Building from nothing.
Building something that lasts.

Where I Come From

"The people who build lasting things do it through will, over time, with no guarantee of an easy path."

My story starts before I was born. 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, 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's 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 whose impact was permanent enough that the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Oregon 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 shapes how I think about building businesses.