Rod Olson was born and raised in a small town in the rolling green hills of Western Pennsylvania. He completed an undergraduate degree from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and an MBA in finance from the University of Pittsburgh, Katz Graduate School of Business. Upon graduation, he moved to New York City and entered the retail industry, where he rose to serve in senior management positions for several nationally known retailers.In 2001, together with his friend Kim, Rod founded Olson-Ng Retail Consulting Group. Their work grew into an international consultancy providing upscale department and specialty stores with financial, operational, inventory management, system review and implementation, and process reengineering support and guidance.Rod is currently working on his third book while continuing to travel for his business. His first book, The Little Children and Other Observations, went on to best-seller acclaim for his publisher in 2023 and was cited as one of only four books on the fall 2024 recommended reading list of the University of Pittsburgh's Pitt Magazine. He is also working with his cousin Diana, penning the early lives of their grandparents, from their birthplaces in the Province of Parma, Italy, throughout their journey to the United States during the first decade of the 1900s, and to their residency in what would become the childhood hometown of Diana and Rod, their eight aunts and uncles, and their many, many Italian cousins.
