JACOB WOLF NELSON
Director of Product Development & Manufacturing | Design-Driven Furniture | Nearshore Operations
Watsonville, CA | Monterrey, MX • jacobwolfnelson@gmail.com • 714-420-1022
SUMMARY
Product and manufacturing leader specializing in design-driven furniture, with experience building and scaling nearshore production for premium retail brands. Expert in new product introduction, tooling strategy, and crossborder operations. Proven ability to translate design intent into high-quality, manufacturable products while improving cost, speed to market, and production scalability.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Director of Products — Terranova Nearshore Solutions | CA / Monterrey, MX | 2022 – Present
• Lead product development, engineering, and manufacturing strategy for nearshore concrete furniture production supporting major U.S. retail clients including Restoration Hardware and Arhaus
• Own end-to-end product development across multi-SKU furniture collections, from concept and prototyping through production ramp and launch
• Direct cross-functional teams across U.S. and Mexico spanning R&D, engineering, quality, and production to deliver new products on accelerated timelines
• Drive tooling strategy, BOM development, and cost optimization, achieving ~60% reduction in fire table COGS through vertical integration of key components and processes
• Balance design intent, cost targets, and production constraints to accelerate development cycles and time-to-market
• Partner with design and merchandising teams to translate creative concepts into manufacturable, scalable, and cost-aligned products
• Implement QA systems, SOPs, and training programs, reducing rejection rates by ~20% on the largest tabletop program through data-driven analysis and root cause resolution
Product Development Manager — Concreteworks Studio, Inc. | San Leandro, CA | 2018 – 2022
• Led development of new product lines from concept through production, including prototyping and process design
• Collaborated with designers and clients to ensure feasibility, cost alignment, and scalability
• Developed manufacturing standards and procedures for new and existing products
• Managed sampling and iteration cycles to meet client expectations and launch timelines
Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager — Concreteworks Studio, Inc. | Alameda, CA | 2015 – 2018
• Designed and implemented QA systems and supervisor training programs
• Built tools and workflows to reduce defects and production variability
• Drove adoption of manufacturing best practices across production teams
Junior Designer / Lead Fabricator — Because We Can | Oakland, CA | 2014 – 2015
• Led fabrication of custom furniture and installations for residential and commercial projects
• Performed 3D modeling and CNC machining for production
EDUCATION
B.A. Global Economics, Minor in Chinese — University of California, Santa Cruz 2006 – 2010
SKILLS
Product Development | Manufacturing & Process Engineering | Quality Systems | New Product Introduction | Tooling
Strategy | Cross-Border Operations | BOM Development | Product Lifecycle Management | Vendor Development
Software: Fusion 360, SketchUp, Adobe Acrobat Pro, Microsoft Suite