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About Us

HISTORY

Gerken's was started 70 years ago by founder, Elmer Gerken. Elmer moved from Omaha, Nebraska to Denver, Colorado with his wife Bonnie, and four young children in 1953 to pursue his recent purchase of a small religious supply company. "The store" and Elmer's strong relationships in the Denver area grew over the years, and so did Elmer and Bonnie's family. They had a total of 11 children and the Gerken family currently has a total of 192 members. Two of Elmer's sons, Ray and Mike, are the current owners of Gerken's Religious Supplies and are committed to the same high quality customer service which Elmer founded the company upon.

 

MEET THE STAFF

RAY 
Ray is a son of founder Elmer Gerken, and one of the co-owners of Gerken's. He has been working for Gerken's 49 years and enjoys getting to know all of the customers, many of which have become great friends over the years. Outside of work, Ray enjoys spending time with his wife Lucy, their 6 children and spouses and 18 grandchildren. Ray is also a talented musician and can sing, play the piano and even the accordion!

MIKE (SR)
Mike is also a son of founder Elmer Gerken and a co-owner of Gerken's. Mike grew up watching his Father love his job and knew he wanted that too, so he joined the family business 39 years ago. Mike continues to enjoy meeting new customers and renewing friendships with longtime customers and clergy. He especially enjoys learning from the customers what is happening in Churches both inside and outside Colorado. When Mike's not at "the store", he enjoys spending time with his wife of 39 years, Sue, their four children and their spouses and grandbabies. He also enjoys the beautiful Colorado outdoors and the activities that go along with it especially hiking and biking. 

ISAAC

Isaac is a third-generation member of the team, (son of Ray Gerken), who joined the family business three years ago. His previous experience as a project manager brings a very valuable keen eye to detail to all aspects of the business. Isaac loves serving the religious community and helping them with their prayer and spiritual lives with the products Gerken’s provides. When Isaac’s not at work, he loves spending family time with his wife May, their two children and dog. It’s a safe bet that whenever possible, they will be enjoying that time outdoors hiking, camping, fishing or boating.

MICHAEL

Michael is also a third-generation team member, (son of Mike Gerken, Sr), who joined Gerken’s three years ago. Michael’s education and experience in business management and sales makes him a perfect fit for the family business and he is enjoying working closely with local clergy and getting to know them. Michael & his beautiful wife Devon welcomed a baby boy to their family earlier this year! They also has a 5-year-old Australian cattle dog mix named Maisie, who is FULL of energy and learning to share the attention.

HOLLY 
Holly is another third-generation member of the team, (daughter of Ray Gerken), and also loves being part of a family business. Holly has been with Gerken's for 7 years and currently works remotely from her home in Kentucky on ecommerce/website management, general office management & marketing. Holly enjoys the calm and kind atmosphere working at Gerken's offers. When Holly's not working, she's enjoying time with her husband Chris and their three children.

CINDY
Cindy is yet another third-generation team member here at Gerken’s, (daughter of Ray Gerken). She has recently returned to Gerken’s after taking some time off to focus on raising her 4 beautiful children. She collectively has 14 years of experience in the family business and is grateful to contribute to her Grandfather’s dream of serving the religious community. As one of our Sales Associates she can help customers find whatever they are looking for. She is also fluent in Spanish which helps in assisting our diverse clientele. She enjoys meeting and talking with customers, many of whom have become good friends. When Cindy’s not at the store, she is usually enjoying time with her husband and children attending their various music and sporting activities.

ANNIE 
Annie started working at Gerken’s 47 years ago as a part time employee while attending High School and never left. She is currently a sales clerk and buyer for Gerken’s and can answer just about any product questions you might have! Annie has established many friendships with long and loyal customers over the years. She loves seeing customers come in looking for a special gift or card, and being able to help them find and leave with exactly what they need. When Annie’s not at work she loves musicals, movies, plays, traveling and spending time with her family, friends & cats. She also volunteers at Community Ministry Food Pantry and helps with their fundraising and continuing their mission.

JOCELYN
Jocelyn has worked for Gerken’s for 30 years and is our in-house book expert. Jocelyn can help you find any book, music or DVD selection in our store and if we don’t have it in stock will place a special order for it! She is grateful to work at Gerken’s because she enjoys both her great co-workers and customers. The faithful customers she assists each day provide her a life-giving atmosphere which nourishes her faith. When Jocelyn’s not working, she enjoys spending time outside biking, hiking and gardening. These outdoor activities tie in perfectly with her fascination of rocks and collecting them to border her flower gardens. She’s thankful her husband John enjoys the rocks and flowers as much as she does!

GREG (SR)
Greg has been with Gerken’s for 11 years and specializes in accounting, bulk marketing mailings, clerical apparel fittings and special orders. Greg enjoys working at Gerken’s because of the fascinating people he meets each day. When Greg is not at work he enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, reading, gardening and is an avid basketball and baseball fan. Go Rockies!

LYDIA
Lydia has been with Gerken's for 8 years. As a retail clerk, she enjoys meeting new customers, welcoming back families and friends and provides excellent customer service to everyone. Lydia is proud to work at Gerken's because its a family owned business where the staff connects to serve as Christ instruments to the community, with generosity, compassion and care. Lydia is an active member of the altar and rosary society, the pro-life movement and a Catechist at her parish, St. Anthony of Padua, Denver. She enjoys spending time with her family, spiritual reading, comedies and assembles puzzles, (over 10,000 puzzle pieces so far!).

PATRICK
We happily welcomed Patrick to the Gerken’s last year as a sales clerk! He is enjoying working in a Catholic environment surrounded by friendly people. Patrick’s faith is extremely important to him and he is highly involved with the Catholic church. He attends mass regularly, attends various church activities, actively supports many of their causes & belongs to The Knights of Columbus. When Patrick isn’t at Gerken’s working, he enjoys watching TV, reading, playing games, sports and spending time with his large family and his dog. He also loves to travel and has been to 31 different states, 15 different countries & looking forward to his next adventure!

MIKE D.

Mike joined the Gerken’s team in February of 2023 with the acquisition of the John Erger Company, having run that company for three years. Mike manages the Root and other product lines that came over from John Erger and works extensively with our church customers. He is also using his experience to better integrate technology tools into our processes. He greatly appreciates the opportunity to work with the great people at Gerken’s. Mike is married to Susan and they have three adult children and one granddaughter. In his parish, he is in the choir, helps with Liturgical ministries, and is a Scout leader. He also serves on the Denver Catholic Committee on Scouting.


GREGORY (JR)
Gregory has been with Gerken's for 9 years and his close attention to detail keeps our accounting department organized. Gregory enjoys working at Gerken's because both the staff and customers are very nice. When Gregory's not at work, he enjoys attending concerts, Rockies games and traveling.


 
Gerken's is a proud member of the National Church Good Association. This affiliation gives us the opportunity to connected nationally with other suppliers and retailers in our industry. Collaborating with others in the church goods industry is a valuable resource to us so we can stay up to date on how to best serve our customers.