Surrounded by fuel tankers, tow trucks and large shipments of Cheez-Its, Jake Manske ’25 grew up in the thick of a family business. It’s no surprise that family means everything to him.
“From the time I could see over the counter, I was right in the middle of it all, and I loved it,” said Manske, a senior business administration and financial management double major at the University of St. Thomas.
A third-generation family business, Jack’s Companies was established in 1976 with a single delivery truck. It's since grown into a large-scale fuel distribution operation and convenience store chain serving central Minnesota.
“Fuel distribution may not sound super glamourous, but it was a very fun business to grow up in,” said Manske, who, from a young age, could often be found helping his mother stock snacks on store shelves. Over time, the fledgling businessman embraced new responsibilities, becoming a store clerk, and, as a high school senior, a store manager.
Interested in refining his leadership skills and diving deeper into the nitty gritty of business financials, Manske set his collegiate sights on the Opus College of Business at St. Thomas. The business school was a large draw, but there were other considerations for this family-oriented student.
“I toured other schools, but nothing else felt quite like St. Thomas,” said Manske, who now represents his fellow Tommies as executive president of Undergraduate Student Government. “When I visited campus, the welcome that I received immediately from professors and connections I made with staff, it made it a very easy choice. I knew I’d be supported here.”
Over his four years on the St. Thomas campus, Manske has worked to strengthen those connections, creating his own Tommie family. He started right after moving into his first residence hall, Schoenecker Hall North (previously Tommie North). Manske knocked on every door on his floor, causing a cascade of introductions and long-term friendships.
“It was wild, I was sitting in my room, and a couple hours later, we were all crowded in a hallway, kicking off our Tommie journey, together.”
But he hardly stopped there. Manske joined the campus chapter of Delta Sigma Pi, a business fraternity, and regularly volunteers with his brothers across the Twin Cities. He’s part of the business mentorship program. And he’s worked to forge new campus partnerships through undergraduate student government, serving in a variety of roles before becoming president.
“I love to just talk to people, see where they’re at in their college journey, and maybe there’s a way I could help them one way or another.”
As Manske works to support his fellow Tommies, he’s also felt that support returned.
When he was just a few weeks shy of finishing his first year in St. Paul, Manske learned that his mother, Joyce, who heads operations for Jack’s Companies, had been diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. At the time of discovery, the cancer had already spread to her liver.
“She’s our family’s rock and she’s been my mentor for so long, literally working side by side with her in the stores,” Manske said. “She’s the one that keeps our family going.”
Joyce eventually needed a liver transplant and, during the fall of Jake’s senior year, the family decided to throw a benefit to support the donor. While Jake had mostly kept his family’s health battle close to his heart, he opened up to Vice President for Student Affairs Karen Lange.
“We’re at the benefit and out of the corner of my eye, I see this figure wearing a purple shirt walking through the door,” Manske said. “I turn around and it’s Dr. Lange and her husband and I can’t tell you how much it meant to see her give my mom a huge hug.”
Manske had mentioned the benefit to Lange in passing but it was still a surprise to see her make the 90-minute trip to his hometown of Eden Valley, Minnesota.
“That’s the St. Thomas mission coming to life, Tommies supporting one another. And I’m confident that support would go for any student on campus.”
Lange works with Manske in his role as undergraduate student body president. She’s watched the young Tommie give endlessly of his own time to support students across campus.
“As a campus leader, Jake cares deeply about his fellow students and he listens to both their joys and concerns,” Lange said. “As he has faced some challenges in his life, I have also witnessed first-hand his strength, care, spirituality, and love for his family.”
Now just weeks from graduation, Manske is preparing to embark on a new chapter. While he feels the pull of the family business, he’s planning on setting out on a path of his own making.
An internship at the Minnesota Senate got him interested in politics. And his favorite class at St. Thomas, employment law, seeded the idea of heading off to law school.
No matter where he ends up, he knows he’ll have the support of family behind him: the Manske family and his extended Tommie family.
“I can’t talk highly enough about the way St. Thomas – the faculty, staff and entire administration – they wrapped their arms around me and my family,” Manske said. “When St. Thomas says they’re here for their students, it sounds good, but they mean it. And I got to see that play out."
