Executive Spotlight: Caliber Collision CFO Judd Nystrom

By Wade Rupard

Taking action through teamwork: Judd Nystrom, ’96 BSB, is a Gopher through and through.

The Minnesotan, who now serves as the CFO at Caliber Collision, is an alum, serves on the Carlson School’s Board of Advisors, and closely follows the Gophers Spirit Squad, where his daughter, Lindsay, ’26 BSB, is a Minnesota Golden Gophers cheerleader.

Nystrom has previously held a variety of senior financial roles at major companies, including At Home, Advance Auto Parts, and Best Buy and Carlson Companies.

He spoke to the Carlson School about his career and what advice he would give to students about to enter the workforce.

What drives you in your work?

We are a high-growth company that has grown from approximately 150 locations 10 years ago to almost 1,700 locations today. I get tremendous energy from growing our company and developing our talented teammates. I am always focused on identifying the opportunities for our teammates to reach their long-term goals and building action plans to ensure they have the right development opportunities so they can reach their full potential.

You’re on the Carlson School’s Board of Advisors. Why was that something you wanted to do?

The Carlson School helped position me to get to where I am today, so I wanted to make a positive impact on the next generation of students. My family and I have created two scholarships for the Carlson School to make sure that young, aspiring future executives have the same opportunities that I did.

What advice would you give Carlson School students who are about to graduate?

First, start building a network. Second, do some research on what type of companies you want to work for. Then, leverage the network that you’re starting to build and identify opportunities to get in front of those companies, whether it be an internship or volunteering. Meet with the company in any way you can so that you can really target those companies that you’re interested in that match the skillset of where you want to be in the long term.