Born and raised in
Vasteras,
Sweden; Björn Åblad is a prominent figure in the community. He received his Engineering degree from Vasteras Tekniska and has extensive studies in the fields of economics, business and international law at the
University of
Stockholm. In the mid-70’s he was selected to play on the Swedish National Basketball Team and he also served 12 months in the Swedish Air Force. During a Swedish-American exchange program, Ablad was commissioned an “Honorary Texas Citizen” by then Governor of Texas John Connally.
After college, Ablad gained valuable experience in the world of business management. From 1975-1979 he worked for
NordTransmissionAB (Part of the Boliden Group), which produced gearboxes for heavy machinery. There he worked as an Export Manager for
Europe and several Middle Eastern countries. In 1979 he was named Managing Director for Kungsors Pressprodukter AB, a well-known Swedish manufacturer of household items. In 1982, Ablad moved to
Utah where he started several different companies. Among these companies are Aros, Inc., a wholesale company of industrial safety equipment, Arosnet, Inc., an Internet Service Provider in the state of Utah, Asgard Properties, L.C., a holding company for property occupied by different companies, and HarmonyIP.com, LLC, a company in the VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology field. In 1987, Ablad started a subsidiary, Hornell Speedglas, Inc., for Hornell Elektrooptik AB in
Gagnef,
Sweden. The subsidiary was eventually moved to
Twinsburg,
OH and sold to 3M.
In 1999, the King of Sweden named Ablad as the Honorary Swedish Consulate for
Utah and
Montana. During the 2002 Winter Olympics hosted in
Salt Lake City, Ablad held a reception dinner for the King and Queen of Sweden and 400 other dignitaries.
