Daniel R. Gernatt Sr. (February 7, 1917 – May 5, 2014) was an American entrepreneur, businessman, horseman, and dairy farmer in

Collins, New York Collins is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The town is on the south border of the county and is considered to be one of the " Southtowns" of Erie County. The population at the 2010 census was 6,601. History The area was first s ...

. Gernatt and his wife Flavia began a farming enterprise, Dan Gernatt Farms, that included raising dairy cows and later breeding and racing

Standardbred The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing where they compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace its bloodline ...

horses. Beginning in the 1940s, they began marketing sand and gravel from their property, leading to their establishment and ownership of several mining businesses, now known as the Gernatt Family of Companies. Gernatt started a charitable foundation, and was a donor and supporter of St. Joseph Parish in Gowanda, and the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo The Diocese of Buffalo () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Western New York in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese within the metropolitan province of the Archdiocese of New York. The Diocese of Buffalo includes ei ...

. He was recognized with awards for his contributions and service.

Background and early life

Gernatt was born and raised in

, and lived there his entire life.Daniel R. Gernatt Sr., entrepreneur, horseman
''Buffalo News'', Buffalo, NY: Berkshire Hathaway, 7 May 2014, Retrieved 22 June 2014. He was one of 10 children born to John and Martha Gernatt, who were German and Austrian immigrants., ''Gowanda News'', Gowanda, NY: Community Papers of Western New York, 9 May 2014, Retrieved 18 June 2014. He was raised on a farm, and for a

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times ...

project he successfully raised and sold turkeys at the age of 17.An American success story of faith and exceptionalism
''The Observer'', Dunkirk, NY: John D'Agostino, 31 January 2010, Heischberger, R.L., Retrieved 11 September 2013. He was a member of St. Joseph Parish in

Gowanda, New York Gowanda is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in western New York (state), New York, United States. It lies partly in Erie County, New York, Erie County and partly in Cattaraugus County, New York, Cattaraugus County. The ...

, and attended the school there for several years."Bishop's Medal recipient: Daniel R. Gernatt Sr.," ''Celebrate Catholic education dinner 2007'', Buffalo, NY: Diocese of Buffalo, 2007.

Business interests

Gernatt married Flavia C. Schmitz in 1938, and they began Dan Gernatt Dairy Farms in 1938.Flavia C. Gernatt, businesswoman
''Buffalo News - City Edition'', Buffalo, NY: Berkshire Hathaway, 29 November 1995, Retrieved 2 November 2013. In the 1950s, the couple was identified as having the largest milking dairy herd in Erie County. As the Gernatts' farming business expanded, it was later simply known as Dan Gernatt Farms. In the 1960s, the Gernatt's transitioned their dairy farming business to one of breeding and racing

horses. The Gernatts established themselves in horse breeding and harness racing throughout a period of three decades. The horse business raised and sold more than 1,000 horses. Among the Gernatts'

harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...

horses were those that were bred on their farm, identified by the presence of the last name 'Collins', the town's name. The Gernatt Family of Companies, also known simply as Gernatt's, is a group of 11 businesses located in

Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all so ...

State that market

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

, soil,

crushed stone Crushed stone or angular rock is a form of construction aggregate, typically produced by mining a suitable rock deposit and breaking the removed rock down to the desired size using crushers. It is distinct from naturally occurring gravel, whi ...

rocks In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

asphalt Asphalt most often refers to: * Bitumen, also known as "liquid asphalt cement" or simply "asphalt", a viscous form of petroleum mainly used as a binder in asphalt concrete * Asphalt concrete, a mixture of bitumen with coarse and fine aggregates, u ...

