensuring our ISPs embraced the technology, keeping our costs competitive. By the end of 2009, Bob opened NEST’s second office in Naples, FL to both expand its operations and be the headquarters for his residential company — NEST of Florida.

Philly.com crowned NEST a Top Workplace Winner for the first (but not the last) time. Because employees vote for this award through a confidential third party, this award holds a special value for us at NEST. NEST once again sharpened our competitive edge by expanding our after-hours support services from an “on-call” team to a fully-staffed command center that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

To continue growing and strengthening our partnerships with our ISP network, the NEST ISP Compliance group was formed. ISPs now had a go-to team for scorecard reviews, business portfolio expansion, and discounts on a variety of products to help drive their business.

In 2014, NEST celebrated another year of awards: we were honored by the Philadelphia Business Journal with the Philadelphia 100 Award; for the fourth consecutive year, we made the Inc. 500/5000 list; and, Rob Almond, Jr. was recognized by SNJ Business People as a “40 Under 40” Business Leader. He also received an Executive Management Award presented by Smart CEO Magazine.

NEST celebrated our 20th Anniversary the same year that Smart CEO’s recognized NEST and Chairman Bob Almond as a Future 50 Winner. NEST International rebranded as NEST Multi-Facility Management

NEST continued to have positive revenue growth year after year and in 2017, Rob Almond announced the opening of a fourth office in Greensboro, NC. The company expanded the construction and estimation group and introduced formal Lean Six Sigma principles when developing client solutions. The same year, Rob Almond was a finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year in the Greater Philadelphia region. NEST was also named one of the Best Places to Work by The Philadelphia Business Journal.

NEST expanded its Executive Leadership Team to include a CFO, CIO, and CISO to elevate the support provided to clients, employees, and providers. NEST’s portfolio continued to grow, spanning from small/medium to big-box retailers.

NEST hit a major milestone in 2019 celebrating its 25th Anniversary. They continued to expand the teams and acquired more office space in Mantua, NJ. Once again NEST was named one of the Best Places to Work by The Philadelphia Business Journal and one of the Top Workplaces from the Philadephia Inquirer.