Gerry grew up on a poultry and grain farm near Wawanesa, Manitoba. In 1983 Gerry, together with his brother, bought the family farm and a hog operation was started. They operated this farm until 2007 when other interests demanded more and more of their time.

In 1996 Gerry was elected as chairman of Manitoba Pork Est. In 1999, when Manitoba Pork Est. was split into a marketing arm and a universal arm, Gerry became president of Manitoba Pork Marketing and remained in that position till the spring of 2004. These positions gave Gerry the opportunity to experience agriculture across Canada and throughout the World. However, it was in 2000, when he was appointed to the Manitoba Farm Mediation Board, that he felt he had found his real passion. 

Since 2000 Gerry has taken numerous Conflict Resolution courses and workshops. Aside from his private practice, he provides his mediation services to Farm Debt Mediation Services and the Automobile Injury Mediation Office. 

In 2007 Gerry applied for and became a volunteer for the Manitoba Farm and Rural Stress line. Being in a wind-down mode on his own hog farm, he decided to apply. Gerry saw the Farm Line job as an extension to his mediation work and it giving him an opportunity to give back to the community at large. As he found out, that experience was the beginning of the discovery part of his own journey through the labyrinth of anxiety and depression. 

In 2021 Gerry was a co-founder of the Manitoba Farmer Wellness Program, an initiative dedicated to providing accessible, confidential mental health support tailored specifically for farmers, their families and employees. Recognizing the unique challenges of the agricultural community, we created this program to ensure that farmers have a safe space to seek support from professionals who understand the pressures of farming life. As the program grew, he became their Chief Administrative Officer.

Gerry’s passion is in helping others find solutions for the various issues that life throws at us. A combination of his own life experiences, training in conflict resolution, and intensive counseling training provide him the tools to help others who are struggling. Those life experiences also prompted him to write The Recovering Farmer, a book about his journey through mental health challenges, resilience, and finding a path forward.