# Rick Olson

> Rick Olson is chairman and CEO of The Toro Company, where he began as a manufacturing process engineer in 1986. His career spans plant operations, Exmark, international business and the expansion into underground construction. He is scheduled to become executive chairman on November 1, 2026, when Edric Funk succeeds him as CEO.

- **Role:** Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer at The Toro Company
- **Organizations:** The Toro Company, Donaldson Company, Inc., University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management, Outdoor Power Equipment Institute
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology, Iowa State University, Master of Business Administration, University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management
- **Known for:** Advanced from manufacturing process engineer to CEO within The Toro Company., Led Toro during the acquisition of Charles Machine Works in 2019., Led Toro during additions including Ventrac, Left Hand Robotics, Turflynx and Intimidator Group.

## Career timeline

- **1986** — Joined Toro as a manufacturing process engineer in Windom, Minnesota.
- **2010** — Became general manager of Exmark; completed his Carlson MBA.
- **2012** — Appointed vice president of Exmark.
- **2013** — Became vice president of International Business.
- **2014** — Became group vice president of International Business, Micro-Irrigation and Distributor Development.
- **2015** — Became president and COO on September 1.
- **2016** — Joined the board in January; became CEO on November 1.
- **2017** — Became chairman in November.
- **2022** — Joined Donaldson’s board.
- **2026** — Scheduled to become executive chairman November 1; Edric Funk succeeds him as CEO.

## Achievements

- Advanced from manufacturing process engineer to CEO within The Toro Company.
- Led Toro during the acquisition of Charles Machine Works in 2019.
- Led Toro during additions including Ventrac, Left Hand Robotics, Turflynx and Intimidator Group.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Toro reported fiscal third-quarter net sales of $1.23 billion, up 8.4 percent year over year, with Olson still chairman and CEO.
- **2026-07** — Toro announced Edric Funk would succeed Olson as CEO effective November 1, 2026; Olson would become executive chairman.
- **2025-10** — Discussed innovation, artificial intelligence, autonomous mowing and company culture with Chris Farrell at Carlson’s 1st Tuesday.

## Links

- Website: https://www.thetorocompany.com/management/richard-olson
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-m-olson

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/rick-olson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24