ENERGY
A ride along with Mike Rolf
By Hollis Willeford Staff Writer
Mike Rolf is no stranger to agribusiness and the country lifestyle enjoyed by most of the Mid-County customers he visits . He was raised on a 220-acre farm south of Bongards where his family grew crops , raised hogs , and milked about 40 cows .
Now Mike spends his workdays delivering propane to commercial accounts , farms , and individual homes throughout the communities and rural areas surrounding our home base in Cologne .
At various times of the year , Mike is a familiar sight at the wheel of different Mid-County trucks that might be filled with propane , diesel fuel , gasoline , or agronomy products . He likes delivering propane best because it is clean work .
Mike will be 62 years old in May . He and his wife Marlene have been married for 27 years and they live with an elderly black lab named Daisy on 8 wooded acres that were once part of the farm he grew up on . Mike has a daughter named Krista who lives in Hamburg with her husband Ryan and Mike ’ s grandson whose name is Landon . Mike also has a son , Dillon , who lives in Plato .
Prior to Mid-County , Mike did maintenance work on office equipment such as copiers , faxes , and networking hardware for 33 years . But he is quick to point out that he is a whole lot happier at Mid-County .
“ When I ’ m away from the office I ’ m alone in my truck . It gives me time to think and consider what ’ s going on in my life . I am my own boss out on the job . In the truck , I have a printer for tickets and a computer that tells me the stops , pricing , and amounts of product to dispense . So , I ’ ve got all the tools
I need to be self-sufficient .”
But Mike says it ’ s his co-workers that make the co-op an especially good place to work .
“ The people at Mid-County are easy to work and get along with . They ’ re flexible about overtime and are understanding when I ’ ve needed an afternoon off . We kid around a lot , and I have fun with my co-workers .”
Spend any time with him and you ’ ll realize that Mike is capable of switching from serious reflection to playful mischief at the drop of a hat .
He jokingly infers that he is multilingual . “ My second language is sarcasm ,” Mike said .
Mike and Marlene are avid bikers who own two Harleys . Marlene doesn ’ t ride solo , but likes to tour with Mike . They generally don ’ t make specific plans well ahead of time , but rather look at weather forecasts and try to go when and where the conditions are going to be favorable for an enjoyable ride .
Mike says he doesn ’ t like to travel east beyond Wisconsin on his bike because it gets too crowded on the highways .
“ I don ’ t like busy roads because I ’ ve had a couple of bike accidents , and it hurts too much getting hit by cars ,” he said with a wry smile .
But those accidents haven ’ t dampened his enthusiasm . This last winter he spent a lot of time out in the garage , just sitting on the bike relaxing ; and thinking about a trip out west into the mountains that he and Marlene have their sights set on sometime soon when the weather cooperates .
They also enjoy being on the water and spend a lot of time boating in the summer . Hunting is another of Mike ’ s hobbies , and it is a source of the one drawback he mentioned about his job .
“ Unfortunately , it ’ s hard for me to go deer hunting because it coincides with corn-drying time . The farmers are using a lot of propane and we ’ re very busy .”
Then he shrugged and said , “ Oh well , first things first .”
PHOTO BY HOLLIS WILLEFORD
Mike Rolf likes delivering propane to Mid-County customers more than anything he does .
PHOTO BY HOLLIS WILLEFORD
Mike Rolf loves working for Mid-County and loves the varied work he has .
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