Long before she ever imagined herself as a business owner, Marisa Gervasio ‘88 Jenny was a normal Valpo student, figuring things out one step at a time. She arrived on campus in the 1980s, intending to become an engineer. Ultimately, engineering didn’t turn out to be her path, but Valpo gave Marisa the room to pivot and still enjoy a semester abroad in Cambridge, England. While achieving her degree in business finance and mathematics (minor), Marisa enjoyed being part of the dance team, a sorority, teaching aerobics, and was a recipient of an APEX award in 1987 for co-writing a paper on offshore sourcing.
After graduation, Marisa began a career in banking, then went on to grad school in Minnesota. While working as a trust officer and business valuation expert for Wells Fargo (formerly Norwest Banks), Marisa was selected to participate in the bank’s JET Program, an executive training program designed for high-potential young professionals. After 15 years in the banking industry, Marisa pivoted her career and began to work for small private businesses while raising her children with her husband, Steve Jenny ‘88. During this time, she decided to expand her skills and signed up for a colored-pencil drawing class. She began sketching portraits for family and friends, eventually leading to her collaboration with her sister-in-law and fellow Valpo alum and sorority sister, Kristina Brockopp ‘86 Jenny. Kristina’s stories of woodland animals that teach kids about kindness, empathy, and courage found their way into the world during the pandemic, complemented by Marisa’s illustrative talents, and the two released a series of children’s books.
An avid tennis, pickleball, golf, and yoga lover, Marisa couldn’t help noticing that cute, stylish activewear existed for tennis, but pickleball attire was mostly t-shirts with goofy slogans. So when her husband asked her to design a playful shirt for his pickleball group, she had fun with it. Her design included a beer mug, a paddle, and a pickle, meant as a joke between friends. But the women in her circle encouraged her creativity and immediately promised, “If you made something like that for women, I’d buy it.” Thus, Smashed Pickle Sportswear was born.
A playful brand built on creativity, confidence, and the belief that if you feel good, you play better, Marisa trademarked her idea, launched an online store, sourced sustainable boutique-quality apparel, and started doing pop-up shops, tournaments, and fundraisers, all while handling every stitch of the business herself. Her pieces are intentionally stylish, flattering, and fun. Jenny’s inventory includes skirts, jackets, sweatshirts, accessories, and even branded pickleballs.
Still within its first year, Smashed Pickle Sportswear is small but mighty, a one-woman operation balancing illustration, volunteer work, entrepreneurship, and family. For Marisa, the joy of creating, building something from nothing, and putting her skills, passions, and personality into the world in a way that lifts others is what fuels her.
Marisa’s advice to other women dreaming of building their own venture is to curate a supportive network while sharing your time, talents, and strengths generously. And above all, try. Life is too short not to.
