MONROE - Mike Jerge said if he described his worst day, it wouldn't be as bad as many others have it, and he often feels like he's the luckiest person in the world.
It's part of the reason he sees the importance of volunteering and helps raise money for local organizations in need - many of which are serving people experiencing their worst days.
Jerge grew up in Brookfield, near Milwaukee, in a family with six children. He had 12 years of a Catholic education and attended St. Dominic Catholic School.
As a youngster, Jerge was glad to live close enough to bike or ride the bus to school. He played youth baseball, and the city children often found fun at the local K-Mart. His family volunteered together, usually at church dinners or to help elderly people. They ate dinner together seven nights a week.
"Family was a big part of life then," Jerge said.
At Marquette High School, Jerge didn't take on many extracurriculars, but he enjoyed and did well in school. He mowed lawns early on before starting work in the hospitality field, restaurants and establishments, doing all sorts of jobs.
"The only job I was good at was bartending," Jerge said with a laugh. "I think it's a personality thing. It's having fun with people on a different level."
After his graduation in 1984, Jerge said he followed his plan to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He felt it was a great school and said he was a pretty good student.
He considered law school for a short time, but plans changed and he earned his degree in economics, missing the business school by .1 in his GPA. He became ill his senior year, graduating a little later in 1992, two years after marrying his wife, Coleen.
The couple worked together at an embroidery shop in Madison in the early 1990s called Fans & Monograms. When the business closed, Coleen took it into her home because of her natural talent for embroidery. It was around then that Jerge, also with an entrepreneurial spirit, started a business of his own called Spare Time Technology. He had a knack for computers during a time when people didn't understand them.
When Microsoft was ready to unveil Windows 95, Jerge was a telephone support person, which at that time was revolutionary.
"I've kind of been a geek my whole life," Jerge said. "For a while I thought that's what I wanted to do."
But in 1996, things changed. Coleen's parents purchased a John Deere dealership in Mt. Horeb. Although Jerge grew up in the city and knew nothing about agriculture, he went to work there, in the parts department. He said he learned a lot quickly - and found a niche in precision agriculture, which was then in its infancy.
"I knew nothing about agriculture," Jerge said. "The first couple days were pretty rough."
It was at that time when Jerge said he came across an article about a group called Pet Pals, who would take animals into hospitals to visit the ill. He didn't have a pet at the time but asked his brother-in-law if he could borrow his dog.
"He was the first mutt in the program and the first non-human to earn more than 100 volunteer hours," Jerge said. "That really sparked the volunteer in me."
In 2001, Coleen's parents purchased the Monroe John Deere, and the couple moved to Monroe where Jerge was the general manager. He described that time as a fun project, taking over a dealership that did well after adding care. He said they had great results and saw much success.
By 2007, John Deere told its owners they had to sell. The same year, the embroidery shop, which was Coleen's largest employer, was also in turmoil. Jerge went to work for Sloan Implement, but in the meantime, they purchased the embroidery shop business.
Though the couple knew little about screen-printing, they learned quickly. When Jerge found himself out of work after less than two years at Sloan, he said he crunched the numbers and in 2008 became self-employed, joining his wife.
"I never took any unemployment," Jerge said. "We just threw ourselves into this."
While learning the ropes, business continued to grow with the couple at the helm.
"We had to make it work," Jerge said. "There was no fail proposition. I'm kind of arrogant. I knew we could do it. We just had to make our customers happy."
That continued as their motto, and over the next 10 years the business saw growth.
Today, Paw Prints offers screen-printing, embroidery and digital graphics, and the business is almost entirely wholesale. They have eight full-time employees and two part-timers. Jerge said their philosophy is simple: take care of customers and employees.
Jerge is a huge proponent of shopping local and said the idea of people buying from people can make a difference in the community. That is a big part of why some are thriving and others are not, he added. He still finds volunteering important and has helped local organizations like Family Promise, Green Haven Family Advocates, Green County Child Advocacy Center, Arc of Green County, Monroe Main Street, St. Victor School, St. Clare Parish and the Green County Humane Society.
