How the people and experiences that shaped Zak Olsen’s career continue to influence the way he leads Ronco Construction.

When Zak Olsen started working at Ronco Construction at the age of 16, he had one request for his dad: Don’t tell anyone I’m the boss’s son.

As the son of Ronco founder Ron Olsen, Zak had grown up around the business. From the age of four, he had spent Saturdays tagging along on jobsite visits, watching his dad talk with superintendents and check on projects. But when it came time to join the crew himself, he wanted to earn his place.

“I wanted to work twice as hard as everybody else,” Zak recalled. “I may not have the knowledge or the skill set yet, but I’m going to apply myself and work hard to earn respect.”

Learning From the Ground Up

Zak started where many construction careers begin: at the bottom. Pushing brooms, digging holes, moving materials and doing whatever the crew needed. Working alongside experienced superintendents and craftspeople, he learned concrete, carpentry, layout and the importance of doing things right.

Superintendent Steve Johnson was one of those people. He took time to teach Zak, challenge him and give him opportunities to take on more responsibility. Those early experiences gave Zak an appreciation for the skill behind the work and, more importantly, the people who make it happen.

When a collegiate sports injury limited his ability to continue working in the field, he took an opportunity to learn another side of construction. He began helping in the office, doing work similar to what a project engineer intern would do today. He reviewed drawings and updated plans, doing the work by hand because the digital tools we know today didn’t exist. Working alongside his dad, he learned estimating, quantity takeoffs and the pressure of competitive bid days.

But after earning his business degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University, Zak wanted to see what opportunities existed outside the family business. He headed to St. Louis, where he worked in contract negotiation for AT&T.

And while he enjoyed his career there, something — or rather, someone — was drawing him back to Omaha. Her name was Kat and she would eventually become his wife.

After talking with Ron about returning to Ronco, Zak agreed to come back in a business development role, helping generate new opportunities for the company. He had just one condition: he wanted to stick around St. Louis long enough to catch a few more Cardinals games before making the move.

Neither of them could have predicted what would happen next.

A Legacy He Didn’t Expect to Lead So Soon

In April 2007, Ron unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack. Zak was just 24 years old.

Suddenly, the company his parents had spent more than three decades building needed new leadership. There wasn’t a formal succession plan or a roadmap for what came next.

“By default, I got thrown into the seat I’m in,” Zak recalled. “We just kind of had to pick up the pieces and march forward, one foot at a time every single day.”

But Zak wasn’t starting from scratch. The people who had taught him, challenged him and worked beside him since he was a teenager were still there.

“Nobody left. Everybody stayed,” he said.

Together, they kept moving forward.

Those early years weren’t easy. There were difficult decisions, long days and plenty of lessons learned along the way. But the relationships and trust built over years of working together helped Ronco navigate an uncertain time.

Nearly eight years later, Zak experienced a moment that put it all into perspective.

He was standing on the roof of a Ronco project near 168th and Dodge in Omaha with Darrell, a superintendent who had been with the company since 1986. As they looked out over the surrounding area, Darrell turned to him and said three words.

“We did it.”

Darrell had been there through Ron’s leadership, his passing and the years that followed. Hearing those words from someone who had experienced it all gave Zak something he hadn’t realized he needed: reassurance that they were doing right by what his parents started.

Building Opportunities for the Next Generation

Today, nearly 20 years after stepping into leadership, Zak still draws on the lessons he learned from the people who gave him his start. But experience has also changed his perspective on what it means to lead.

Early in his career, he was focused on working harder, moving faster and taking on as much as possible. Over time, he’s learned that leadership isn’t about doing everything yourself. It’s about trusting people, giving them room to make decisions and allowing them to learn along the way.

“How is this person ever going to learn if I just take it off their plate and do it myself?” he reflected.

It’s the same opportunity others gave him when he was starting out. And it goes back to something he learned from his father: Take care of your people.

“He always took care of people,” Zak said. “If you treat people right, they’re going to show up and they’re going to bring it for you.”

That philosophy continues to shape how Zak leads Ronco today. It’s about building a team where people trust one another, take pride in their work and have opportunities to grow.

It’s also why he believes construction is an industry worth considering. There isn’t one way in or one path forward. Whether someone’s interests are in the skilled trades, project management, technology or business development, there’s room to build a career around their strengths.

“No two projects are ever alike,” Zak said.

The work changes. The challenges change. And the opportunity to learn something new is always there.

As Ronco celebrates 50 years in 2026, Zak sees the milestone as a reflection of the people who have helped build the company, from employees and their families to clients and trade partners.

For Zak, the anniversary is also deeply personal.

He still walks through the same doors his father walked through for decades. He works in the same office, at the same desk, with the same couch that was there when Ron led the company. Everyday reminders of where Ronco started and the responsibility of carrying it forward.

Zak knows his dad would be proud of what the team has accomplished. And while he’d give anything for another day with him, he also knows that honoring what his parents built means continuing to move forward, creating opportunities for others and building a company the next generation can be proud of. Because the greatest thing you can build in construction might just be the opportunity for someone else.