Jim Benson:  

Update: May 2010 at the bottom. Life (2005) (scroll down for new update) I've spent a little over 12 years of my career managing large construction projects around the world, the rest of the time I worked on large projects around the USA. As of May 2005, I've been working in Kazakhstan for 22 months as Director of Construction for the largest Coal Mine in the World. ww.bogatyr. kz Work has included relocations to: the Oilfields of Prudhoe Bay Alaska, Florida, England, Atlanta, Alabama, Mongolia, Tennessee, San Antonio, Borneo, Nashville, Atlanta (again) and now Kazakhstan. To manage these projects, I've picked up Russian and Indonesian languages with bits and pieces of other languages scattered about to help get through airports and shopping. It's great to be able to travel: Mongolia, Great Wall of China, Red Square, North Africa, Europe, England, Thailand, Bali, Scotland, Singapore etc... but there's a price for this lifestyle. Typical for Expats, I am divorced... to a wonderful lady (met in Alaska) who is raising my 15 year old daughter: Becky, (born in England) named after Becky Thatcher in Tom Sawyer. Becky [in HS] is wonderfully intelligent and beautiful and way too busy for Dad. We enjoy our brief time together by vacationing around the world. Current saving are earmarked for her goals of Fashion Design in Paris. I've raced 38 triathlons, up to Half-Ironman distance. On my list of things to do is to race a full Ironman, cycle across America, cycle some of the mountain stages of the Tour de France, more marathons overseas, etc.... Sports has been a large part of my life. I exercise everyday, sometimes for hours but clean living and being healthy seems to be paying dividends now that I'm (we're) over 40 ! (already ? !!!) It's interesting to read the various directions of Walther Grads. Lots of successes. ***************************************______________________________________ NEW UPDATE ! Feb 2009 Since leaving Kazakhstan(2005), I went back to the US, was hired to be Director of Construction for a large Indian Corporation in South Florida and manage their Capital Growth Projects... this was going on during the Katrina- N.O.'s time frame.... but the company lost the tender and I took their second offer to go to (changing accents now) Spartanburg TN, where I was bestowed with an in-progress project that was only 9 months behind schedule with an EPA (cost damages apply) deadline. We built a reasonably high performing / low-disfunctional crew and finished with enough time to pat each other on the back. Most of the guys talked funny (considering I worked in Mongolia for two years - this is quite a statement) but in spite of the north-west Alabama dialect - I understood most of what they said. Then, like always, I got a call. A telephone interview for a job on St.Croix managing the largest Capital Project for the largest enterprise on St.Croix. I've always heard of expats that get these cool jobs in great locations.... not like the jungles of Borneo or Mongolia - but THE CARRIBEAN !!!. So off I went in 5 days to St. Croix thinking I was going to America's Paradise and going to live life large. Well, large for me was 80+ hours a week, wearing a nomex coveralls and dealing with the most strict regulations since managing the project at the Oak Ridge Nuclear Reactor. But, I did live on a Condo on the cliff looking over Christiansted... played golf every Sunday afternoon - so there was some fun. Did not do the St.Croix half-ironman. But it was one of Corporate Support activties and I was (music please) Aid Station Manager at the last...Expand for more