In 2025, Olea Kiosks proudly celebrates 50 years of innovation, craftsmanship, and evolution. What started as a family-owned trade show exhibit business has transformed into a leading designer and manufacturer of self-service kiosks used around the globe. This milestone isn’t just a look back at how far we’ve come—it’s a tribute to the spirit of adaptation and problem-solving that’s guided self-service kiosk evolution.
A Foundation in Craftsmanship
Olea’s story begins with custom woodwork for trade shows. From the start, Olea was about more than just building structures—it was about bringing brands to life through immersive, three-dimensional experiences. Over time, the company expanded into point-of-purchase displays and fixtures, always with a commitment to precision, creativity, and understanding customer needs.
Our early roots in creating customer-focused environments would later become a defining strength as we ventured into new markets.
The First Leap: Entering the Kiosk World
In the mid-to-late 1990s, kiosks emerged as a new opportunity. Early kiosks often served as portals to the internet in public places at a time when home computers were rare. Leveraging our woodworking equipment, building wooden enclosures for kiosks was a natural extension.
At first, there were no standard models—only custom-built units crafted to match each unique client request. Word spread organically, and more projects came our way. We were learning by doing, fueled by our hands-on approach and willingness to figure things out in real-time.
A Defining Pivot: From Wood to Sheet Metal
The real transformation came when a customer asked us to build a sheet metal kiosk. At the time, we didn’t know what we didn’t know—and our first attempt was clumsy, welding together flat panels like a wood cabinet. The results looked good from afar but were far from good.
This failure was a turning point. It drove us to seek out true sheet metal expertise, hire skilled engineers, and immerse ourselves in a whole new discipline. We learned the nuances of folding, welding, and fabricating metal enclosures—skills that would set Olea apart in self-service kiosk evolution.
In many ways, transitioning to sheet metal was even more profound than moving from trade show exhibits to kiosks. It required reinvesting in equipment, changing our workforce, and letting go of our old ways to embrace a new future.
Building Standards, Creating Identity
As we refined our sheet metal capabilities, we also transitioned from purely custom work to building standardized kiosk models. Our first widely successful design, the La Jolla, helped shift us toward repeatability and scale.
One evening, sitting around brainstorming names, we decided to give kiosks city names—Irvine, Seattle, Boston—each one evoking a sense of place and personality. It was a small decision at the time, but it gave our products character and made them easier for customers to remember and connect with.
As we grew, each new kiosk design built upon the lessons of the last, evolving from straight-edged economical models to sleeker, more sophisticated designs like the Metropolis and the Austin.(Metropolis is a fictional city from the DC Comics universe, primarily known as the home of Superman).
Committing Fully to Kiosks
In a pivotal meeting, Frank Olea, alongside his father, grandfather, and uncle, made the decision to fully transition out of the trade show exhibit business and focus solely on kiosks.
While it was difficult to close a chapter that had been part of Olea’s DNA, it became clear that the future lay in self-service technology. Frank’s leadership, coupled with a spirit of calculated risk-taking, helped steer Olea into becoming a true kiosk specialist, respected across multiple industries.
Expanding Into New Markets: Serving Industries Across the Globe
As technology evolved, so did Olea. Our experience designing and manufacturing kiosks positioned us to serve a wide range of industries—each with its own unique needs and opportunities.
We’ve partnered with healthcare systems to streamline patient check-ins, with airports and government agencies to enhance secure document processing, and with quick-service restaurants to improve ordering and loyalty experiences. Our kiosks have helped brands deliver seamless customer interactions, including stadiums and entertainment venues, where we’ve supported faster ticketing, credentialing, and guest entry.
Every project taught us something new—how to balance security with ease-of-use, how to ensure accessibility for all users, and how to engineer products that withstand real-world environments. No matter the industry, we approach each challenge the same way: by putting ourselves in the shoes of the customer and designing a solution that makes their experience better.
Today, Olea kiosks can be found around the world, serving millions of users every day—each one a reflection of our commitment to thoughtful innovation and enduring quality.
The Olea Difference
Looking back, what sets Olea apart isn’t just technology or fabrication expertise—it’s a relentless commitment to solving customer problems thoughtfully and creatively.
Frank Olea’s own journey—from hands-on builder to CEO—reflects a culture where understanding every part of the process matters. We’ve learned the hard way, innovated the smart way, and never stopped pushing ourselves to be better. That’s the real story of self-service kiosk evolution. Whether designing a kiosk that guides users through complex biometric tasks or ensuring a machine can withstand the elements in an outdoor environment, we approach every project with the same mindset: practical, customer-focused innovation.
Looking Ahead: A Story Still Being Written
Fifty years later, Olea remains grounded in the same spirit that launched us: craftsmanship, innovation, and the courage to evolve.
Our journey from sawdust and plywood to stainless steel and biometrics isn’t just about adapting to change—it’s about leading it. And as we look to the next 50 years, we remain committed to creating new stories, new successes, and new solutions for a changing world. Here’s to our past, our people, and the exciting road ahead.
