The Partners
Eric Lohmueller
Eric founded OSLO Builders with partners and longtime colleagues Keith Olsen and Ken Spatz. He is a versatile builder, known for his ability to see the big picture while staying focused on critical details.
Eric was fortunate to begin his career at Bulley & Andrews, whose culture of integrity and responsibility made a lasting impression. Five years later, Eric joined Norcon, Inc., where he was entrusted with complex and technically-challenging projects for clients such as the Museum of Science & Industry, the Poetry Foundation and Northwestern University Law School. During his 11 years with the company, Eric developed strong relationships with subcontractors and delivered high levels of service for his clients while working alongside his future partners, Keith and Ken.
While always striving to be on the forefront of new methods, technologies and building materials, Eric also became a LEED-certified professional in 2005, well ahead of widespread adoption in the industry. However, he has not lost sight of approaches that may be considered "old-school" - things like direct communication, a hands-on work style and a commitment to taking full responsibility for projects.
A native of Cincinnati, Eric is a lifelong learner who spent much of his childhood building things with his grandfather. Soon after graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in civil engineering, he and a college friend bought a fixer-upper in Chicago’s Wicker Park and spent their nights and weekends on a gut renovation. Two house projects later, Eric and his wife, Kate, spend their free time with their two daughters and tag-team home renovation projects. Eric hopes to one day meet his idol, Norm Abram.
Keith Olsen
Keith founded OSLO Builders with partners and longtime colleagues Ken Spatz and Eric Lohmueller. Growing up in Chicago, he became an architectural enthusiast at a young age.
While spending his free time as a child and teenager pushing a broom at his father's job sites, Keith gained an appreciation for the work that goes into building something special. He paid attention to the detailing that takes place in an office until the late hours of the evening and the meticulous cleaning of exposed architectural concrete the weekend before an exhibition opens. Keith prides himself on making sure that the effort an architect puts into the details is functional for the client, appealing to the designer and feasible for the craftsman.
Keith met future partners Ken and Eric at Norcon, Inc., where he worked while studying architectural engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. After graduating, Keith went on to spend 10 years with Norcon, rising to the role of Senior Project Manager. He was responsible for working on many of the firm's custom residential projects, where his focus was on delivering a high level of service to the client. He successfully collaborated with architects such as Wheeler Kearns, Krueck + Sexton, Vinci Hamp Associates, Suzanne Lovell and Studio Gang.
Keith spends much of his available free time with his wife, Lindsey, and their newborn son, watching movies and exploring the city that both he and Lindsey love. Lindsey and Keith's only disagreement to-date is whether the Bulls of the 1990's or the Spurs of the 2010's were the better NBA dynasty. Keith is right, of course, that the obvious answer would be Michael Jordan's Bulls.