Meet Jim Jurgaitis : The Man with Many Hats

For someone who professes to not have any special skills, Jim Jurgaitis wears many hats at Florida Oceanographic as a volunteer. He started his volunteer work doing beach and highway clean-ups, then progressed to oyster bagging. His wife, Beth, is also a volunteer at Florida Oceanographic. She is involved in cleaning/maintaining the seagrass nursery tanks and Jim got started when he thought “I could do that.” Jim also volunteers with sea grass matting, and recently trained to assist with special event functions!

Jim was born in Racine, WI and attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. He graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration with a major in Marketing and a minor in Mathematics, and was even asked by his calculus professor to proofread a calculus book he wrote! After college graduation, he worked in various manufacturing settings and started collecting his hats then. Jim was a Plant Manager for a dental manufacturing company, Purchasing Manager for a major BBQ gas grill, and Plant Manager for a major children’s toy manufacturer (which made the famous snow sled, “Flexible Flyer”). He ended his career with 20+ years as Director of Materials Management for a large community-based hospital system.

Jim and Beth moved to Stuart in 2017 after retirement, to be closer to their twin sons, who live nearby. They didn’t want to live in a large city, and while exploring the area and their options, they immediately fell in love with Stuart. It was the right size, great offerings for what they were looking for and it was near their sons. A year after they moved here, they were blessed with their 1st grandchild.

When they arrived in Florida they wanted to get involved in their new community. After learning and hearing so much about Florida’s water and environmental issues, it seemed a natural fit to get involved with Florida Oceanographic. Improving the quality of our natural resources is important to Jim. He enjoys the wide range of opportunities to get involved that Florida Oceanographic offers, and in his five years as a volunteer, he has logged over 200 hours. It is something he and Beth enjoy doing together. Jim enjoys working for a common goal and hopes his small part can make a difference. Through his experiences at Florida Oceanographic he feels he gets the added benefit of getting to meet the great staff and other volunteers.

Jim Jurgaitis Snapshot

Enjoys: Walking, biking and golfing

Reads: Jim enjoys reading James Patterson and is currently reading his latest, 22 Seconds.

Shows: Jim enjoys streaming programs, such as Yellowstone, The Old Man, Dark Winds and Reacher.

Dining: Two local restaurants he would recommend are The Gafford in downtown Stuart and Ian and Kye’s pizza in Jensen Beach.