You may not know me yet, but 1909 is where I belong | Ben Peterson

“I AM, MYSELF, A CITIZEN OF NO MEAN CITY” – 1909 Indianapolis City Hall inscription

I’m new here, but that spoke to me. I’ll be honest, I know absolutely nothing when it comes to Indianapolis history (or Indiana as a whole for that matter). I’m brand new to the 1909 team and only know the broad strokes of the company’s inception.

But that quote stands out. I try to imagine what the context may be for when those words from former Indianapolis mayor Charles A. Bookwalter were first uttered. As I read them, they must be a retort to either a statement, implication, or idea – the insinuation presumptively being that a populace, or city, may be not worth a person’s attention if it is mean, average, or insignificant.

What Bookwalter’s statement literally means is, “I am from somewhere that is not insignificant.” But to me it says, “We do things our way, proudly and with great confidence.” It says, “We’ve been through hardship and came out the other side stronger than we were before.” It says, “We’ll always be here no matter what challenges we ultimately face.”

Simply put, it means, “Bring it on.” As I write this I’m on day three of my new job with 1909 Digital as Digital Project Manager, and already those words have resonated with me in a profound way. There is no team I’d rather be a part of than one that takes those values to heart and lives with that ideology constantly in the forefront of its thinking. Clients can rest assured that their every need is covered when they work with a team as hungry and resilient as ours. In the digital marketing world, helping clients reach their goals is absolutely what I live for.

I’m based in my hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, located about 90 miles east of the Twin Cities. I come from the land of the ice and snow (always wanted to use that in a professional bio). As Digital Project Manager, it’s my job to oversee project management and make sure that we are operating at peak efficiency in all facets of our operation. Basically, if we’ve got something that works, I’m in the background trying to make it work faster. If it can be better organized, streamlined, restructured, cleaned up, or upgraded, I’ll figure out how.

I joined the 1909 Digital team after previously working as Director of Business Development for a small local marketing firm in Eau Claire. It was an absolute pleasure to work with the types of small businesses that don’t always find themselves in a position to improve their marketing. If you’ve got a business that you want to grow, nothing would make me happier than to see you succeed. Prior to my marketing career I spent nearly a decade as a newspaper reporter, primarily covering sports and profile feature stories. I also managed a pair of bowling alleys for a restaurant/bar management company for a few years, learning very quickly that of all the skills I possess, bartending is not one of them.

When I’m not focusing on helping clients grow, I can usually be found behind the drumset. I’ve been playing drums for 20 years and have performed in a variety of settings across a wide range of genres (*Fun story below). I currently play in two bands and do freelance studio work as it’s available. I also co-host a podcast that focuses on local music promotion and discussing trends and topics relevant to the western Wisconsin music scene.

I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this team. Our brand exists to grow your brand, and I stand by our brand 100 percent.

*Story time:

I attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and was a part of the Blugold Marching Band – the largest Division III marching band in the nation. My freshman year on the drumline, we were wrapping up our first day of summer marching camp when the director asked if we thought we could have at least three of the four songs memorized and field ready by the end of the week. Being a freshman and having no idea if that was possible, I leaned on the section leaders to answer. They said sure, but like any typical college student, they wanted to know why the rush?

“Oh earlier today I got off the phone with the Green Bay Packers,” the director told us. “Yeah, it seems they were going to have a retirement ceremony for this guy, Favre? Anyway, he came out of retirement and plays for the Jets now so they cancelled the ceremony and they’re looking for halftime entertainment this coming Monday.”

My first collegiate music performance was in front of 80,000 people at Lambeau Field for the first Monday Night Football game of the 2008 NFL season between the Packers and the Vikings. It was, to say the least, a wild experience.