If you listen to the Cyclone Radio Network you may be familiar with Ben Bruns ('01 construction engineering). He has conducted the pregame/postgame analysis and sideline reporting since 2001.

Ben started his journey at Iowa State University in 1996 with the Cyclone football team and was named All-American at center in 2000. Upon graduating, Ben landed a position with a company that has a long-standing partnership with Iowa State: The Weitz Company.

"The vast majority of our local leadership are ISU graduates," Ben said. "We give back significantly, and we do work on campus. It really is a full circle. One of the reasons why I haven't left central Iowa was because of the ties that I have at Iowa State."

Ben maintains close ties to the university's construction projects as well, previously as project manager and now as business development director for Weitz. He has been a part of several building projects at the university including the Bergstrom Football Complex and early renovations at Jack Trice Stadium.

In addition to his football connections, Ben served on the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame Selection Committee, was president for the ISU Letterwinners Club, is a member of the Cyclone Gridiron Club, and received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2010.

Beyond his passion for Iowa State, Ben finds time to be active in his community. He coached at West Des Moines Valley High School with the offensive line for 11 years - they won five state championships during that time. He was received one of the central Iowa Forty under 40 awards in 2009. He is a 2013 graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute and is currently in the Leading Others pilot program at Drake University. Ben is the board president for Children and Families of Iowa and serves on the boards for Amanda the Panda and the Des Moines Symphony.

"I'm continuing my adventure in Iowa by doing a job I love in a great place with tremendous opportunity for my family near ISU" Ben said. "I view ISU as so integral in the framework of who I am as a person. Once a cyclone always a cyclone."

Ben Bruns is another great example of one of the 97,000 ISU alumni living in Iowa and contributing to the economic health of the state.