Ben Bauer was born and raised in small town Central Wisconsin (Spencer, WI, population ~1,900). After high school he went to Western Technical College in La Crosse for a degree in Graphic Design and a certification in Web Design. His passion for quality design and helping people drove him back near home to Marshfield where he founded a printing and marketing company that he owned and operated for 12 years. Early in his career he also served as a youth leadership facilitator with the National FFA organization, training and developing the next wave of young leaders from all over the country. The business satisfied his hunger for design, creativity and service and the conference facilitation scratched the itch for travel and leadership development. Shortly after starting the business he joined Rotary in 2006 as member of the Marshfield Sunrise Rotary Club.

Ben’s Rotary story goes like many Rotary stories do. There’s a beginning, middle and end. There’s also a new beginning, a new middle and a hopeful future. When he joined it was for the purpose of networking and creating connections that would help him and his business thrive in the community. Rotary gave lots of opportunity for that and when the connections in the club had been made and he “learned everything he needed to know”, he started sitting at the same tables, talking to the same Rotarians and got bored. Skipping a meeting occasionally, turned into hardly coming at all and Ben was the dreaded “Rotarian In Name Only” (RINO).

Luckily, Ben attended the right club meeting in 2009 where he was asked to fill-in and serve as a counselor at the District’s Youth Leadership Camp, RYLA. This was Ben’s “aha moment” with Rotary. At RYLA, he got the personal fulfillment of developing young leaders, and learned about how big the network of Rotary is and the possibilities that come with it. Ben has served as co-chair of the District’s RYLA camp, Club President in 2015-2016 and an Assistant Governor from 2018-2020.

Rotarians are busy people, and Ben is no exception. He has coached varsity football with the Spencer-Columbus Rocket varsity football team, served in the local business community and on local boards like the Marshfield Area Community Foundation, Spencer Youth Recreations, Inc. and more.

Professionally, Ben is the Director of Awesomeness (some people call it Marketing) at Simplicity Credit Union, overseeing the marketing and public relations efforts of the credit union. As with many credit union professionals, a chance encounter brought Ben to Simplicity CU and he’s been in love with our movement ever since. Ben brings a diverse set of talents including marketing, graphic design, public relations and leadership. Ben’s team at Simplicity CU has also created a new CUSO, Exclamation Services which will provide back office support like Marketing, HR, IT and Operations services to small credit unions and businesses.

Ben is an active and passionate champion for credit unions. He serves in many roles including as a member of the i3 innovation program at the Filene Research Institute, a Credit Union Development Educator (CUDE), and a member of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Marketing & Business Development Council Member Resources Committee, to name a few. He's been honored with several 'Diamond Awards' from the CUNA Marketing Council for excellence in marketing and was named a Credit Union Rockstar by Credit Union Magazine in 2020.

Personally, Ben’s wife and favorite person in the world is Katie Bauer. Katie is a special education teacher, an amazing mother and life partner. They have a son, Charlie who brings them an immeasurable amount of joy. Together, they love learning, camping, swimming, biking, hiking, kayaking or anything that takes them outdoors.