Fort resident is $30,000 Publishers Clearing House winner

Editor’s note: this story has been updated.

By Kim McDarison

“I’m just flabbergasted!” said Fort Atkinson resident Paul Casey as he stood Friday in the doorway of his apartment building on the city’s northeast side. 

It was 11:30 a.m. and he’d just learned that he was the winner of $30,000. The news was delivered by a three-person Publishers Clearing House (PCH) Sweepstakes Prize Patrol that had assembled, along with members of the media, on the building’s front lawn. 

Just the night before, two members of the PCH Prize Patrol, Howie Guja and Danielle Lam, along with Prize Patrol member-in-training Bianca Quinninez, had arrived in Milwaukee from New York to bring Casey the good news. 

It was all like a dream, Casey said, as he held up the “big check.” The “real check,” flowers, balloons and champagne were among gifts delivered to him on the doorstep. He later shared with patrol members and media that Friday was his 63^rd birthday. 

Presenting Casey with two checks, a large promotional cardboard check and a real paper one, Lam said: “Everyone dreams of getting this big prop, but the real one … you can take that to the bank today.” 

Making PCH magic

In Fort Atkinson, news of the pending Prize Patrol’s arrival had begun to circulate on Thursday, when Humphrey Floral and Gift employees posted to the business’ Facebook page that they had received a request by phone to create a bouquet of roses and baby’s breath for use as a PCH prize. 

No other information was shared with the shop when the order was placed Wednesday afternoon, owner Tim Humphrey said. While the recipient’s name was kept secret, the shop was allowed to share that it was making the bouquet, he added. 

News spread to a Facebook community page, bringing speculation of all sorts, from people wondering who the lucky recipient might be to skeptics questioning whether the call was real. 

By Thursday night, the PCH Prize Patrol had landed in Wisconsin, and after spending a night at the Kimpton Journeyman in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, they drove to “the rendezvous spot”: Humphrey Floral and Gift on South Main Street, where they planned to meet media. 

Getting the call

Sharing a glimpse of the bouquet, which had been safely resting in refrigeration overnight, Humphrey talked Friday morning about the excitement that was generated within the shop when employees received the call. 

Lam called to place an order for flowers, Humphrey recalled. 

“She asked for a dozen red roses with baby’s breath, wrapped presentation style, with a red bow at the bottom,” he said. 

Humphrey said he was out of the shop making a delivery when the call came in. It was received by employee Scott Hayes, who wrote on the order form that the flowers were to be used as a Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes prize. 

Hayes never questioned the validity of the call he said. 

“The lady on the phone sounded like she was real happy to be doing what she’s doing,” he said.

Her energy gave him confidence that the call, although unusual, was real, he said, adding, “It’s neat to have it happen in your own community.”  

The call spread excitement throughout the shop, employee Diane Engan said. There was curiosity about who the lucky winner might be. 

“I told the lady on the phone I wanted it to be me,” Hayes said. 

Humphrey, who has owned his shop on the corner of Main Street and Milwaukee Avenue for 40 years, made the bouquet Thursday afternoon, he said. The PCH patrol asked that it be ready for pickup by 9 a.m. on Friday. 

On Friday morning, as he made his way to work, Humphrey stopped for a cup of coffee and discovered that people in town, many having read and shared the Facebook post, also were speculating who the recipient might be. 

“People were curious,” Humphrey said. “This is what you see in a magazine. It is also one of those things and you wonder if it’s really real.”

It turns out, he added, “It’s really real!”

The Prize Patrol arrives

Making its debut at about 10:30 a.m., the three-member Prize Patrol greeted media, handed out information about PCH, picked up the bouquet and posed for photographs. They also revealed the recipient’s name and laid out the prize-delivery game plan.  

A first stop included a visit to Lorman-Bicentennial Park, where a label was adhered to the official celebratory PCH vintage bottle of champagne, and some promotional videos were shot to share on PCH social media. 

Next, the caravan of Prize Patrol members and media headed to Casey’s apartment building. 

Upon entering the building, Prize Patrol members sought to draw Casey outside of the building where everyone could share in his prize-winning excitement. A knock on the apartment door did not produce Casey, but after querying a few residents, Casey was located. 

He emerged from the building into immediate celebrity: Prizes were bestowed upon him, reporters took pictures and asked questions, and passing motorists waved, honked their car horns and one driver even stopped to watch. 

A star is born 

Flanked by PCH Prize Patrol members and a neighbor and friend, Dave Maurer, Casey appeared briefly overwhelmed, but soon shared his plans, saying that he thought he might use some of the money to buy a new car. 

