“Don’t quit before the music comes on”
"Don’t quit before the music comes on." We heard these words from Ben as we discussed his three-year anniversary with us. He has fond memories (like a lot of us do) of playing with the old reliable Tonka Trucks as a kid, with an added bonus of getting to run his uncles' skid loader at the age of nine. In his early adulthood, Ben chose the hard way of life and felt the odds stacked against him. He needed a change.
At 22, he entered rehab and responded well to it. He began running a loader at a local mulch and landscaping company, but he knew nothing more than mixing soils and loading trucks; anything subsurface or the idea of grade stakes was foreign to him. Being part of the dirt world was never part of his plan, but he's happy he is here now, as are we. Ben is one of our great young people, directly contradicting the “young people just don't want to work” refrain.
Ben has experienced how the dirt world can open up opportunities and challenges, but you have to combine the experiences you gain with your willpower to achieve what you view as success. After working alongside many of our 20+ year employees, he realized that “these guys are doing pretty good for themselves. If they can do it, why can't I?”
We asked Ben to describe something that he has taken away from the industry and applied outside of work: “Skills are cool and all, but what I have gained the most of is confidence and maturity.” The confidence, he says, comes from the combination of working around a group of people that have great comradery, and the work itself. He enjoys hard work and “when challenges are standing in the way of your goal, and you overcome them, it makes achieving that goal more rewarding.”
The hard work also allows him to enjoy his time away from the job, although that still involves dirt most of the time. He has been riding motocross since he was about four years old, and he hopes to add a Lyons & Hohl decal to his bike soon. When asked if he had any advice for people joining the dirt world, he said: “Don’t quit before the music comes on. Understand that the hard times will build character.” We could not agree more, Ben, and we are glad that you let someone press play; we are thrilled to see you continue your journey with us.