Robin Follman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P2Abu-ScMo
Robin Follman-Otta (born December 9, 1969) is an American business executive at multiple private companies, an international operatic soprano and a philanthropist. She was president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Markall, Inc., an MBE certified women and minority-owned sales and marketing distribution company for its manufacturing arm R.A. Industries, LLC.. The latter company is an engineering and manufacturing completion center specializing in complex precision components and assemblies for the:
She was also president and CEO of R.A. Industries up until the death of her father, Robert Follman.
Her father Robert Follman, a longtime engineer was R.A. Industries’ founder and chairman of the board until his death on October 21, 2019.
Both served as owners and executives of the adventure fishing resort, Katmai Lodge Alaska where Follman-Otta was the chief operating officer.
Heritage.
Born and raised in Orange County, California, Follman-Otta is a fifth-generation Orange County resident of heritage originating from both Europe and Mexico. She is the daughter of Carole Ann Follman (née Hyland) and Robert Follman. Her heritage is 37.5 percent of Hispanic origin, and 62.5 percent of both Irish and Austrian heritages.
The Follman patriarchal surname is of Austrian descent. However, Follman-Otta's matriarchal great-grandmother Teodora Paez de Hyland is of 100 percent Hispanic origin from El Rosario, Baja California, Mexico. She married Thomas Patrick Hyland who is 100 percent of Irish origin. During the Spanish rule of Baja California in the 19th century, Teodora's father, Ramon Paez was exclusively brought as a mining engineer from Spain to the town of El Rosario, most likely under the real estate development efforts by Luis Huller and George H. Sisson, and the search for mineral and Boleo Copper deposits.
In her patriarchal lineage, Follman-Otta's grandmother was Dorothea Derrfuss, mother to Robert Follman. In southeastern Germany bordering Austria, Derrfuss was raised by Bavarian nuns who taught her how to sing, which became her calling later in life. After immigrating to the U.S., Derrfuss married a German baron with whom she had twin daughters. When her husband deserted the family, and she could no longer care for her daughters, Derrfuss turned to an orphanage for the care of the twins, and sung opera across the U.S. Her success eventually led to her performing contralto on Chicago's NBC-WCFL evening radio shows in the early 1930s. Derrfuss’ inherent vocal gift carried on to generation after generation as the twin girls embraced singing, and Follman-Otta made professional opera her early career. "Ever since, all the women in the family could sing," Follman said.
Early life.
Follman-Otta's desire to sing and perform started when she was 5 years old, impressing her family by singing “silent night.” By the age of 10, her parents started singing lessons; the encouragement gave the young budding opera singer the dream to make it her career.
By 16 years old, her voice matured. Through this change, it led to professional performances in local Orange County musical theaters. After a couple of years of studying business at nearby Saddleback College, Follman-Otta, 20, went on to live and work in Tokyo, Japan for a year singing in a musical called "Fairy Land" at the Sanrio Puroland. It was one of the first animatronic shows, with live performers and singing mechanical creatures.
When her Tokyo contract was up, Follman-Otta departed Japan to enroll at Indiana University, Bloomington. While still a student studying psychology in college, and remaining active in the school's opera program, Follman-Otta auditioned for the Indianapolis Opera, and was cast in "The Merry Widow", as well as several other shows during her years at school.
It was at this time, she claimed, "that was really the beginning of my opera career."
When Follman-Otta was in between productions, she put the same powerful voice to work by answering phones at her family's business which would eventually serve the infancy of her career in manufacturing. While at R.A. Industries, she worked part-time at the family company offices learning all the major functions of the business.
Both, Carole her mother, and father Robert encouraged Follman-Otta to pursue her operatic career, and once again in her life, asking her to accept the CEO role in the family businesses. She credits her family and the arts for most of her success. “I learned from my mother that nothing should hold you back from your dreams,” she said.
Education.
