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The best part of Because Market is our customers. Coming from diverse backgrounds and life experiences, they all share the desire to live life on their terms, and we’re glad to be able to support them on their journeys. Through our Customer Spotlight series, we hope to showcase some of their amazing stories.
We talked to Sue J., a 67-year-old retired John Deere maintenance planner, who enjoys riding her Can-Am motorcycle across the country.
Sue lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa with her beloved cat, Noelle. She grew up in Waterloo and was one of five siblings. “My dad died when I was 12 years old,” Sue says. “So, mom raised five kids,” working two jobs to make ends meet.
Her mom eventually remarried, and when Sue was a senior in high school, her mom and stepdad moved to Colorado. But, so close to graduation, Sue stayed in Iowa, moving into her own apartment. In 1979 she bought her house, and she’s been there ever since!
She spent her 46-year career in various roles at John Deere, with her final role being a maintenance planner before retiring in 2020. “I worked in the office, but I [also] worked with the guys in the shop,” she says. As a maintenance planner, she says she “ordered parts for the tooling and gauging department, received them in, then put in the tool makers and the gauge makers” upon receipt. She also handled billing and invoicing, working with a total of five different departments. “It kept me very busy!” she says.
Now that she’s retired, Sue is enjoying all that this season of life has to offer. She particularly enjoys working out and riding her motorcycle with her boyfriend. But it’s not your average motorcycle—it’s a Can-Am which has two wheels in front and one back, which helps with stability.
Sue first started riding on the back of her boyfriend’s bike when she was 50. (That’s right—50! Proof that it’s never too late to pick up a new hobby.) “I used to ride on the back of his,” she says. “We've done trips all around the United States.” She loved hitting the open road on a bike, so in 2015 she decided to get her own. She learned to ride by taking a class at Hawkeye Community College before getting her motorcycle license. And her first bike was actually one that she won from a raffle! But it was a small, sporty model, and she quickly traded it in for a Can-Am.
One of Sue’s favorite cross-country motorcycle trips she’s taken with her boyfriend was driving out to California from Iowa to visit her sister. But once they hit California, they kept on going. “We visited her, then went up the coast, all the way to Montana,” Sue says. It’s their longest trip, to date. Along the way, they logged 5,000 miles and drove through 10 different states. “We stayed at some hotels along the ocean; that was the most memorable trip,” she adds.
They also visited several national parks throughout the trip. “I had a National Park Pass so that we could [drive] through the parks and didn’t have to pay to get in. I think we did six [total] along the way.” A few of the national parks they visited were Zion, Bryce Canyon, and Arches national parks. They had quite the adventure in Zion, encountering rain, flooding, landslides, and forest fires, even witnessing campers being rescued from the mudslides.
Sue hits the gym about three times a week and enjoys working out on the treadmill and stationary bike. “I try to do a mile on the treadmill,” she says. After her workout, she cools down on the hydromassage bed to aid in recovery, while a heating mechanism helps ease sore muscles. Prioritizing exercise and recovery keeps her in shape so she can continue riding well into her 70s.
Sue first heard about Because through an email. After looking into the company, “I tried different products. I’m really glad they expanded to get new products,” Sue says. “They always have different things to try.”
Sue says, beyond the products, she also really appreciates Because Market’s customer service, where people are always available to help answer questions or fix any issues. “They go above and beyond,” Sue says. “The customer service is really good. They’re always nice.”
Sue is continuing to enjoy her retirement and says, “My goal is to stay here in the house! That’s why I try to be as active as I can,” she says. When she’s not out on her motorcycle, she enjoys watching movies. “I stay up and watch movies at night, then sleep in in the morning!” Sue says, laughing. She records movies on the Hallmark channel. Her cat, Noelle, enjoys sleeping on Sue’s lap while she watches her movies. A Siamese cat, she has gray, brown, and white coloring and blue eyes.
She doesn’t have any cross-country trips coming up, but she says, “Now it's cooling down, so I’ll ride more. I like to ride through the parks and that kind of thing. We have two different parks here; they both have campgrounds, and I’ll ride through the campgrounds and people wave!”
So, if you’re ever in Cedar Falls and see Sue out on her Can-Am, be sure to wave!
Are you interested in being featured in the next customer spotlight? Email Spotlight@becausemarket.com. You can also join our Facebook Incontinence Support Community.
