By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

Roy Olsen is a juggler.

He must be.

Recently named vice president of facilities and project management for Delaware North Cos. Inc., Olsen is pointman for its growing list of construction and development projects.

He has been with the Buffalo-based Delaware North for 11 years. Before that, he was with Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. as director of interior development.

Just has busy is his dance card?

In a typical year, Olsen and his nine-person team oversee 26 development projects. The long list of projects has exceeded more than $100 million in capital investments by the company.

Couple that with the fact that Delaware North works with a pool of 35 construction-management firms pre-qualified by Olsen and his staff, plus 25 architecture and design firms that they also pre-qualify, and one gets a pretty good snapshot of his professional life.

He's not complaining, mind you.

"How can you not have fun when you are working for a company that wants you to have fun and also wants all of its customers and clients to have fun?" he said.

In any given week, he may start out at Delaware North's corporate headquarters downtown and then head out to spend a couple days at one job site before moving on to another. Recently, Olsen spent two days working with Baltimore Orioles staff as Delaware North prepared to start its first season running the concessions at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Then he flew to Chicago to deal with the White Sox organization on plans to construct a bilevel, 13,000-square-foot retail center at U.S. Cellular Field.

In Baltimore, the Delaware North crew had just six weeks to get the stadium ready.

"We started in February and were finished one hour before the stadium opened for the first game; it was that close," he said.

Olsen is a self-described macro-manager who relies heavily on his staff.

"We all have to juggle various projects as they come along," he said. "But that's okay; that's what we do. Because of the venues where (Delaware North) operates, we are dealing with a lot of unique businesses that have unique needs."

In the past year or so, he and his crew oversaw development of the new $25 million casino at Hamburg Raceway & Casino; new restaurants at Los Angeles International Airport; ongoing renovations at the historic Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs; and the $4.5 million conversion of a Park & Swap operation in Glendale, Ariz., to the Glendale Park and Swap.

Just added to the workload is construction of a permanent home for NASA's space orbiter Atlantis, which will be parked at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex. Delaware North also is designing a 65,000-square-foot museum adjoining the Atlantis.

"Understand, these projects aren't about Delaware North, per se," Olsen said. "They are about and complement what may already be there, whether it is a national park or a baseball stadium."

He and his team must build out not only the up-front operations such as concession stands and restaurants in sports arenas and airports, they also are responsible for behind-the-scenes functions including delivery portals and kitchen and prep space.

"We have to understand traffic patterns," he said. "Placement is a huge factor."

But there is more to the job than just bricks-and-mortar, he added.

Watching the bottom line is critical. In most projects, Olsen has very little wiggle room when it comes to unanticipated expenses. And many times, the difference between Delaware North's bid and that of competitors is razor-thin.

Indeed, construction budgets can be that tight.

"We have to be the guys who really understand how much something costs to build and then stay within those projections," Olsen said. "Our track record is really good."