For Dennis Gehman, the story of Gehman Design Remodeling begins long before the company opened its doors. It begins with a childhood shaped by faith, service, Christian camping, and a love for building things with his hands.
Dennis grew up near Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania, as the oldest of five children. His parents were devoted Christians who made church and service an important part of family life. When Dennis was 12 years old, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior during a family devotional in their living room.
“Without Him, I am nothing,” Dennis said. “I am thankful to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.”
From an early age, Dennis knew that he wanted to build. His father regularly completed repairs and maintenance projects around their home. He also volunteered his skills at church, in the community, through Mennonite Disaster Service, and at Spruce Lake Wilderness Camp.
“As far back as I can remember, I would tell people when they asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I was going to be a carpenter,” Dennis recalled.
Although Dennis initially planned to attend vocational school for carpentry, he was not accepted into the program. A guidance counselor suggested architectural drafting instead. At the time, it felt like an unexpected change in direction. Years later, Dennis could see how that experience had prepared him for what was ahead.
After high school, he joined a framing crew as a laborer. Despite his limited field experience, Dennis could already read construction plans because of his architectural drafting classes. That ability immediately set him apart.
“I’m very thankful for how God put that puzzle together,” he said.
Faith, Camp and a Lifelong Partnership
Spruce Lake Wilderness Camp also played a defining role in Dennis’s life. He first attended as a child and returned nearly every summer. He later served as a counselor, volunteer and board member.
The camp also helped strengthen his relationship with Glenda, whom he had met while attending Christopher Dock High School. They reconnected during a week at Spruce Lake and began dating soon afterward.
Dennis and Glenda eventually married and began building a life rooted in faith and service. After volunteering together at Spruce Lake, they felt drawn toward Christian camping ministry. Dennis enrolled at Eastern Mennonite College to study Christian Camping, Recreation and Youth Ministries.
When the couple learned they were expecting their first child, their plans changed. Dennis left college after one year and accepted a position at Lakewood Retreat, a Christian camp in Florida. The role allowed him to combine youth ministry, maintenance, construction and camp programming.
After nearly two years, Dennis and Glenda returned to Pennsylvania to be closer to their families. Dennis believed that God would lead him into another formal ministry position. Instead, he moved through several jobs while trying to understand where he was supposed to serve.
Learning to Bloom Where He Was Planted
Dennis eventually returned to construction, but he continued to wonder why God had not opened the door to full-time Christian ministry.
One morning, while preparing to change jobs, that question became the focus of his devotional time. The answer he received changed the direction of his life.
“God just made it so clear in my mind, in my heart, that this is the ministry He had for me,” Dennis said. “He wanted me to bloom where I was planted.”
Within a few months, Dennis had the opportunity to lead a coworker to Christ on a project site. It confirmed that ministry did not require a formal title or a position inside a church.
“As Christians, we’re all to be ministers wherever we’re at,” he said.
That belief became central to how Dennis approached his work, his relationships and, eventually, his own business.
Dennis continued developing his construction skills through residential, industrial and commercial work. He learned project supervision, estimating, spreadsheets and business management. At the same time, he and Glenda helped establish Covenant Community Fellowship, which held its first gathering in December 1986.
These experiences brought together the different parts of Dennis’s life. Construction, leadership, faith and service were no longer separate paths. They were all part of the same calling.
Taking the Step Into Business Ownership
While working for builder and developer Harry Hasson, Dennis and Glenda decided to build their own home. Dennis worked long days at his regular job, then returned home to continue construction on the house.
After seeing the finished home, friends and neighbors began asking Dennis to complete projects for them. The possibility of owning a construction business returned to his mind.
One evening, Glenda asked whether he was still thinking about starting his own company.
Dennis told her, “I think I will always wonder, ‘What if?’”
The couple prayed, spoke with their parents and sought advice from trusted mentors. One mentor recommended securing a line of credit before Dennis left his job. It proved to be valuable advice almost immediately.
On October 1, 1990, Dennis became self-employed. Dan Koffel, the coworker Dennis had previously led to Christ, joined him on the company’s first day.
Dennis had several months of projects scheduled, but the first year brought serious challenges. A restaurant project resulted in a loss of approximately $29,000. Soon afterward, an employee was involved in a tragic vehicle accident that resulted in a woman’s death.
The financial, legal and emotional strain tested the young company. Through those hardships, Dennis and Glenda remained grounded in the commitment they had made from the beginning.
“Right from the beginning, Glenda and I dedicated our business to God and told Him that was His business,” Dennis said. “We wanted to be good stewards of that.”
Building More Than Homes
As the company grew into Gehman Design Remodeling, Dennis continued viewing every business relationship as an opportunity to serve.
He sought to be open about his faith with employees, clients, vendors and others he met through the company. His email signature included a Bible verse, but his commitment went beyond words. He tried to show his beliefs through honesty, compassion, responsibility and personal care.
There were times when Dennis met prospective clients and quickly realized that their greatest need was not a construction project.
On two separate occasions, women contacted him about potential work while going through difficult personal circumstances. Gehman Design Remodeling was not hired for either project, but Dennis was able to listen and pray with them.
“God didn’t have me going there for construction,” he said.
For Dennis, those moments were more meaningful than securing another contract.
“When you have the opportunity for ministry, it is so much better,” he said.
That sense of responsibility also influenced the way he viewed customer service. Dennis understood that his actions reflected both his company and the faith he openly shared. He wanted clients to experience dependable communication, quality work and genuine follow-through.
The business experienced busy seasons, slower periods and difficult years, but Dennis continued trusting in God’s provision.
“I know God’s always going to provide,” he said. “And He has.”
A Legacy of Faith, Family and Service
Today, Dennis is gradually reducing his workload, although some weeks make that easier than others. He remains grateful that his career allowed him to do work he genuinely enjoyed.
“If you have work that you love, you never work a day in your life,” Dennis said. “Most days are like that.”
He and Glenda are now enjoying life as grandparents to 13 grandchildren. Recent family adventures have included building a treehouse, sleeping outside and continuing the family’s connection to Spruce Lake. Dennis still attends camp with his grandchildren, returning to the place that shaped so much of his own life.
Looking back, Dennis can see how architectural drafting, carpentry, Christian camping, church leadership, marriage, parenting and business ownership were woven together. What once seemed like separate experiences became parts of a much larger purpose.
His testimony is not simply the story of a carpenter who started a successful remodeling company. It is the story of someone who learned that meaningful ministry can happen anywhere, including at a construction site, across a client’s kitchen table or during a conversation with an employee.
It is a story about blooming where one is planted, treating work as a calling and building a legacy that extends far beyond homes.
“God is good,” Dennis said, “and I’m blessed in very many ways.”