Upon learning of Casey’s good fortune, Maurer said, “Way to go, man!”, adding that had he won the money, he might have purchased an RV, but he could see where his friend might like a car. 

Casey said he could use the money. He’s retired, but works part-time at a local car wash. 

“My father just passed away. Maybe I’ll give some money to the church,” he said.

Casey is described by PCH as an “elite” sweepstakes player.  Lam explained that PCH account holders with “elite” status are people who play a lot. 

Casey said he has been visiting the PCH website on his computer for about 10 years. 

“I play every day,” he said, adding that some days, he plays as many as eight hours. 

While participating in sweepstakes, he said, he earns tokens. He has about 200 million, he said. 

Describing his goals, he noted,  “I’m trying to get to the next level, to the next level, to the next level …”

And he’s been a winner before, he said, recalling $5 and $10 prizes. 

When asked what his advice would be for others who might like to win money from PCH, he said, “You can win, but you got to keep going, don’t stop. Keep doing it. I do it every day. Just keep playing.”

“People really do win, just like Paul,” Lam agreed. 

Describing the excitement of the day, Casey concluded, “It’s like a dream, you know? This is unbelievable, especially on my birthday.” 

The day after

On Saturday morning, Casey said, he was still reeling from the excitement of winning the money. 

“It’s still sinking in. I can’t believe it; it was totally unexpected,” he said. 

“I’ve been thinking about what I’ll do with the money. My father passed away in January and my mom passed 20 years before. I always said if I ever won a significant amount of money, I’d donate some money to the church in their names. 

“I said a I’d buy a car yesterday, but,” he said, with a chuckle, “I already bought one this year.”

Describing Friday’s experience, he said: “You’re not thinking straight when you see something like that. It’s like, ‘Wow!’” 

“I look forward to my future,” he said, adding that when it comes to spending money, “you got to be smart with it. I’m pretty frugal. I still go to Goodwill and I’m not a big spender.” 

A native of Monona, Casey said he moved to Fort Atkinson about seven years ago looking for work. He enjoyed a career as a materials handler, working for several area companies, retiring from the field last year. 

He plans to continue to live in Fort Atkinson, he said.

“The people are great; it’s just a nice town,” he noted.  

His immediate plans include framing the “big check,” he said. 

On Friday night, he said, he spent time online, watching a video of the day’s events on Madison’s Channel 3. 

“I’ve never been on TV before. I was on a brochure for Fort Hospital. You can see the back of my head,” he added.

Casey said he was drawn to the PCH games after watching a commercial on TV. He was attracted by the idea of winning money and prizes. After he began playing, he said, “It was fun.” He plays a variety of games, including scratch cards, and he believes it was through a scratch card game that he won the money. 

After posting a picture of Friday’s events on Facebook, he said, he has enjoyed some local celebrity, and he received over 200 replies to his post. Many commenters were people he didn’t even know. They wished him luck and a happy birthday. 

In his spare time, Casey said, he likes to wash cars and play video games. While he is not expecting his life to change too much, he did say: “I’m very, very happy.” 

About PCH

Founded in 1953 by Harold and LuEsther Mertz as a multi-magazine subscription agency, information supplied by PCH notes the company is a leader in interactive media, offering a broad range of products, including digital entertainment. 

“Our success is built on PCH’s unique mix of free-to-play games and sweepstakes, value-packed offers and the excitement of the Publishers Clearing House brand,” promotional materials handed out by the PCH Prize Patrol stated. 

The company has awarded nearly half a billion dollars in prizes, the materials noted. 

The company offers ways to win online, through social media and using mobile access. The company’s online game network has more than 10 million unique monthly visitors and someone wins a prize about every five minutes, according to supplied materials. 

Information on the company’s website notes that Guja joined PCH in 2006, serving as an imaging technician in its photo studio. He is currently senior manager of digital imaging, working to oversee the post-production and workflow of photography and digital assets. He joined the prize patrol in 2015. He holds a bachelor’s of fine arts degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. 

Lam joined the company in 2008 as the product mix internet coordinator. In 2010, she moved to the company’s contest department as its senior online promotion development analyst. She is today the senior manager of the promotion department, where she serves as an active member of the online testing team and leads the department in developing promotions and creating new giveaways. She is often seen on TV, bringing the “big check” to PCH winners. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Loyola University, Maryland. 

Describing her work, Lam said: “I’ve been to every single state. This is so much fun. I’m on the road every single week giving away money. I go to the winner’s house and every single time, it’s a different reaction. I love this because I love to see them win.”

As a trainee, Quinninez said, she is new to the prize patrol. She is traveling with the team, learning its process, and may one-day be a permanent member. 

Publishers Clearing House is based in Port Washington, New York.