Dennis Olsen

I grew up in a wonderful family: mom, dad, an older brother, and a younger sister. I met BJ at church and we've enjoyed 28 years of marriage. Our immediate family includes daughter Heather, her husband Joey, and their daughter Keightyn. Our extended family now numbers over 20, and we love to get together for birthdays and holidays.

My many interests and talents have made career choice difficult. I trained as a cabinetmaker and woodcarver and worked as a pipe organ builder for a while. I did the carvings on the right. I got my BSME in 1985 and have been designing automatic machinery ever since. I specialize in one-of-a-kind machines that assemble, inspect, machine, test, or anything-else-you-want-it-to-do. The lower left corner shows a "flexure" I designed that rotates a camera around a virtual center that's 20" away - with micro-radian precision. Thanks to the Toastmasters International program (symbolized by the gavel), I learned to step outside my comfort zone and put my personal growth on a fast track. As a result, I've invented a simple product, the process to make it, the machinery to implement the process, and brought it to market (www.TurnTabs.com). This is illustrated by the 3rd picture from the left. I haven't found a good photo of data analysis, but that's what I like to do now. The blank space is "whatever is next".

I highly prize knowledge and wisdom, so it's not surprising that I love to learn and to grow. It follows that the gifts I most love to give are teaching (especially how to do something) and wisdom (especially stories). My passion is to help people overcome the obstacles that hold them back.