After his father died in 2011, Jerge purchased a beer trailer used for Concerts on the Square, and the money raised goes to all different charities. Over the past five years, the trailer and volunteers who run it have brought in over a quarter of a million dollars.
Jerge said after giving his father's eulogy, the memories of volunteering as a family resurfaced - and he said giving back is something that is simply part of him.
"Many of these organizations are people working, dealing with people on their worst day," Jerge said. "The most miserable people in the world don't volunteer."
Jerge admitted he enjoys performing and he is often asked to emcee several events for different organizations, and his big personality is a hit. He said he doesn't mind being in front of people and often recruits someone to help.
The couple loves animals and, Coleen especially, loves cats. Many of their six cats and two dogs have injuries or handicaps but are loved dearly. They also have foster pets.
"People know us as suckers," he laughed.
He and Coleen host a pet food pantry, an endeavor they began in 2011 that runs like a human food pantry, but is for people who can't afford to feed their pets. It was branched from an organization in Lafayette County called Everyone Needs a Home. On an average month, they feed between 150 to 160 domesticated animals.
Jerge feels the bustle of all he does but said he enjoys all of his self-inflicted busyness. He loves college football season and takes each Saturday off to watch games. He also enjoys cars and takes his Mustang out when he finds time. Although they don't vacation much, Jerge said Key West, Florida, is a happy place for the couple, who have been there several times.
When the couple first came to Monroe, it took a little while to make friends. But as they became more involved, he said they have made wonderful friendships and have always felt like Monroe is home.
"Coleen and I are going to die here, and we want to make it the best place it can be," Jerge said. "You can be a big fish in a small pond. One person can really make a difference here."
He also believes that each day we write our own eulogy and what is said isn't what we choose, but instead is all in the memories left behind.
"Everything is an opportunity," he said of what he learned from a book that inspired him. "Nothing is a problem - it's an opportunity. I really do believe that everything you run across in life is an opportunity."
It's part of the reason he sees the importance of volunteering and helps raise money for local organizations in need - many of which are serving people experiencing their worst days.
Jerge grew up in Brookfield, near Milwaukee, in a family with six children. He had 12 years of a Catholic education and attended St. Dominic Catholic School.
As a youngster, Jerge was glad to live close enough to bike or ride the bus to school. He played youth baseball, and the city children often found fun at the local K-Mart. His family volunteered together, usually at church dinners or to help elderly people. They ate dinner together seven nights a week.
"Family was a big part of life then," Jerge said.
At Marquette High School, Jerge didn't take on many extracurriculars, but he enjoyed and did well in school. He mowed lawns early on before starting work in the hospitality field, restaurants and establishments, doing all sorts of jobs.
"The only job I was good at was bartending," Jerge said with a laugh. "I think it's a personality thing. It's having fun with people on a different level."
After his graduation in 1984, Jerge said he followed his plan to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He felt it was a great school and said he was a pretty good student.
He considered law school for a short time, but plans changed and he earned his degree in economics, missing the business school by .1 in his GPA. He became ill his senior year, graduating a little later in 1992, two years after marrying his wife, Coleen.
The couple worked together at an embroidery shop in Madison in the early 1990s called Fans & Monograms. When the business closed, Coleen took it into her home because of her natural talent for embroidery. It was around then that Jerge, also with an entrepreneurial spirit, started a business of his own called Spare Time Technology. He had a knack for computers during a time when people didn't understand them.
When Microsoft was ready to unveil Windows 95, Jerge was a telephone support person, which at that time was revolutionary.
"I've kind of been a geek my whole life," Jerge said. "For a while I thought that's what I wanted to do."
But in 1996, things changed. Coleen's parents purchased a John Deere dealership in Mt. Horeb. Although Jerge grew up in the city and knew nothing about agriculture, he went to work there, in the parts department. He said he learned a lot quickly - and found a niche in precision agriculture, which was then in its infancy.
