By MARCY PURSELL
J Alumni News staff
Monte Olson
Monte Olson, a 1991 J school graduate, has had almost 20 years of experience on the agency and client sides, worked with Fortune 500 brands and has made his way in the world.
But now he’s trying something different.
Olson was hired in early 2010 as president of Thought District, a brand and sales strategy company located in downtown Lincoln. His days are filled with making sure his employees have what they need to do their jobs, and he also spends time in strategic planning sessions and prospective client meetings.
“I’m paid for my recommendations and ability to help our clients communicate with their highest opportunity audiences,” he said.
Eric Dinger, CEO and chairman of Thought District, wanted a leader, someone who could assemble a great team. He and Olson knew each other socially before they began working together. They had lunch a few times and talked about what a business should do. They agreed that for marketing firms to remain viable, they need to attach themselves to their clients’ sales process, which is exactly what Thought District does.
Dinger hired Olson for his wide-ranging view.
“He has the ability to think globally, which is rare,” Dinger said.
Olson lived and worked in Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco before returning to Lincoln to settle down. He has worked for Bozell Worldwide as an account supervisor, managing ShopKo stores, the Chicago Board of Trade and Midway Airlines. He also worked for Young & Rubicam, Euro RSCG, Campbell-Ewald and Bank of America, serving in various senior management roles before returning to Lincoln to work for TierOne Bank as senior vice president, marketing director, and then later at Bailey Lauerman.
He said he returned to Nebraska because he wanted to live where he learned so much growing up. He’s engaged and will be married in September to Jackie Ostrowicki, an adjunct professor at the J school.
“The quality of life here is great,” Olson said.
The basic understanding of advertising and marketing that Olson learned in college helped him get his first job, he said.
“It certainly gave me a good foundation to complement what I learned on the job.”
He thinks it was helpful to have the College of Journalism and Mass Communications on his resume because it’s a respected school in the region. He also said the college is fortunate to have professionals work as adjunct faculty because it adds credibility to the program. While Olson said he’s had to turn down previous offers to teach because of the time commitment, he’s not opposed to the idea of teaching in the future.
Olson serves on the Journalism Alumni Board, a group of alumni who help raise funds, provide guidance to faculty and support student activities.
“They’re really a class group of people,” he said.
Olson said Nancy Mitchell, advertising faculty member, has been a very good resource for him. They’ve stayed in touch over the years.
“He’s gained some great experiences on his career path that helped him be a great fit for his current job,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said she could have predicted such success from his performance in class. He was a leader in the classroom, she said.
Leadership is exactly what Dinger saw in Olson — someone who could help build a company. Olson said he has been busy since he joined Thought District as president, and he hopes to keep the firm thriving.
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