R.D. Olson Construction

For more than 25 years, Bill Wilhelm has played a pivotal role in helping shape R.D. Olson Construction to become one of the nation’s leading general contractors, commemorating 40 years in business this year. Under Wilhelm’s leadership, R.D. Olson Construction has earned an award-winning reputation across the Western U.S. and Hawaii for projects spanning hospitality, multi-unit, adaptive reuse, education and senior living. The firm has been repeatedly recognized by Engineering News-Record as a Top 400 Construction Company Nationwide and Top 40 General Contractor in California.

Wilhelm has spearheaded some of R.D. Olson Construction’s most iconic projects and continues to cultivate the company’s nationwide reputation as a trusted, relationship-focused builder. Notable projects completed under his leadership include Lido House, Los Angeles’ NoMad Hotel, Irvine Spectrum Marriott, Paséa Hotel and Spa, Chapman University’s Reeves Hall and Atria Senior Living, among many others. Wilhelm’s hands-on leadership approach and forward-thinking industry expertise has made him a highly sought-after speaker for events such as The Lodging Conference and Bisnow. He also frequently contributes his insights to Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, GlobeSt, Construction Today, Hotel Business Magazine and other prominent business and commercial real estate publications.

In addition to leading R.D. Olson Construction, Wilhelm has dedicated his career to giving back to the local community by volunteering, fundraising and building homes alongside his employees for Habitat for Humanity, Olive Crest, HomeAid, Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and OC United. His team-oriented leadership and civic-minded approach has helped garner the company numerous awards and recognitions, including “The Olive Crest Leadership Award,” Orange County Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” and OneOC’s “Civic 50” – a coveted list of the top 50 philanthropic companies in Orange County. In 2019, Wilhelm was recognized by Boy Scouts of America, Orange County Council, as a Men of Character Honoree.

Wilhelm graduated from California State University, Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. He later went on to study at the University of Southern California, where he completed the university’s Management Development Program followed by Harvard University’s Executive Finance Program. He continues to strengthen the core of the company and attributes his leadership success to his ability to bring out the best in his associates, employees and project partners through a collaborative, team-oriented work environment.

Danny has headed up R.D. Olson’s technology division sine 1991, overseeing strategic technological planning to achieve business goals by prioritizing technology initiative and coordinating the evaluation, deployment, and management of current and future technologies. His team of IT Director and engineers ensures that the organization’s architecture, telecommunications, networks, programming, media and desktops operate in sync with each other and the entire R.D. Olson infrastructure.

To remain current in the rapidly changing world of technology, Danny continually conducts research on industry trends and advancements. He attends numerous conferences and seminars, and implements this knowledge throughout his staff.

Erika oversees all aspects of the company’s finances including accounting and reporting, forecasting, budgeting, banking, surety, risk management, and information systems. She is a prominent member of the company’s strategic business planning team, where she continuously promotes industry best practices to enhance efficiency and profitability.

Rising through the ranks of R.D. Olson, Erika has been an integral part of our team for over 28 years. She is a past National Chairman of the Construction Financial Management Association and past President of its Orange County chapter. She has conducted CCIFP (Certified Construction Industry Financial Professional) overview seminars on accounting and reporting for candidates interested in sitting for the exam.

John started his construction career at R.D. Olson. Mentored by our current executives, he was immersed into a wealth of industry experience and learned firsthand the R.D. Olson philosophies of high quality workmanship and the value of conceptual estimating and value engineering at every phase of the project.

For over 25 years, John has drawn on his management expertise in building systems and providing pre-construction services, budgeting, contracting, and construction execution for a diverse range of projects. Under his direction, his project teams thrive, seamlessly guided by his detail oriented organizational and management skills from the conceptual design phase through construction completion.

With over 30 years of safety experience, Karel specializes in Occupational Safety and Health as it relates to the construction industry and manages R.D. Olson’s safety and health (OSHA) practices. This includes work under the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as well as many state acts, including the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973.

With five generations of builders behind him, Matt continues the family legacy with 24 years of construction experience at R.D. Olson. Matt manages all phases of project construction from estimating and contracting, daily construction activities, project quality and project delivery.

Matt oversees the performance of his project teams, supporting the client and ensuring the on-time delivery of high quality construction projects. His industry experience with CPM project scheduling, cost control and project engineering has garnered him an outstanding reputation among industry professionals.

As Vice President of Construction and over 18 years of experience, Michael draws on his expertise to guide his clients and project teams with all aspects of construction services, from pre-construction budgeting and estimating, to setting up projects, cost control, scheduling and construction execution. Chavez has been around construction his entire career, even working for a general commercial contractor while going to college by night at Cal State Long Beach where he graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering Management.

In his 13 years with the firm, Chavez has managed a diverse range of new construction and renovation projects in the hospitality, retail and mixed-use facility spaces. Recent projects include Chapman’s West Residential Village Student Housing and VPO Packing House, the iconic 15-story Marriott Irvine Spectrum, the state-of-the-art Ladera Sports Center in Ladera Ranch, and currently overseeing construction of AC by Marriott Maui Wailea, and the newest Autograph Collection hotel in Marriott’s portfolio, the Lodge at San Clemente.

Michael consistently gives back to his community, most recently volunteering his time with the remodel of Olive Crest’s residential home in Tustin, CA, participating in the Orange County Food Bank’s CANstruction competition, and serving as President of a local non-profit youth sports organization. Chavez’s integrity in representing R.D. Olson Construction’s core beliefs and values have earned him an outstanding reputation among industry professionals.

In his years with the firm, Toal has effectively overseen some of the firm’s largest hospitality, restaurant, and commercial projects. From pre-construction to project completion, Toal is dedicated to managing project teams and nurturing client and subcontractor relationships.

His recent projects include the ground-up six-story Courtyard Theme Park Entrance just outside of Disneyland; multiple restaurant outlets within busy Los Angeles International Airport, and the ground-up construction of the four-story wood framed Courtyard by Marriott Maui in Hawaii. Toal’s nearly three decades of construction experience in hotel and gaming, assisted living, education, tenant improvement build-outs and renovations bolsters the firm’s 40-year legacy as a national general construction management firm. Steve is currently working on one of the company’s largest hospitality projects where dual hotels will be constructed in one location in Marina Del Rey, CA.