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After 35 years of service, Jim G. Reyen, Business Director at Johnson Outdoors/Eureka! Tents is retiring at the end of December. Following his retirement, Jim plans to focus on the Greater Binghamton community as the first-ever Director of Placemaking Initiatives with the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce.
A second generation member of the Eureka! Tent family, Jim has been a key part of the ‘Big Tents’ business for his entire career. He started in 1988, working summers/winter breaks in production and maintenance, where he gained valuable experience in both the manufacturing and production side of the business, plus installed many tents for research and development, sales events, testing and employee events. Jim also worked in customer service and was the consumer information specialist while in still in school.
During his 35 years, Jim held many positions in Big Tents in sales, marketing, customer service, product management and R&D. Jim was promoted to Business Director in 2014 and has been awarded two Johnson Outdoors’ Chairman Recognition Awards for helping drive the Binghamton location back to full operational capabilities after both the 2006 and 2011 devastating floods.
His career and contributions to the tent rental industry are widely recognized and came full circle when Jim was chosen as the 2022 winner of the IFAI Tent Rental Division Wodetzki Award, the tent rental industry’s most prestigious honor. The Wodetzki Award recognizes professionals who impact the growth, direction and success of the tent rental industry, and the award is given biennially at the Tent Expo in Florida.
When asked about his career and the industry in general, Jim stated; “I love this industry! The key is the people. I don’t believe that you will find a group of more creative, passionate, hardworking and resilient people, than in the tent business. And after a hard-working day is done, they still have time for a good tent story and a few laughs. I truly cherish the friendships I’ve made during my 35 years.”