Oct. 30, 2007

To say that Jim Benjamin '84 has a lot on his plate would be an understatement. Now living in Atlanta, the father of children ages six and eight has a job that requires travel to places as far away as India. However, as a student-athlete for four years, balancing a wide range of responsibilities is nothing new. Despite the distance that now separates him from College Hill, one of his most recent responsibilities includes making an impact on the Lafayette community.

Benjamin was recruited to play soccer at Lafayette by then-head coach Jamie McLaughlin `76. McLaughlin moved on to pursue a vacancy in the Connecticut State House before Benjamin's freshman year. Although he was never able to coach Benjamin, he knew the New Jersey native had what it took to enjoy a successful collegiate career.

"He was the complete image of what we were looking for," McLaughlin said. "He had it all and he had the potential to turn the program around and become a change agent for Lafayette soccer."

Benjamin enrolled at Lafayette for the 1980 fall semester. As an Economics major, he had academic demands that required a great deal of time and effort. Throw soccer into the mix and he had a packed schedule. However, Benjamin believes that benefited him not only during his four years as a student, but more significantly has translated into success after graduation.

"The saying that is most common in a big group is if you want to get something done, give it to the busiest person," Benjamin said. "Balancing soccer and academics really did and still does force the discipline of scheduling, planning ahead and being realistic about what you could and could not do."

Benjamin quickly learned how to balance his commitments, developing a routine that worked for his personality type. He'd schedule all of his classes from 8-11 a.m. after the morning session of two-a-day soccer practices was completed. He'd then grab some lunch and begin what he called "stage two" of his day, which usually involved schoolwork before attending his second practice of the day. That inclination to create and maintain a routine continued into the "real world."

"All these years later, I do the exact same things," he said. "On Sunday nights I look ahead at my schedule and figure out when I'm going to exercise, when I'm going to spend time with my kids, when I'm going to be traveling, when I'm going to be in the office. It's a discipline that's always been with me."

That discipline has carried him into a multitude of jobs, all drawing upon his economics degree. He is currently employed with REMS Group. The company provides services to architects and general contractors by offering production support and building information modeling to create drawings and models of commercials buildings. While he is admittedly not "a finance person," he has used the business applications he obtained at Lafayette in all of his jobs. Just as important as the business lessons he learned, however, were the people skills and life lessons he acquired.

"The interesting thing about my Lafayette experience in preparing me for what I do now is that it was less related to what I studied and more related to what I experienced," he said. "For me, it's based on teamwork, camaraderie, relationship building and resolution management, all of which I learned at Lafayette."

All of those skills he utilized and learned in the classroom were also reflected in his play on the soccer field. In the four years he competed for the Leopards, they never saw a losing record, including a 10-6-1 mark his sophomore season.

After graduation, Benjamin turned his attention to his career and his family. While he was always aware that his education and experiences at Lafayette helped take him on his journey through the "real world," his involvement with the school faded into the background a bit. He was frustrated by the constant turnover at the head coaching position for the men's soccer team, as well as the de-emphasis on group living at Lafayette, two things that were of great importance to him as a former soccer player and member of a campus fraternity.

His love of soccer and desire for others to benefit as he had from his years at Lafayette would eventually draw him back into the College Hill community, however. Roughly five years ago, Benjamin became actively involved with the Atlanta YMCA, specifically with various soccer programs. His return to the soccer world soon made his thoughts turn back to his playing days as a Leopard.

"All of these events were happening in my life--I got married, had kids--and it became obvious to me that I couldn't spend my time doing all the things I wanted in life so I focused on the things that were most important to me, that I had a passion for," he said. "I began to dedicate my time to things that were meaningful and it worked out to be Lafayette overlapping and coinciding with other things I was doing at the time."

After making the decision to reconnect with Lafayette, Benjamin specifically focused on two areas with which he had first-hand knowledge: alumni relations and soccer. McLaughlin, the coach who has to be given at least partial credit for bringing Benjamin to Lafayette, had stayed involved with the college, specifically with alumni affairs. Upon hearing of Benjamin's interest to work with the alumni community, the former soccer coach again recruited Benjamin. This time, however, it wasn't to play soccer but rather to help lead the Atlanta Alumni Chapter, an organization of which Benjamin is now president.

Soccer was the second area to which Benjamin turned his attention. His previous discouragement at the high rate of turnover at the head coaching position finally spurred him to "put his mouth where his money wasn't." McLaughlin said that Benjamin's passion for both the sport of soccer and the Lafayette program made him the perfect person to help revive the program.

"His devotion to the program is a wonderful thing," McLaughlin said. "He has been a steward of the program. Some people lead from behind; they're more silent in their leadership and that's Jim. It's something he's been doing his whole life."

Despite success on the field, there was talk of moving the program to the Division III level because of unfunded needs that were being continually unmet. When head coach Dennis Bohn took over the helm of the program in 2001, Benjamin knew permanent steps had to be taken to solidify the shaky foundation of the program.

"It was clear to me that if something didn't change, we'd experience that turnover with Dennis and that was something I was very concerned about," he said.

Bohn's hiring spurred Benjamin to spearhead the revival of the Maroon Club's Friends of Lafayette Soccer. Through fundraising efforts and strengthening alumni relationships, Friends of Lafayette Soccer had the opportunity to, among other endeavors, fund a new field: The Mike Bourger Field at Oaks Stadium. The facility was dedicated in the fall of 2005 in recognition of Mike Bourger, the 1946 captain of the Lafayette team, and Billy Oaks, whom Benjamin refers to as the "face of Lafayette soccer."

Benjamin himself could very well be considered a face of Lafayette. He's a successful alumnus who applies himself in every endeavor he undertakes, especially when a passion of his is involved.

"I realized my years at Lafayette were a very important time in my life. The institution holds really great memories for me and had a profound impact on me," he said. "I felt I needed to get back involved."

For all that has changed during the years since Benjamin's graduation, he has remained much the same person.

"I've been recruiting Jim for 30 years now," McLaughlin said with a laugh. "What has made Jim successful in business--his will, determination, cunning--was all there on the soccer field at 18 when I watched him play in high school."

And they're still there today.