I’m best known in the neighborhood for the not-so-subtle ways of finding people to feature in The Stroll Magazine.  On one warm summer day, as a friend and I were talking, I noticed a young man sauntering down the street donning a pair of air pods.   My friend stopped him mid walk to inquire about his recent whereabouts (I’m so glad they were already acquainted).   While they discussed current events, I stood on the sidelines and watched his utter embarrassment as he tried unsuccessfully to cover his exposed top half.  I would’ve let the story opportunity slide, however, his enthusiasm and cheerfulness had me to believe he would make a perfect feature story in the magazine. I was so right!

Ben struck me immediately as the type of person you could befriend in any circumstance.  He’s kind, genuine and has a smile that’s infectious.  We met for a morning coffee at Café Duro and didn’t stop talking for over an hour.  We discussed restaurants, gyms, jobs and vacations.  I learned he’s from Albany, Georgia, a small town in southern Georgia.   He attended the University of South Carolina to study finance and real estate and graduated from SMU with a master’s in finance and an MBA, pretty impressive for a guy just starting out.   He’s adventurous in his investments, which I chalk up to his varying interests.  

One interest we both share is our enthusiasm for living in the M Streets.  He enjoys the walkability and closeness of the restaurants and nightlife.  He’s lucky enough to have many friends nearby so finding someone to hang with is not a problem.  He enjoys his neighbors and appreciates their willingness to reach out, especially when a tree limb tumbles in a storm.  We share a passion for travel, but mine is infrequent and local, whereas his is worldwide and adventurous.   He favors the outdoors, so combining both, such as a trip to Cabo is just his thing.  If you combine, international travel, the great outdoors and some keen family time, such as a trip to Italy, he’s on cloud nine.  

Ben is close to his parents, and they frequently travel together. When his folks aren’t traveling, they have some fun hobbies.  Ben’s dad, Jeff, is a retired cardiologist but now dabbles in beekeeping (Ben surprised me with a delicious bottle of honey from his dad’s hives), and his mom Jeanette is a retired nurse turned avid gardener.  Together they travel with Ben or his sister, Kelly Ray, or venture out on their own for some hiking and exploring.  

I can see where Ben gets his sense of adventure and love of travel.  When not traveling for pleasure, he’s traveling for work.  Ben is a real estate manager for Top Golf.  He covers the continental eastern US, Canada and Puerto Rico.   When we met up, he had just finished a week of traveling, and was expected to head out again the next week.   He certainly lives life to the fullest and you can tell by his mischievous smile that won’t let up anytime soon.