Founder-Operator · Strategist · Fractional CEO / CFO
Not the kind who builds frameworks and hands them off. The kind who gets in the room when the stakes are high, the answers aren't clear, and the decision has to be made today.
I'm a strategist and problem solver at my core. Complex situations with high stakes and no clear playbook — that's where I do my best work. The pressure that slows most people down tends to sharpen my thinking.
I've built businesses from zero, turned around broken ones, and led through the decisions that define companies. I've built a business from zero to $30M ARR. Turned around companies bleeding cash and made them profitable. Advised founders at the moments that define whether a company survives or scales.
I'm decisive when informed. Relentless under pressure.
If you need someone who thinks clearly when everything is moving fast — that's what I do.
What I Do
All through KSIG Advisors — my fractional CEO/CFO and strategic advisory practice.
Operator-grade executive leadership without the full-time overhead. Financial systems, capital access, team development, and strategic direction. I run alongside you, not above you.
For founders whose exit is 6–24 months out. I build the financial infrastructure, operational clarity, and strategic positioning that makes buyers pay premiums and diligence go clean.
When it's time to transact, I connect founders to an aligned network of M&A advisors, operational partners, and pre-exit liquidity solutions. A complete team without full-time overhead.
Career
Fractional CEO/CFO and strategic advisory practice serving PE-backed, founder-led, and high-growth companies at the moments that define them — capital raises, financial turnarounds, operational scaling, and ownership transitions. Engagements are selective and high-touch.
Multi-state turnkey engineering and construction provider of backbone, middle mile, and FTTH fiber/broadband infrastructure — including BEAD and AI infrastructure programs across nine states.
Premium custom home builder serving high-end residential markets. Founded and led simultaneously as CEO and CFO — managing complex construction job costing, project-level P&L, WIP accounting, and cash flow across multiple concurrent builds. Board of Directors, Central Washington Home Builders Association.
Washington State's #2 professional flooring and design company. Built from zero to become an industry-leading AEC firm serving the Greater Seattle market's largest and most prestigious builders.
Founded flooring and design company; expanded to a national chain of independently owned stores organized as a buying group. Secured competitive national contracts with the largest flooring manufacturers in the US. Built a private label program and national sales agent network spanning multiple states.
Started at Nike's NikeTown Portland flagship on own merit at 22. Earned promotion to Nike World Headquarters where I built and led Nike Retail Special Orders (NRSO) — centralizing special order operations for all US Nike Retail, Outlet, and Employee Stores. Part of the RFP process for the platform that became the precursor to Nike.com's first e-commerce capabilities. Designated Corporate IT "Super User" — expert conduit between developers, business staff, and consumers across new system implementations.
Where I Come From
I'm first-generation American. My father, Siegmar Karl Ohlemann, escaped East Germany at 14 — separated from his parents and brother, crossing into the West with nothing. He made his way to Canada, where he became the fastest 800 meter runner in North America, won Silver at the Pan American Games, and carried Canada's closing ceremony flag at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
He trained under Bill Bowerman at the University of Oregon alongside a young Phil Knight, and remained a lifelong friend of both men. He is named in Bowerman and the Men of Oregon — the book that documents the founding of Nike.
My grandfather on my mother's side, Nils Bernard Hult, was a businessman and philanthropist in Eugene, Oregon whose impact was permanent enough that the Hult Center for the Performing Arts carries his name today.
I grew up inside two legacies: a man who built everything from nothing across three countries, and a man who built something that outlasted him. That combination shaped how I think about building businesses.
Two generations. One name, mirrored.
The best work is built on something that lasts.
Credentials & Recognition
Community & Ventures
Social Purpose Corporation founded with my wife Stacey. When the City of Cle Elum faced a $25M+ arbitration judgment threatening municipal bankruptcy, I applied CFO-level financial analysis — advocating for receivership and organizing a PAC to restructure the city toward professional management. Full-time residents of Roslyn, WA.
Exploring a partnership with Metropolis — a leading AI-powered vehicle tracking platform — to license their technology to small cities for municipal toll collection at city entry and exit points. A revenue model that replaces fragmented parking enforcement with a simpler, technology-enabled alternative.
Personal holding company for intellectual property, brand concepts, and early-stage business ventures across multiple sectors. Houses domain portfolio and early-stage venture development.
Personal
My wife Stacey and I have been married for over 27 years. We have three daughters and a miniature goldendoodle named Rover. We renovated a circa 1888 home in Roslyn, Washington — one of the most unique small towns in the Pacific Northwest, about an hour from Seattle. We are proud to be full-time residents.
I'm available for fractional CEO and CFO engagements, advisory roles, and strategic conversations with founders and PE-backed operators who need more than a finance function — they need a partner who's built what they're trying to build.
(425) 575-8833 · karlohlemann.com · Greater Seattle Area