, aggregate, and cement.Gernatt family of companies celebrate 50 years in materials industry
''Pit & Quarry, 98'' (6), 10, 2005 , Accessdate= October 26, 2013. The corporate businesses include Dan Gernatt Gravel Products, Inc.; Gernatt Asphalt Products, Inc.; and Country Side Sand and Gravel, Inc., with headquarters at Taylor Hollow Road in

. Other businesses are in Gowanda,

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

, Irving, Great Valley, Springville, Chaffee,

West Seneca West Seneca is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 45,500 at the 2020 census. West Seneca is a centrally located interior town of the county, and a suburb of Buffalo. West Seneca, Orchard Park and Hamburg form th ...

, Delevan, South Dayton, and Westfield, all in the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

State counties of

Erie Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...

, Cattaraugus, and

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) is an adult education and social movement in the United States that peaked in popularity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Cha ...

. The companies were cofounded in 1946 by Gernatt and his late wife, Flavia C. (Schmitz) Gernatt.Flavia C. Gernatt, businesswoman
''Highbeam.com'', Cengage Learning, from the original: Buffalo News, 29 November 1995, Retrieved 21 June 2014. The companies also own and operate the public Gowanda Airport. The companies are also involved in oil and natural gas exploration, maintain a real estate division, and are copartners in an electric cogeneration plant.''Spirit of Gowanda - 1995 Annual Report'', Gowanda Area Chamber of Commerce, Gowanda, NY, February 1996.

Philanthropy

In 1987, Gernatt and his wife established the Daniel and Flavia Gernatt Family Foundation, which provides grants and loans mostly in the areas of education, healthcare, Christian-related endeavors,Daniel & Flavia Gernatt Family Foundation, Collins, New York
''Christian Volunteering.org'', Dorchester, MA: Christian Volunteering, 2014, Retrieved 26 February 2014. and poverty and homeless relief.Form 990-PF 2008 Return of Private Foundation: Daniel & Flavia Gernatt Family Foundation
''GuideStar'', Washington, DC: GuideStar USA, Inc., 2009, Retrieved 29 November 2013. In 1995 it helped the Amish Valley View Cheese Cooperative Association in

Conewango, New York Conewango is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 1,794 at the 2020 census. The town is named after a creek which flows through the town. The town is on the west border of the county and is northeast of Jam ...

reopen the 35-year-old cheese plant there, which had been closed for two years. Gernatt and his wife donated the construction of a new

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

to St. Joseph Parish in Gowanda in 1992.''2003 St. Joseph's Catholic Church'', Eden Prairie, MN: Olan Mills Church Directories, January 2004. In 1996 he created the Gernatt Family Endowment Fund for St. Joseph School in Gowanda.Foundation funds supporting Catholic education
''The Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo'', Buffalo, NY, Retrieved 27 November 2013. He was also a benefactor to the

and regularly donated to

Catholic Charities The Catholic Church operates numerous charitable organizations. Catholic spiritual teaching includes spreading the Gospel, while Catholic social teaching emphasises support for the sick, the poor and the afflicted through the corporal and spir ...

of Buffalo and Western New York.Catholic Charities: Thank you corporate donors, 2012
''Catholic Charities of Buffalo Appeal'', Buffalo, NY, Retrieved 29 November 2013.2011–2012 Annual Report
, ''Christ the King Seminary'', East Aurora, NY, Retrieved 27 November 2013. In 2004, the family's foundation and companies donated $150,000 to TLC Health Network's $1 million campaign to make renovations to and update diagnostic imaging equipment at hospitals in Gowanda and

Irving, New York Irving is a tri-county hamlet primarily located in both Chautauqua County and Erie County, as well as a small area of Cattaraugus County, New York. Most of Irving is included as part of the Cattaraugus Reservation of the Seneca Nation of India ...

. The donation was identified as a "jump start" to the health network's capital campaign drive.

Recognition

In 2001, Gernatt received the

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and Naturalism (philosophy), naturalist. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the sixth governor of New York. ...

Masonic Award. In 2007 he received the Bishop's Medal from the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

Personal life

Gernatt has a son, Daniel Jr., and two daughters, Patricia Rebmann and Phyllis Ulmer. Gernatt died in 2014 following a short illness.

References