Follman-Otta earned an Executive Master of Business Administration (E.M.B.A) from Chapman University, and serves on its Board of Counselors at The George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics. Prior to her business education, she received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in psychology from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. Her academic career started locally at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California when she earned an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree. In the same city, she attended El Toro High School.
Career.
International Operatic Soprano.
Among her contemporaries, Follman-Otta is known in the teaching and mentoring circles as the "singing CEO" in visual and performing arts.
For almost three decades as an internationally acclaimed soprano, Follman-Otta performed around the world on stages, singing alongside masters such as Andrea Bocelli, and has performed for country prime ministers, monarchy and presidents.
Opera Houses.
Follman has appeared in many of the world's best opera houses and concert halls in operas, oratorios, concerts, and recitals. Her opera credits include performances at the Grand Opera House (Seattle), Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Washington National Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Pacific, Florentine Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera Malaysia, Hawaii Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa and Opera Carolina among others.
Orchestra Collaboration.
Her concert work includes performances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony, Northwest Sinfornia Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, the Italian International Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra among others. In Asia, she spent six years performing in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Opera Roles.
By 38 years old, Follman-Otta had more than 50 different principal roles in opera houses around the world. Singing in Italian, German and French, she has performed in famous operas including but not limited to, Giacommo Puccini's "Madama Butterfly, Tosca," and "La Boheme."
Discography.
Prior to recording "Dramatic Heroines", Follman-Otta met Italian American Conductor and Composer Steven Mercurio, on Andrea Bocelli's "Royal Christmas Show" tour. She credits Mercurio for helping to develop her repertoire by singing Puccini's "Turandot." She said, "It was like putting on the right size shoes. My voice is finally comfortable." In 2013, she collaborated with him and the Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra.
Follman-Otta comments on "Dramatic Heroines", "This recording is a continuation of a project of shared musical passion by our musical team; we are committed to reviving literature that has been hidden in the vaults of publishers---rarely presented and performed theatrical pieces; and of course, and sharing the popular dramatic literature that continues to inspire audiences of today. We hope you enjoy this exciting and varied musical journey."
Educator of the Arts.
Orange County School of the Arts.
From 2000 to 2009, Follman-Otta led the Orange County School of the Arts as artistic director, and directed the voice conservatory program. She actively worked to mentor aspiring young artists, create strategic partnerships with leading arts and educational institutions, and develop long-term educational programs and funding to support the visual and performing arts.
Follman-Otta offers vocal instruction and mentoring through the Follman Young Foundation of the Arts organization which she co-founded with Robert E. Young. The non-profit organization awards scholarships in vocal competitions sponsored by the Professional Opera Singers Association (POSA).
Chief Executive Officer.
R.A. Industries.
Follman-Otta is president and chief executive officer of both R.A. Industries and Markall.
The family business heritage started with Adam Matthew Follman, a former Michigan farmer and Follman-Otta's grandfather who founded a company in the 1960s providing parts and materials to the oil and gas industry in Southern California. Her father, Robert Follman, at the age of 17 years old started working in his father's company, learning about technology on the production floor with his father, jury-rigging needed machines and testing various products.
The Follman's company was eventually sold to an oil drilling firm in the late 1970s, and Follman pursued his father's business path in engineering and manufacturing.
Subsequently, in the 1980s, Follman started working with Richard Auger—the “R.A.” of R.A. Industries, and they became partners until Follman bought out Auger and became chief executive of R.A. Industries.
R.A. Industries got a significant uplift when oil producer Baker Hughes in Houston, Texas, asked the company to manufacture parts for its oil rigs.
Markall.
In order to meet the demands of the increased growing sales of R.A. Industries, Markall was created in 1985. Since its inception, the company is the sales and marketing distribution hub for its long-established manufacturing arm, R.A. Industries which has operated in Santa Ana, Calif. for three generations, spanning more than 60 years. Follman-Otta and her mother own 51 percent of Markall. It is a SCMSDC certified women and minority-owned business.
