What's the Buzz: Get to Know Ryan Olson
RYAN OLSON
Assistant Regional Manager working
toward Chief of Operations
Olson’s Pest Technicians
Yankton, South Dakota
How did you get started in the industry?
A typical family business—I started young in late elementary school and got my applicator license after my first year of college. After getting my master’s in coaching leadership, I knew it was time to move into the family business full time.
Did you have any mentors along the way? Who are they, and how did they influence your career path?
Yes, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them! My parents have taught me so much within the landscape of life and business and the importance of the entrepreneurial spirit. In the industry, our regional managers, Mark Schilling and Preston Boeh, have been great mentors and resources for any and all questions I’ve had since being licensed in 2015. Our NPMA Executive Leadership Program cohorts can all attest that we have all been great resources for each other as we come up in the industry and strive to make our workplaces healthier. AJ Treleven from Sprague Pest Solutions has also been a close mentor and guide for working and growing a family business. To each of you, my sincerest thank you!
What’s the biggest learning experience you’ve had?
I served as an intern for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the summer of 2018. I had a large final project planned for a basketball coaches’ clinic that I spent hours planning, coordinating, and raising money for the operating expenses. It was all set to be a massive win, but the invites didn’t get sent out to the coaches, so literally no one showed up. I learned a lot about my pride and the devil being in the details through this failure.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
We’re not in the bug business, we’re in the people business.
What’s the worst piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Just follow your heart and everything will work out in the end.
Describe yourself in three words.
Loyal, intentional, logical.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Rarely is anything as urgent and life altering as we
initially think.
What would your superpower be?
Without a shadow of a doubt, there is only one correct answer here: teleportation.
What was one of the best parties you’ve ever been to?
My buddy and I did our bachelor parties together and had a blast in the Power & Light District in Kansas City.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
Ryan Reynolds—same first name, we have a small resemblance, both very sarcastic, and our wives are gorgeous.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Eating an entire roll of Oreos in one sitting.
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
Play guitar.
What’s one thing you had to learn the hard way?
Like most people at some point, we learn we are not as important as we think we are. There is always someone wealthier, better looking, funnier, smarter, etc., and comparison is the thief of joy.
Describe your perfect day.
First tee time of the day with fresh dew on the fairways and greens, a post-round nap, and some time on the water boating with friends and family, doing some tubing, floating, and skiing.
What’s a book that has stuck with you?
Patrick Lencioni’s Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
Finally, what do you want to be when you grow up?
I want to be content in all circumstances with who I am, what I have, and what I have been given.
