Ben Freed

Ben Freed is a business reporter focusing on the knowledge economy. Raised in Ann Arbor (proud Hebrew Day School Penguin, Tappan Trojan and Huron River Rat), he managed to escape the cold for four years while studying journalism and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Upon graduation in 2012, he returned to his roots to join the AnnArbor.com Business Review team. Ben first cut his teeth with the Ann Arbor media when an op-ed piece he penned his senior year of high school was published in the Ann Arbor News. While taking a gap year abroad in Israel between high school and college, he realized that journalism afforded him the opportunity to meet people who were significantly more famous and interesting than he was and decided to make a career out of it. While still in school, Ben interned at Sports Illustrated in New York City and KUT, the NPR affiliate station in Austin, Texas. He only met one swimsuit model while in NYC and was somewhat disappointed. He also has yet to fulfill his lifelong dream of hearing Carl Kasell's voice on his answering machine. Ben's experience as an intern with AnnArbor.com in 2011 was highlighted by his in-depth coverage of the "Dexter Bear" appearance. As a cub reporter, he was thrilled to track the mammal throughout the summer until it disappeared without a trace into the western Washtenaw County wilderness. An avid lover of dogs and tech startup companies, Ben recently bowled a 494 series and is probably more proud of that than he should be.