Dolan joined A.O. Smith as senior vice president in 1980 after a 30-year career in the home appliance industry. He was responsible for the company’s consumer products division, which included residential and commercial water heaters, as well as the former A.O. Smith Harvestore Products Co. subsidiary. In 1981, he was named head of all major product divisions of the company and the following year was elected president, chief operating officer, and a member of the company’s board of directors.
In July 1984, he was elected chairman and CEO of the company, succeeding Lloyd B. Smith, the great-grandson of the founder of A.O. Smith. Dolan was the second non-Smith family member to lead the company. He served as CEO until 1989 and was chairman of the board until 1992. He remained a member of the board of directors until he retired in 1996.