About Gutter Helmet
Family Business, Family Culture
It started as a side business in their spare bedroom. Little did Lannie and Bonnie Grages know that they would soon be constructing an office building across their driveway to serve their exploding customer base.
The Glencoe, Minnesota-based couple already worked full-time jobs back in 2001:Bonnie as a health aide at the local high school, Lannie in the farm building industry. After learning about the Gutter Helmet product, they decided to start the first Minnesota dealership with only one employee: Lannie’s nephew, Ryan.
Within three years, Lannie would be running Gutter Helmet full time, and soon would be joined by Bonnie. Today, Gutter Helmet Minnesota has been passed down to the second generation. The company is now owned and operated by their daughters, son-in-law, and nephew. The company has nearly 40 employees, more than 45,000 customers, and more than 15,000 square feet of office and warehouse space — slightly more than that second bedroom …
Lannie & Bonnie Grages
Co-Founders
Jeff Menke
President of Sales & Marketing
Jodi Menke
Treasurer
“My mom and dad have always been honest people with sky-high integrity and incredible work ethic,” says their daughter, Jodi Menke, who serves as company treasurer. “To this day, those are exactly the kinds of people we hire.”
“We sell the industry’s best product, but what fuels our growth is the fact that we’re extremely service-oriented,” says Jeff Menke, Jodi’s husband and President of sales and marketing manager. “We treat our employees like family, and they treat our homeowners as family. That’s what truly separates us in the marketplace.”
It’s fitting that a business that helps preserve homes actually started in one. Today, nearly a quarter of our current employees are related to Lannie and Bonnie Grages. But the real secret to our success is that everyone who touches our brand feels like they’re part of our extended family.
Ryan Graf a/k/a Mr. Wolf
President of Operations
Jill Graczyk
VP of Operations
Nancy Wilber
Sales Office Manager
Jenny Petersen
Business Office Assistant
Kat Lampman
Social Media Coordinator / Sales Office Assistant
Adam Tellers
Commercial & Replacement Sales Coordinator