ROBERT D. OLSON, President and CEO
Robert D. Olson has been active in all phases of development and construction for more than three decades. He has played an instrumental part in a wide variety of projects across the United States—including hotels, country clubs, retail, multifamily, mid-rise office and recreational facilities. In 1979 he founded R.D. Olson Construction; in 1997, Olson saw the opportunity to start R.D. Olson Development.
As a corporate executive who thoroughly enjoys the challenges and close working relationships that today’s development business provides, Olson continues to play an active role in every major R.D. Olson project. He works closely with his design and development teams on many of the company’s undertakings, providing valuable input related to marketing, positioning, investment analyses and capital structure.
In 2007, Olson was a recipient of the Orange County Business Journal’s “Excellence in Entrepreneurship” award and in 1994 was acknowledged by the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) as the “Construction Executive of the Year.” He was also the recipient of Ernst and Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 1989. Olson has been a featured speaker at a number of industry conferences including the UCLA Extension Hotel Industry Investment Conference, the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York City, and the Lodging Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Olson received his M.B.A. from the University of Southern California. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) where he served as chapter chairman, and served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Orange County Chapter of the American Red Cross.