While Robert Follman continued serving the oil and gas industry under Markall, he grew R.A. Industries' business in other markets, including aerospace, and defense serving customers such as Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), The Boeing Company, Saint Gobain and others. Since aerospace parts are manufactured to withstand higher heat and pressure than parts for the oil and gas industry, Follman responded to the demand by manufacturing parts using exotic materials for parts that were applied to the NASA Space Shuttle and the Defense Department's AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
As the companies built relationships with new customers and orders, the physical location grew as well, from a 5,000 square-foot building in Orange, Calif. on Batavia Street to owning a 70,000 square-foot campus in Santa Ana, Calif. The company also has a presence in Houston, TX, New Orleans, LA and Anchorage, AK.
The company is widely-known in the industry as an expert fabrication and repair center in North America with highly refined experience in machining precision parts using exotic raw materials, including cobalt, nickel, Inconel, beryllium copper, titanium and thermoplastics. It specializes in completing complicated assemblies and subassemblies.
Under Follman-Otta's leadership, she has positioned Markall to further develop existing markets and pursue new global ones in industries including energy and space technology. The company expanded its domestic footprint and established a global presence in Norway, Brazil, Germany and Singapore. By diversifying into these markets and adding major clients in the aerospace and defense industry, the strategy has resulted in a 300 percent growth rate over a 3-year period.
Despite the economic downturns in manufacturing and, the global oil and gas industry in 2015, the company remains strong because Markall made decisions to diversify their client-base by expanding into serving global markets. The Follman family attributes this staying power to the solid foundation of core values set by three generations of Follman's. It reflects the company's metrics standards of 100 percent on-time delivery, 99.85 percent quality ratings, and value-added pricing.
Follman-Otta explains, “Markall is to be that resource for our clients to create the most unique turnkey assemblies out of exotic materials. We are the resource clients can go for their most challenging products they need produced. For three-generations, our management team has placed singular focus on our customer relationships. We seek to be relied upon as you would your own employees, partnering to assume the burden of your most demanding of your most manufacturing needs.”
The company employs more than 30 people, and was recognized in the 2017 Orange County Business Journal's list of Women and Minority-Owned Businesses.
The Follman family are deep-rooted in the manufacturing landscape of Orange County, Calif. Their dedication to success by many in the family, including Follman-Otta's older brother, Jack Follman, the vice president of engineering, to whom Follman-Otta credits is the “genius behind the manufacturing,” inventing cutting-edge uses for industry-standard machinery. Follman-Otta's younger brother Adam Follman is a private investor, and works on special projects for Markall.
Katmai Lodge Alaska.
In addition to managing privately owned manufacturing companies, Follman-Otta leads as chief operating officer (COO) at the Katmai Lodge adventure destination in Alaska. Katmai Lodge is located along the scenic Alagnak River, near the legendary Brooks Falls in the Katmai National Park. Robert Follman bought the Katmai Fishing Lodge in 2014. Under the Follman family ownership in 2018, on the travel-based reviewer site, TripAdvisor, Katmai Lodge overall rated 5 out of 5, and reviewers ranked it No. 1 out of all 16 specialty lodges near King Salmon, and the neighboring Katmai National Park and Preserve.
The Katmai Lodge delivers a special hospitality and adventure experience at one of Alaska's pristine fishing locations during the season from late June to early September. Katmai's remote riverside location provides guests an exclusive secluded environment because the lodge can only be accessed by plane or boat.
All season, trophy size native freshwater fish species swim along the Alagnak River, migrating in different months, offering anglers a bountiful selection of all five species of Pacific salmon, including king, sockeye, chum, pink, and silver throughout late June, July and August. Rainbow Trout, Arctic grayling, Dolly Varden, Arctic char and Northern pike swim all season long. Fishing guides lead and accompany guests during the fishing experience whether wading in gear waist-high in pure fresh waters, navigating by boat or simply by water-side. It is not uncommon for guests to take home catch up to 50 pounds. The lodge expertly fillets, freezes and vacuum seals fish in a leak-proof box ready to check-on the flight home.
