Mark Nelson has joined ReMax Professionals as a real estate agent specializing in commercial properties.

“I wanted to work for myself, pursue a lot of the passion projects I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and get out of the corporate life,” Nelson said of his decision to become involved in commercial real estate. He noted that his father, M.G. Nelson, was involved in developing a number of Springfield properties, including The Gables and nearby office complexes, but has now retired.

“There are a few pieces of his remaining land that I’m trying to sell or do build-to-suit for,” Nelson said, referring to vacant lots on Wabash near Town and Country Bank that he recently listed.

After graduating from University of Illinois, Nelson moved to Madison, Wisconsin, to work for a large company that handles medical records worldwide. Nearly five years later, he said he decided to return to his hometown of Springfield to be closer to family, and worked at Memorial Health System before becoming involved in a start-up company based out of Litchfield that was funded by Allscripts.

In his new role, he is working closely with Ed Mahoney, a longtime commercial broker with Remax, and says he’s meeting with people who own commercial properties.

“I’m focused on a lot of the commercial vacancies we have today,” Nelson said. “I want to invest in this community and help it grow.”