Andrew Olson joined TechGrowth Ohio in June, 2009. Mr. Olson came to Athens from an automotive supplier in Michigan where he managed business development activities including due diligence for M&A and Joint Venture transactions. Mr. Olson was also in charge of developing the licensing portfolio and grew it from $34M to $44M over a 4 year period. Prior to joining the automotive industry, Mr. Olson served as CEO for a development-stage startup technology company in Ann Arbor called AxleShox. Mr. Olson has held other positions at both large and small companies. Mr. Olson comes from a family of entrepreneurs where his father took a company from the basement of his childhood house to a public company, where his uncle owns and operates one of the largest bridge contractors Minnesota, and where his grandfather owned one of the largest sand and gravel companies in the state. He understands how entrepreneurs think and the challenges they face. Mr. Olson holds a Bachelor of Arts with high distinction in Marketing and Japanese from the University of Minnesota, and an MBA with emphases in Finance and Corporate Strategy from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.