After a day of the outdoors, guests congregate at the cozy main lodge for sharing their day experiences and comradery. Some guests choose to decompress in the lodge's heated wood-planked steam sauna.
In addition to fishing, guests experience different excursions at surrounding fly-out locations, such as Margot Creek and Brooks Falls. During the lodge visit, it is very common to see Alaska natural wildlife such as soaring bald eagles, and regal brown bears in their natural habitats. At Brooks Falls, mother bears and their cubs are seen fishing, bathing and cajoling together.
Guests have said the Katmai Lodge experience is a "trip of a lifetime." Referencing the movie, "The Bucket List", Katmai Lodge is considered by anglers as a "bucket-list" fishing destination.
Philanthropy.
The Follman-Otta family supports multiple philanthropic local and national organizations, including education, arts, veterans and children's causes. During the Covid-19 Epidemic, Follman-Otta has chosen to dedicate her energies by focusing on educational and philanthropic initiatives including the Autism Spectrum, Parkinson's Therapy, Mental Health, as well as Special Needs students in Orange County, California.
Follman-Otta continues to support the arts community by serving as CEO and founder of two charities: the Follman-Young Foundation for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) public charity supporting budding performance artists. Follman-Otta, and Orange County philanthropist Robert E. Young co-founded FYFA in 2010. Concerned about cutbacks to visual and performing arts programs in educational institutions, Follman-Otta and the now-late Young established the non-profit organization to nurture the talent of aspiring artists and to foster appreciation of visual and performing arts in Southern California.
Currently, she leads the Follman-Young Foundation for the Arts as CEO. The foundation offers scholarships, grants and competitive awards to artists, including those with special and unique needs. FYFA also sponsors the Professional Opera Singers’ Association (POSA) annual vocal competition and provides individuals with musical and vocal training, including master classes, by pairing artists with top instructors.
To raise awareness for diseases and disabilities throughout the United States, the Follman family founded the Katmai Lodge Alaska and Markall Inc. Foundation for Disease & Disability Awareness to inspire, educate and support individuals who have faced challenging physical and psychological issues and encourage them to achieve their dreams. The non-profit organization offers sponsorship for unique events that bring focus to individual's special needs and circumstances and ultimately raises the level of awareness for challenges in communities. The hope of the organization is to offer support to varying medical programs for research, education and awareness.
Locally in Orange County, Follman-Otta is an active member of the Segerstrom Center of the Arts support group, Angels of the Arts, Women of Chapman (Chapman University), as well as acting in an advisory position to Pacific Symphony’s Opera Support Task Force.
Boards.
As an alumna of Chapman University's The George L. Argyros School of Business and Economics, Follman-Otta serves on its Board of Counselors as well as on Chapman's Board of Governors as a secretary officer. She is a member of the university's Women of Chapman.
Awards and Honors.
In 2017-2020, R.A. Industries’ President and CEO Follman-Otta was recognized as a business influencer and leader in the Orange County Business Journal's OC500. She shares this honor with The Irvine Company’s Donald Bren, former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, and Chapman University's President Emeritus James Doti. Follman-Otta is an Executive MBA graduate of Chapman University.
Personal life.
Family.
Follman-Otta is married to David Otta, a producer and owner of David Otta Productions, a multimedia production house. They have two children, Vivienne and Ethan. The Otta family resides in north Orange County, Calif. Together, they enjoy spending time with family members, and during the off-school months, the couple travels to destinations with their children for introducing world cultures. One of the family's favorite place to retreat was at their family home in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. As a dedicated mother, she is active in her children's school and after-school activities, including Girl's Scouts. Every year, she is the parent coordinator for preparing the school's annual gala for raising funds.
Interests.
Singing and music has always been a passion for Follman-Otta, while mentoring or performing. As a result, she makes time to support budding vocalists, and pays special attention to mentoring an award-winning vocal student who has Asperger's Syndrome.