"I knew nothing about agriculture," Jerge said. "The first couple days were pretty rough."
It was at that time when Jerge said he came across an article about a group called Pet Pals, who would take animals into hospitals to visit the ill. He didn't have a pet at the time but asked his brother-in-law if he could borrow his dog.
"He was the first mutt in the program and the first non-human to earn more than 100 volunteer hours," Jerge said. "That really sparked the volunteer in me."
In 2001, Coleen's parents purchased the Monroe John Deere, and the couple moved to Monroe where Jerge was the general manager. He described that time as a fun project, taking over a dealership that did well after adding care. He said they had great results and saw much success.
By 2007, John Deere told its owners they had to sell. The same year, the embroidery shop, which was Coleen's largest employer, was also in turmoil. Jerge went to work for Sloan Implement, but in the meantime, they purchased the embroidery shop business.
Though the couple knew little about screen-printing, they learned quickly. When Jerge found himself out of work after less than two years at Sloan, he said he crunched the numbers and in 2008 became self-employed, joining his wife.
"I never took any unemployment," Jerge said. "We just threw ourselves into this."
While learning the ropes, business continued to grow with the couple at the helm.
"We had to make it work," Jerge said. "There was no fail proposition. I'm kind of arrogant. I knew we could do it. We just had to make our customers happy."
That continued as their motto, and over the next 10 years the business saw growth.
Today, Paw Prints offers screen-printing, embroidery and digital graphics, and the business is almost entirely wholesale. They have eight full-time employees and two part-timers. Jerge said their philosophy is simple: take care of customers and employees.
Jerge is a huge proponent of shopping local and said the idea of people buying from people can make a difference in the community. That is a big part of why some are thriving and others are not, he added. He still finds volunteering important and has helped local organizations like Family Promise, Green Haven Family Advocates, Green County Child Advocacy Center, Arc of Green County, Monroe Main Street, St. Victor School, St. Clare Parish and the Green County Humane Society.
After his father died in 2011, Jerge purchased a beer trailer used for Concerts on the Square, and the money raised goes to all different charities. Over the past five years, the trailer and volunteers who run it have brought in over a quarter of a million dollars.
Jerge said after giving his father's eulogy, the memories of volunteering as a family resurfaced - and he said giving back is something that is simply part of him.
"Many of these organizations are people working, dealing with people on their worst day," Jerge said. "The most miserable people in the world don't volunteer."
Jerge admitted he enjoys performing and he is often asked to emcee several events for different organizations, and his big personality is a hit. He said he doesn't mind being in front of people and often recruits someone to help.
The couple loves animals and, Coleen especially, loves cats. Many of their six cats and two dogs have injuries or handicaps but are loved dearly. They also have foster pets.
"People know us as suckers," he laughed.
He and Coleen host a pet food pantry, an endeavor they began in 2011 that runs like a human food pantry, but is for people who can't afford to feed their pets. It was branched from an organization in Lafayette County called Everyone Needs a Home. On an average month, they feed between 150 to 160 domesticated animals.
Jerge feels the bustle of all he does but said he enjoys all of his self-inflicted busyness. He loves college football season and takes each Saturday off to watch games. He also enjoys cars and takes his Mustang out when he finds time. Although they don't vacation much, Jerge said Key West, Florida, is a happy place for the couple, who have been there several times.
When the couple first came to Monroe, it took a little while to make friends. But as they became more involved, he said they have made wonderful friendships and have always felt like Monroe is home.
"Coleen and I are going to die here, and we want to make it the best place it can be," Jerge said. "You can be a big fish in a small pond. One person can really make a difference here."
He also believes that each day we write our own eulogy and what is said isn't what we choose, but instead is all in the memories left behind.
"Everything is an opportunity," he said of what he learned from a book that inspired him. "Nothing is a problem - it's an opportunity. I really do believe that everything you run across in life is an opportunity."