Brandon wrote:
When I started working for No Boundaries two years ago I was introduced to my manager Ben Tompkins. I immediately noticed that he was much younger than me and I wasn’t sure to expect. I had never worked for someone so young. The age difference never became an issue as I quickly discovered that although Ben was younger he was very intelligent, professional and open minded. What started as a working relationship quickly developed into a friendship that extended beyond work. Ben and I have shared many experiences together that have created great memories that I will not soon forget. Below are a few that I often reflect upon:
24 hour mountain bike race where we froze our butts off at night
Paintball biathlon in Canada followed by pool at the Keyhole
Iceman
100 mile Black Bear road ride/race in super hot conditions
Bike camping at Werner Creek surrounded by coyotes
Winter camping at Wilderness State Park that included the most intense came of Uno I have ever witnessed, OB rapping, hot wax, explosives and a lot of laughs
Many miles riding bikes on the road and trails
Many great mornings skate skiing before work
Tuning bikes at Short’s
Water drinking challenge at work
Ugly sweater parties
Disco days at work
Along with all those great memories are the times spent at work with Ben. I never dreaded working with him. I knew that each day there would be work to complete, but I also knew that we would have fun and laugh while doing it. If you ask me, work doesn’t get any better than that. It is sad to see Ben leave, but I am excited for him to have an opportunity to work for a large reputable organization in a discipline that he enjoys. I wish him the best of luck and plan to keep in touch.
Lisa wrote:
My fun memory of Ben was last summer the weekend of Michigan Mountain Mehem. It was Friday night and it was misty and cold out and the town was hopping with racers and it was the first Friday Stroll the streets. The store was so busy with riders buying cold weather gear! It was my first really busy store experience and Ben and I were selling our butts off. People just kept strolling in! We didn’t want to closes the doors because people just kept rolling in. After a few beers and no food we were having fun! Finally, exhausted and starving we closed the doors at 9:45 and Ben and I went to Coopers for a late night burger courtesy of Bob. It was fun getting to really know Ben that night, relaxing after such a fun selling night! Ben, you will be missed! Best wishes to you and your bright future!
Erin wrote:
“The first time I hung out with Ben was at the 2010 Lumberjack. Trevor was racing and I was there for moral support and Ben was there for mechanical support. Since we weren’t sure when Trev would be coming through the transition, we stood and watched everyone come through and pretty soon Ben starting recognizing bikes that people were riding that were around Trev’s time. I was recognizing the “outfits” so we made a great team! Best of luck to you Ben!
Carrie Wrote:
Mostly I will remember how shocked Ben is by most of the actions of my children. Just kidding, no not really.
Ben is a super guy, great with what ever life throws his way. Takes everything in stride – especially my kids, dog, cats and husband.
Trevor wrote:
I have known Ben T. for about three years but haven’t been able to spend too much time with him. Which is unfortunate for me, he’s a great guy and easy to chill with. That being said the time I have spent with him has been great.
The two things I remember the most about him is taking time out of his busy schedule to go to the Lumberjack 100 two years in a row just for support. To me that says a lot about someone. I guess I really don’t want this to sound like a eulogy because he is just moving away. At any rate he will be missed and it has really been a pleasure getting to know and work with him a bit. Thanks for all you’ve done and good luck with your new adventure, and could you set aside a Ti Selma for me next spring thanks. – Trevor
Ben McM wrote:
The best experience I had with Ben Tompkins was our Hawaii adventure. Since I’ve mentioned that several times, here’s another unique anecdote. The funny thing about the No Boundaries is that we have two Ben’s on staff, Ben McMurray and Ben Tompkins. Going back a ways to when we both became bike shop employees, Ben T. was hired first. Thus when I got hired it was necessary to distinguish between the Ben’s and I became “O.B.”, for “Other Ben.”
This didn’t necessarily solve the problem all the time. Frequently when our parents would call the shop, or when I would be telling a story to my mother the conversation would go something like, “Wait ‘The Other Ben’?” “No Mom I’m the ‘Other Ben’. The other Ben is just Ben.” You can see how that could get confusing.
