Ben Bolopue

The people who make it matter

Family

Five Kids. Zero Shortcuts.

Every one of them a worker.

I have five kids. A 23-year-old daughter who coordinates events at one of the finest country clubs in the Midwest and is one of the hardest-working people I know. Triplet sons who are 21: one studying music education, one forensic investigation, and one who graduated a year early with a Political Science degree and is preparing for the LSAT. And my 14-year-old, who plays all the things, marches with the band, plays soccer, and somehow still makes time for Scouts.

They all got the work ethic honestly. I'd like to think I helped. I'm constantly amazed by all of them.

Lauren

She brought Dublin with her.

My wife stepped into our family with both eyes open. Took on being the step-mom to five amazing humans. She introduced me to rugby, Irish breakfasts, a slew of words and phrases that DO NOT mean the same thing here as they do there. I introduced her to ice hockey, scouting, being a part of a big messy family, the outdoors, and cooking with butter.

About a year ago she picked up a camera and has become a genuinely gifted photographer and visual storyteller.

Wedding day — the whole family at the pallet wall

Our Backyard

"I built the wall. Lauren printed thousands of photos. The only bare sections were the ones directly behind where we said our vows. I was barefoot."

A 50-foot pallet wall. Our wedding. Our backyard.

The pallet wall — thousands of 4x6 photos

40 years and counting

Music

40 Years playing

Guitar · Piano · Percussion

I've been a practicing musician for about 40 years. Piano first, then guitar, then most things with strings, keys, a head, or a bell. I gigged for years.

Then life got fuller. Five kids will do that.

Now it's less about my playing and more about theirs. One of my sons is studying to be a music teacher. My youngest plays flute, guitar, piano, and is currently working on bass.

The photo to the top-right is from when my sons were a few months old. Their older sister and I gave them their first concert.

They were a captive audience of willing participants.

Dad and daughter give the newborn triplets their first concert

Captive audience. Early days.

BSA Troop 226 · Northern Star Council

Prepared. For Everything.

Troop 226 holding their banner at the mountain summit at golden hour

Give people the tools. Teach them to use them. Watch them succeed.

I've been the Scoutmaster of Troop 226 for nearly a decade. When my sons went off to college, I told my troop I would stay on for as long as they felt I was being additive and helpful. I'm grateful they've kept me around.

In that time, this small troop of about a dozen active scouts has produced 15 Eagle Scouts and given very real tools for life to hundreds more. I'm proud of that.

What scouting has taught me about leadership could take up an entire site of its own. The short version: Explain concepts well. Demonstrate success. Be a guide. Trust people to do the hard things when needed. Construct a safe environment to fail forward. It works for a 14-year-old on a mountain summit. It works for a consultant on a client call.

14 Years in Scouting

9+ Years as Scoutmaster

"The best part of fishing is being in nature. If I catch a fish, that's just an added bonus."

I take groups into the wild. My troop, my family, strangers, anyone who'll come. It's amazing to watch people discover they're more capable than they thought. Everyone assumes it's too hard. It's not. Learn about where you're going and what you want to achieve. Plan for what you can. Stay vigilant of what you can't. Keep your eyes open. That's visiting the wilderness. That's most of what I know about leadership.

On wilderness. On fishing. On leading people.

Salesforce · Community · Leadership

Community Isn't a Buzzword

I've been leading the Twin Cities Salesforce User Group, the largest of the five Twin Cities groups, since 2015. In April of 2026, all five Twin Cities groups came together for our first-ever joint annual kick-off event. More than 100 people showed up. I helped plan it, coordinate it, and emceed it. The community here is vibrant, alive, compassionate, and full of brilliant people.

I've been recognized as a Salesforce MVP twice. I've spoken at Dreamforce and at community events across the country. I've been building in the Salesforce ecosystem for more than 15 years. First inside a multinational B2B manufacturer, then as a consultant and delivery leader for the past seven years.

What I value most isn't the recognition. It's the people. The connections. The opportunity to help people grow into leaders and leaders to grow into trusted advisors.

"A great listener who can fine-tune the issue to get to the root of the matter in a very positive, educational way." — Stuart Edeal, Co-Lead, Twin Cities Salesforce User Group

"Hardworking, honest, and has a great sense of humor that serves him well." — Greg Julson, former manager, Quanex Building Products

2× Salesforce MVP

11+ Years leading Twin Cities User Group

25+ Years of professional experience

Speaking at the Twin Cities Salesforce community kick-off event

Doing all the things

We Go.

