How It All Began
Native Madisonian Jim Berbee founded his namesake company in 1993. A veteran runner, he came across an article in the Wall Street Journal about Thanksgiving Day runs. “Turkey Trots”–5K or 10K races–were common all over the country and very successful. It seemed like a no brainer that a big running community like Madison would support such a race, and that it could potentially raise money for a worthy cause. Jim and his staff set out to create the race and run it near the company’s headquarters in Fitchburg.
But what was the right worthy cause? Eager to find something that would be in line with the company’s activities and philosophy, Jim and company CEO Paul Shain hit on the idea of something that would help promote the use of technology in classrooms and non-profit organizations. “Technology changes so quickly, and it’s important that kids are exposed to it,” Jim Berbee said. “The problem is that it’s also expensive, and there really wasn’t a good source of private funding dedicated to it in Madison.”
And so, the Technology Education Foundation was born, and became the designated beneficiary for proceeds from the annual Berbee Derby.
Did you know that 100% of proceeds from the Berbee Derby go to the Madison-based Technology Education Fund (TEF)? The annual Thanksgiving Day event has become a family tradition for many. Fun event for all ages and levels.
The Berbee Derby celebrated their 20 year anniversary this Thanksgiving — which was its final year of the annual event.