Gary is one of the founding members of Breakaway Academy and also the founder of Hegenes Properties, Inc. – a property management service to the great Midwest states of Minnesota and North Dakota. The most important thing to Gary has never been the ‘brick and mortar’ of his buildings, but rather the people who live, rent or work inside of them. Gary instilled an ethos of people serving people into every member of his company. It’s a philosophy that has served the company very well over five decades of an ever-changing industry.
To compliment his people serving people spirit, Gary has poured his heart into helping children in the Minneapolis area however he can. He has co-founded or helped start three charter/private schools in the Minneapolis area. The first is Breakaway Academy. He is also heavily involved in Hope Farm School and Hope Academy, both academic schools for challenged youth in the inner city. In addition to the schools, Gary has served on, or directed several boards of many nonprofit organizations that focus on youth development and adult rehabilitation. Organizations include: The Boys and Girls Club (clubs for inner city youth), CCTP (helping felons reenter the work force), Student Venture (developing student leaders), and Big Brothers Big Sisters (pairing youths with adult mentors – 40 years of involvement).
Gary not only has a heart for youth but also has a passion for sports. He was a past sailboat and downhill/ nordic ski racer. He loves to coach sports and play hockey, racquetball, pickleball, golf, and go biking, boating, and walking. If that is not enough, Gary is a mountain climber, scaling such heights as Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and Machu Picchu in Peru. Gary is a veteran of the US Army, and was a NCO serving over Battalion Training.
He is a golden retriever lover and you will rarely see him without his dog, Augustus, by his side. Gary is known for his heart, his smile, and his humor. The most important people in his life are his wife, Teresa, whom he married in 2021 and his son, Evan.