Ben was raised in New Jersey and graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga, New York. His first short-lived job was teaching and coaching soccer and skiing at a boarding school in New Hampshire where, he admits, he was a dreadful teacher. But he and the kids had a grand time playing soccer and listening to music.

It was during that brief teaching career that Ben discovered his true calling. While taking a group of students on a spring break ski trip to Colorado, he had an epiphany: he wanted a career that combined travel and nature. Ever entrepreneurial, Ben decided to pursue his dreams independently instead of working for others. Soon thereafter, the group International Fund for Animal Welfare tapped Ben to help develop a seal-watching tourism industry to replace the baby harp seal hunt in eastern Canada. And thus his fledgling company found its focus on travel as a means for conserving nature and wildlife.

Nat Hab has grown to become a global leader in nature travel, offering life-enhancing adventures to the world's most wondrous wild places. And Ben has journeyed to dozens of countries in search of spectacular nature experiences…and a good time, whenever possible. Aside from heading a meaningful company that provides “The World’s Greatest Nature Expeditions," Ben's professional ambition is to change the way people think about travel, from large group consumptive tours to small group, personal travel experiences that serve to protect the areas they visit and preserve the planet. When he's not working, Ben rides his mountain bike, skis, smokes Cuban cigars and enjoys time with his family.