When Brian Olsen graduated from the University of Washington in 1982 with a degree in business focused on Marketing and Finance, aerospace wasn’t necessarily part of the plan. Like many graduates, he had several career options in front of him, including opportunities with large corporate companies. But one conversation changed the course of his career.
A small aircraft maintenance company called Tramco, then only about 100 employees strong, invited Brian to help build its marketing department from the ground up. The aerospace industry was unfamiliar territory, but the opportunity to help grow something dynamic and entrepreneurial felt exciting.
That decision would shape the next four decades of his life.
Over time, the company expanded from 100 employees to more than 2,500 under the ownership of B.F. Goodrich Corporation, where Brian eventually became the youngest General Manager in the organization. During that period, the company built more than a million square feet of aircraft hangars and serviced hundreds of aircraft annually for major airlines including UPS, FedEx, and Southwest Airlines.
But despite the scale of the work and the global opportunities that followed, Brian says the most important lessons of leadership remained surprisingly simple.
“Become an expert in what you do, build strong relationships, and be persistent. Show up, work hard, and good things will happen.”
Throughout his career, Brian led businesses across aerospace manufacturing, aircraft maintenance, engineering, and operations management with different companies. His work took him around the world. From Israel and Russia to Japan, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and Great Britain, participating in government and military briefings to meeting with then Senator Hillary Clinton to support job creation and aerospace growth. Along the way, he met world leaders, worked with international aerospace organizations, and helped grow companies through periods of major transition.
Yet one of the strongest influences on his leadership style came early in his career from Tramco founder Ron Crockett. Brian recalls how Crockett regularly walked the hangars, spent time with employees, and stayed connected to the people doing the work every day.
Gary Milgard of Milgard Manufacturing was another strong influence, where Brian gained deep exposure to structured performance management, including KPIs, quarterly reviews, and internal training systems. That experience helped shape his disciplined approach to accountability and operational performance.
These lessons stayed with him.
Today at Pacific Aero Tech, employees often see Brian walking the production floor, checking in with teams, and asking questions directly. For him, leadership means being present.
“The value is created out there with the people doing the work. You never lose sight of that.”
While his career brought tremendous success, Brian also spoke candidly about the challenges that came with leadership, especially balancing career growth with family life. Extensive travel and demanding responsibilities often meant time away from home, forcing difficult decisions between professional advancement and personal priorities.
At one point, Brian turned down a larger corporate growth opportunity because it would have required relocation. Instead, he chose stability for his family, even though it meant stepping away from a path many would consider the “next step.”
Looking back, he believes it was the right decision.
His advice to employees entering or growing within their careers is rooted in both ambition and perspective: take initiative, embrace new opportunities, and remain adaptable when life doesn’t go exactly as planned.
“Things happen outside your control at times. You can dwell on it, or you can get back up, reconnect with your network, and go find the next thing.”
Now serving as CEO of Pacific Aero Tech since 2022, Brian says what continues to motivate him is simple: he genuinely enjoys the work, the industry, and being part of a growing team.
After more than 40 years in aerospace, his enthusiasm for the business remains as strong as ever.
“I still can’t wait to get into the office in the morning.”