2026 Nebraska Business Hall of Fame Honorees

DJ
​EIHUSEN
Chief Industries
Grand Island

DJ graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

He has held various positions at several of Chief’s business units including Manufacturing Manager overseeing plant operations in Nebraska and Indiana, General Manager of Chief Fabrication, and Executive Vice President. DJ became a member of Chief’s Board of Directors in 1998 and began his current position as Chairman of the Board/President/Chief Executive Officer in 2010.

DJ has served on many boards, including the Kansas City Federal Economic Advisory Council, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the UNL College of Business Administration Dean’s Advisory Board, and the BluePrint Nebraska statewide economic development plan. He served on the board of the Heartland United Way and was the Campaign Chair along with his wife.

DJ currently sits on the Governor’s Agribusiness Roundtable, Five Points Bank Board, Grand Island Hospital Holding Board, the EPIC Discovery Center, the Board of Directors for the Omaha branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Foundation Board.
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DJ and his wife, Kathy, have three daughters: Morgan, Lauren, and Ellie. Their family has grown to include two sons-in-law and a grandson.

RODRIGO LÓPEZ
AmeriSphere Companies
Omaha

Rodrigo López was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, and has lived in Nebraska since 1971, initially as an exchange student in Superior. Except for his early years working at an architecture firm, his professional career has focused on commercial real estate finance and development.

In 1997, Rodrigo founded a mortgage company that became a Fannie Mae and FHA lender, specializing in multifamily rental housing finance. The company grew significantly, and by the time it was sold to Northmarq Capital in 2015, it had offices across the US and a $6 billion multifamily mortgage loan portfolio spanning 37 states. After the sale, Rodrigo served as Executive Chairman of Northmarq Capital until his retirement in 2017. During this period, he also served as the 2017 Chairman of the Mortgage Bankers Association in Washington, D.C.

Following his retirement from the mortgage industry, Rodrigo took on the role of Interim President and CEO of Children’s Nebraska Hospital from 2019 to 2020. Alongside his wife, Mary, he developed Capitol Place, a mixed-use mid-rise building in downtown Omaha completed in 2019. He is currently the lead facilitator for the Future Leaders Program sponsored by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Rodrigo remains active in various community roles, including serving on the Board of Directors of Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company and several nonprofit boards: Omaha Performing Arts, The Durham Museum, and Future Forward Board of Managers. He and his wife are part of the Executive Committee for a $3 billion capital campaign benefiting the University of Nebraska.

Rodrigo holds undergraduate and MBA degrees from the University of Nebraska. He is a Certified Mortgage Banker (CMB) and graduated from the Mortgage Bankers Association School of Mortgage Banking. He became a US citizen on December 19, 1985.

JOHN E. OLSSON
Olsson
Lincoln

Born in New York in 1926, John E. Olsson graduated from Richmond Hill High School in 1944 and the New York Maritime Academy in 1946 with a degree in marine engineering. After working briefly for Lykes Brothers Shipping Line, he enlisted in the Naval Reserve during a maritime strike and completed his service in 1947.

While visiting family in Nebraska, John met with the chancellor at UNL and was admitted to the College of Engineering. At UNL, he joined Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, served as an officer in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers student chapter, and worked for Fulton & Cramer. He earned his mechanical engineering degree in 1951 and continued with the firm for five years.

​John E. Olsson Professional Engineering was founded in 1956 in Lincoln. Guided by strong ethics, hard work, and community-minded values, John built the company on a foundation of integrity.

John’s dedication to community service mirrored the generosity he learned from his mother. He encouraged employees to give back through time, talent, and treasure, and personally served as president of the Community Chest (now United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County) and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.
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Professionally, John was deeply involved in industry organizations, including the American Water Works Association (past Nebraska president), the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Nebraska chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies (past president), the National Council of Engineering Examiners, and the Nebraska Examining Board for Engineers and Architects.

A champion of education, John served on UNL's College of Engineering and Technology Advisory Council, received the college's Outstanding Alumnus Award in 1996, and was honored with the Olsson Room in the UNL Engineering Library.

John Olsson passed away in Lincoln on January 28, 2015. He was 88.
Join us at our 2026 Hall of Fame Banquet on January 29th at the Lincoln Cornhusker Marriott to witness the induction of these honorees!
​Register for the banquet here.
The NE Chamber and the University of Nebraska College of Business established the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame in 1992 to recognize Nebraska business leaders whose contributions to Nebraska's economy and business environment is deserving of public acclaim.
Each year, nominations for the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame are solicited from the general business community, statewide associations, and from academia. The NE Chamber is proud to salute the accomplishment of the individuals that have been chosen by their peers to be included in this prestigious hall of fame.

View past honorees as they are inducted into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame here.

​The NE Chamber celebrates Nebraska's business leaders each year with newly honored inductees. The NE Chamber is also proud to honor those deserving young adults that will be the business leaders of the future. Each year, students who meet the established criteria will be awarded scholarship assistance.
For other videos, please visit the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame web page.