 |
John Elder A native of Bloomington Minnesota, John took up cycling in 2006 and fell in love with the sport. In the summer John regularly rides a 22 mile bike path near his home in Bloomington, MN. This winter John has been gearing up for the 900 mile ride near his home in Arizona, where he escapes the Minnesota winter to ride as much as possible. All proceeds donated during the Christian Elder Memorial 900 will be donated to the Kids N' Kinship Mentorship Program which John has been a mentor for four years. Professionally, John is the President of Elder-Jones, Inc., a Minneapolis based company that specializes in retail and restaurant construction throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. |
 |
Bob Benda Bob has been a resident of Fort Worth since 1983. He is a native of Minnesota where he attended the University of Minnesota. Since coming to Fort Worth, Bob has held various executive positions with leading local companies, including President and Chief Operating Officer of Edison’s Jewelers, President of The Bombay Company, Chief Executive Officer of Fort Worth Electric and his current position as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Westwood Contractors, Inc. a position he has held since 1987. Westwood was recently honored by the Fort Worth Business Press for the fifth straight year as one of the Top 100 Privately Owned Companies in Tarrant County, ranking as high as 41st. He is also a founder and manager of Fort Worth Energy, an oil and gas development company currently active in the Barnett Shale gas play within the City of Fort Worth, and an active real estate investor. In addition, Bob has been a frequent community volunteer previously serving as a board member and Chair of the board of directors of both Southwest Christian School and Baylor All Saints hospital and a member of the board of the Fort Worth Symphony. He was a founding member of the Retail Contractors Association, a national trade association representing commercial general contractors who specialize in the development and construction of retail facilities, where he has served as a director and held every executive office of the board including 2 separate tenures as its chairman. Mr. Benda is a frequent speaker at construction industry events covering such topics as technology advances, alternative contract methods and industry trends. |
 |
Kathy Kelly Kathy was raised in South Minneapolis and currently lives in Bloomington, Minnesota with her 3 children, Devan, Keegan and Kaitlin. Kathy started biking in May 2008, and fell in love with it after her first long ride. Last summer she spent many days riding the LRT trails between Chaska and Hopkins and made her first 60-plus mile ride on the Root River Trail in Lanesboro, MN. Kathy has been the Purchasing Manager at Rudolph Technologies since May 2000. Besides biking, she loves hanging out in the sun and spending time with her parents and her siblings and their families. Although Kathy was excited to be an "Honorary 900 Boy" last year, she is extremely honored to be the first woman riding with this very special group of guys, and for this great charity. |
 |
Dennis Hill Dennis was raised in Wahpeton, North Dakota, and is an avid fan of the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux hockey team. He has lived in the Twin Cities area for nearly 25 years and has been the Vice President of Finance at Elder-Jones, Inc. for the past 10. Dennis rides his bike several days each week during the spring, summer and fall months and is constantly adding new routes and trails for variety. Besides biking, he enjoys camping trips and snowmobiling weekends with family and friends. Dennis is currently riding in his fourth CEM900, and he looks forward to the camaraderie and challenge of the ride each year. The 900-mile ride creates many memorable moments every year, and he will never forget riding in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, through the Black Hills or along the Mississippi River bluffs, although he won’t admit whether these are necessarily fond memories. |
 |
Gordy Clough Gordy and wife Joni live in Prior Lake, Minnesota with the exception of February and March when they enjoy the warmth of Mesa, Arizona. He is retired from work as a fleet administrator for General Electric. In addition to spending time with his family, Gordy enjoys participating in sports car events with John Elder and his son, Justin’s racing team. |
 |
Jay Saterbak Jay is just starting his fourth year of bicycle riding after gaining inspiration by John's enthusiasm in the sport. He joined John and Dennis for the Katy Trail section of the 2008 ride after Dennis told him that "there was no wind in Missouri" and eagerly signed up for another tour last year with the expectation that all of the wind was now "in" Missouri. Dennis had told him that : “Nebraska is flat”. After riding the “hills of Nebraska” last year and with “wind” no longer a concern, (as long as there is enough grass to toss in the air); Jay has signed on for a three hundred mile segment of the 2010 trek thru Iowa. He now rides frequently on the roads and trails of Scott County, Minnesota and on the town and county roads of Sarona and Birchwood, Wisconsin. His favorite ride is a 26-mile loop around Long Lake in Wisconsin. Jay is a project manager with Elder-Jones, Inc. and has been with the company for a little more than 20 years. Jay has spent time in the past as a volunteer fire fighter & first responder, a Boy Scout leader, and now currently likes the idea of volunteering his efforts to help John raise money for Kids n' Kinship. During the winter (non bicycling season), Jay can be found riding snowmobile on Wisconsin trails He also enjoys helping with the race cars in the summer and outdoor cooking for large groups of friends. During the rides, Jay has in the past, been mistaken by his fellow riders as Captain America; however, they have never been seen together at the same time.
|
 |
Bob Porter An Army brat, Bob began bicycling in Germany, and after moving to Southern Arizona as part of his daily newspaper route. Shortly after starting work as an attorney in Phoenix, Bob took up running, including marathons in New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Phoenix. While running some 30 years later for far less mileage, his friend, John Elder, talked him into the last week of the 2009 ride. After acquiring everything necessary for modern day bike riding, Bob rediscovered his enjoyment of cycling and looks forward to his second year. Bob and his wife, Terri, have lived in Phoenix for over 30 years, raised three sons, and are looking forward to slowing down-someday. |
