Get to know: Tasha Olson
Director of quality assurance, research & development, food safety and compliance, Galloway Company
Tasha Olson, a food safety and product development pro with nearly two decades of experience, talks about regulatory requirements with the same energy most people do about their weekend plans.
“I just get really excited about science and regulatory [compliance],” she says, almost a bit apologetically. “I don’t know why. It’s crazy.”
This passion for reporting ethical standards and practices, albeit a little unusual, will come in handy in Olson’s new role at Galloway Company, the nation’s largest manufacturer of cream liqueurs, sweetened condensed milk and custom liquid concentrated dairy blends.
Olson joined the Neenah-based company in June, relocating from western Wisconsin near the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Her new role combines what was previously four departments in the company, and Olson says it plays well into her eclectic background in food science, research and development, technology and regulatory compliance.
“I’ve had a really diverse life in the area of food,” she says. “It seems like such a hodgepodge, but this role is perfect for this odd collection of talents I have.”
Olson holds an MBA from George Fox University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where she majored in pre-law with a minor in biology and multiple food industry certifications. She is currently pursuing a MERN Stack coding certificate at MIT.
Before joining Galloway Company, Olson worked at leading dairy and food science companies including Burnett Dairy Cooperative and Fiberstar, where she developed products for internationally recognized household brands.
One of the areas Olson is most excited about at Galloway Company is research and development, particularly in the growing cream liqueur market.
“We are expanding in many areas, but beverage is such an exciting and fast-moving field. It is extremely collaborative with multiple companies — you build relationships with flavor companies and beverage manufacturers looking for the next thing in the market,” she says. “They want to ride a trend, so it’s fast-paced and the innovation is really exciting. I love collaborating with customers because it builds up their success.”
— Amelia Compton Wolff
Historic hotel accolades
Hotel Seymour is being featured on a web series from America’s Best Restaurants, a national media firm focused on highlighting independent eateries from across the country. ABR’s Kentucky-based team researches and selects restaurants featured from nominations they receive. The 20-minute Hotel Seymour episode, which is part of the ABR Road Show, was filmed in October and is expected to be released this month. The episode will include interviews with staff and owners, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the kitchen and will feature some of the historic supper club’s popular dishes. When available, the episode can be streamed on the ABR Facebook page, website and YouTube channel.
High rolling on the high seas
Cruisers Yachts recently announced the launch of its new Flybridge series, a continuation of its popular Cruisers Cantius series. The Oconto-based manufacturer of luxury yachts plans to release three yachts in the new series, starting with the 55 Fly in spring 2024. The next model release will follow in 2025. The 55-foot yacht will have a futuristic exterior “reminiscent of a spaceship gliding on the water.” “We set out to create a ‘Super Fly’ — a yacht that exceeds all expectations of Cruisers flybridges of the past,” said Josh Delforge, VP of operations and engineering. “Our design team focused on delivering the best-in-class water interaction, a superior flybridge entertaining space, and a fresh interior design direction, all wrapped in a futuristic evolution of the Cantius DNA.”
Online academic excellence
Intelligent.com ranked several of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s online programs among the best in the state or country. The annual assessment, released in September, ranked the university’s online human services degree program as No. 3 in the U.S. UW Oshkosh was also ranked No. 9 for its online aeronautics and aviation degree programs, No. 13 for its online master’s in human services degree programs and No. 30 for its online emergency management degree programs. The university was also ranked among the top 10 online colleges in Wisconsin. Each school was evaluated on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, reputation and the resources provided for online students.