Curiosity isn't just how we work. It's how we live.

We find excuses to get out and move. Climbing desert peaks in Arizona, walking 900 year old streets in Scotland, exploring river gorges in Wisconsin, taking waterfall hikes in Minnesota, playing in the theme parks of Florida, going on excursions in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, visiting family and friends around Dublin, escaping to Toronto. We bring the kids when we can. We go alone when we can't.

Ireland · Rugby · Hockey

Ireland vs The All Blacks .

My wife is from Dublin. When we started dating, she talked a fair bit about rugby. Something I was completely unfamiliar with. I, on the other hand, talked a fair bit about ice hockey. We are now equally, enthusiastically, and somewhat embarrassingly devoted to both.

We drove to Chicago to watch Ireland play the All Blacks. My first professional rugby game. We wore matching green jerseys. We were loud. The Irish in the crowd were… passionate. Ireland lost. Their fans sang “Ireland’s Call” as they left the stadium. It was an amazing day.

Ireland vs All Blacks at Soldier Field, Chicago

The 18-month project

I Build.

After nearly 15 years of working from home, from inside the house, my wife and I decided it was time to separate our work lives from our home lives.

So we built an office.

Eighteen months. An ICF concrete foundation. Framed walls. Insulation hauled across the snow on a sled built from spare lumber and an old toboggan. House wrap, siding, windows, drywall. Wood and timbers that my dad and his dad cut down more than 40 years ago used for the ceilings, walls, and shelves. Butcher block desktops. Acoustic fixtures. Bourbon bottle lamps. Two 10×12 offices with natural lighting, lots of power, and high-speed internet. Lauren ran alongside me for the whole build drilling, caulking, painting, hauling, deciding. It was ours from the ground up.

We've been working out there for several months now. Our commute is 50 feet. It's fantastic and there's never any traffic.

Finished office — timber shelves and bourbon bottle lamps

Insulation sled — the only sensible solution

Reclaimed barn wood ceiling with recessed lights

Three-monitor setup on a handmade butcher block desk

Lauren, documenting the supply run with a receipt taller than she is

Salesforce Orgs

Dozens of orgs architected, built, evolved, delivered. Agentforce, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Manufacturing Cloud, and more.

Delivery Frameworks

Performance management leadership, mentorship programs, governance strategies, and standards that help teams thrive and scale.

Scout Troops

A scouter of more than 14 years. Servant leadership. Wilderness. Leave no trace.

Office Building

18 months. One vision. Two 10×12 offices. 50-foot commute. Countless trips to Menards.

Leadership Programs

IC consultants who become team leaders. Managers who become trusted advisors.

1 50-foot Pallet Wall

Backdrop for our backyard wedding. Thousands of photos telling our story. Built by hand, with love.

In case you were wondering

A Few Things

Holding a sign: I am silently correcting your grammar

About that sign.

I am silently correcting your grammar. Always have been. Probably always will. It's not personal. Actually, it might be a little personal.

Wearing a feathered camp hat at Scout dining hall

The hat situation.

I own more hats than I can count. The flat cap, the hiking hat, the baseball caps. It's not a bit. There's a hat for every occasion.

Three of us in a Harry Potter suitcase prop at the exhibition

Full disclosure.

We're Harry Potter nerds. We climbed inside a suitcase prop at a HP Exhibit to take this photo. We have no regrets.

This dog wears a bowtie.

This is my grandson Obi. He rocks a bowtie. We respect it.

On fishing.

The best part of fishing is being in nature. If I catch something, that's just an added bonus. The water is never far from my mind.

Still going to the movies.

We. Love. Movies. I geek out over the cinematics, projector specs, and sound systems. They love adding movie lines to the lexicon of quotes we use in daily conversations. The kids still come. I still buy the popcorn. It works.

Let's talk

You Made It to the Bottom.

If you've made it this far, you have a sense of who I am. I'm a continuously improving systems thinker who cares deeply about people. I'm looking for work that lets me keep building processes, teams, delivery frameworks, and the occasional outbuilding. If that sounds like something worth a conversation, I'd love to hear from you.

bsbolopue@gmail.com LinkedIn Profile

Hi. I'm Ben.