On other occasions it would be conversations with customers that would require some sleuthing to determine who the culprit was. The customer would say, “I talked to Ben.”
To which someone would respond, “Which one?”
“Well he was young.”
“They’re both young.”
“The tall one.”
“They’re both tall”
“He was skinny.”
“They’re both skinny. Was it the one that reads a ton of books, knows the differences in styles and cuts of women’s clothing we sell as well as all the other stuff in the store, enjoys politics and current world events and has a decent fashion sense? Or was it the one that has moppy hair, sells nuts, and either wears flannel or Alma College shirts?
“The first description sounds right.”
“Oh. That is Ben Tompkins.”
Even with Ben T. leaving, I think I’ll still be known as “O.B.” Nicknames don’t go away.
Hope someone gets a mild laugh out of that.
And lastly, Bob wrote:
It’s hard to pin down one favorite memory of working with Ben or of our friendship. From the first time I met Ben as a customer, he has always been one of the most positive, inquisitive, and genuinely positive people I have ever met. His willingness to try new things, take on new challenges, and put himself out there to do things outside his normal “comfort zone” is nothing short of amazing. I have often described Ben as “fearless”; not in the reckless, death-defying type of way (although some of his adventures have been pretty crazy!), but rather a complete and utter laid-back attitude toward life and the many possibilities it has in store. “Hey, Ben, want to do a 24 hour mountain bike race?” , I say… “Sure, I’ve never done that…”, says Ben. No hesitation. “Hey, Ben, want to go to Hawaii? I’m not sure where we’ll stay, what we’ll do, but it’ll be fun…”, says OB. “Sure, that sounds fun.”, says Ben. Funny.
When we decided to move forward with the plan to open No Boundaries, it was very clear to me that I would need a strong “manager”, someone who could be inter-changeable with me in the day-to-day functions of running the store. Without hesitation or reservation, I immediately thought of Ben. Having worked at another store with Ben in the past, I was already impressed with his attitude, his work ethic, and the fact that he’s crazy smart. The only problem was, Ben was in the midst of a four-month adventure in New Zealand… Contacting him meant sending him an email, hoping that he could somehow get to a place with internet, and then having a phone conversation (literally) halfway around the world. Ben called me back quickly upon reading my email. We talked. I made one of the worst sales pitches to him one could make when presenting a possible job opportunity: I put forward the chance to work long hours, for little pay, with an unknown future. Ben thought about it. For a day. Then he called me again and, true to form, said “It sounds fun! Let’s do it!”.
The last two years have been a lot of hard work and a ton of fun. I truly feel as though we’ve gotten the message out about No Boundaries, our mission, and our passion for what we do. Ben has been instrumental in that task. I simply could not have asked for a better partner in this effort. Ben has sacrificed a lot of his time for No Boundaries, certainly above and beyond what would be considered “normal” for a job. But working for No Boundaries has never been just a job to Ben. He’s been my friend, my right hand man, my counsel. He’s taken on every responsibility I have ever asked him to, and has done so with his usual fearlessness and enthusiasm. Ben has made my life easier in many, many ways. He’s one of the most capable, intelligent, and fun people I have ever met. I really like Ben.
We’ve had a ton of fun outside of work. Lots of rides on bikes together. Races. Events. Camping trips. Trade shows in far-off lands. And more than a few beers. Ah, the beers…
On the personal side, Ben will continue to be one of my very best friends. He’s truly like a little brother to me. As a matter of fact, we’ve often bickered and argued like brothers; gotten under each others’ skin, typically due to long hours, both of us caring too much about the little details, or some other silly reason. At the end of the day, though, Ben is and always will be one of my favorite people. He has established himself with me and my family as someone who will always be important to us. That being said, we’ll still find ways to see one another, hang out, and continue to have adventures together. And I’m absolutely certain that our paths will cross again in some way professionally – The industry we’re in is just too small for that not to happen!
Ben is going to rock it at his new position at QBP. They’re lucky to have him, just as we were lucky to have him at No Boundaries. It’s going to be fun watching him develop and grow in the bike industry.
Thanks, B….
