by Dennis Dalman
The owners of Audio Video Extremes in Waite Park were named Small Business Owners of the Year for 2023 by the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce.
The owners, Rich and Jodi Erkens, were honored May 3 at the annual Central Minnesota Business Awards Luncheon at the Park Event Center in Waite Park.
Jodi (Mohs) Erkens was raised in St. Joseph, the daughter of Harvey and the late Mary Jo Mohs. She has two siblings, brother Todd Mohs and sister Gail Schloesser, who is the office administrator for Audio Video Extremes. Jodi Mohs attended Kennedy Elementary School in St. Joseph, then North Junior High School and graduated from Apollo High School, both in St. Cloud.
Rich and Jodi Erkens, who have four sons, dedicated their entire careers to home entertainment. When Rich was 16, he began work for RadioShack, then moved on to Audio King, which was later purchased by Ultimate Electronics.
In 2005, Rich opened his own home-entertainment business with two other business partners and operated it out of his home, then started its first away-from-home location in 2009. During that time, Jodi did bookkeeping part-time for the company.
In 2012, the Erkens became the sole owners of the company. In 2014, Audio Video Extremes moved into its current Waite Park location. The store specializes in both in-home and commercial electronics.
In the first year, the Erkens doubled their annual revenue. By 2022, revenue had tripled. The company employs 20 people and will open a branch location in Baxter this year with three employees.
In the Chamber’s award to the Erkens, they were praised for treating their employees like “family,” for their foresight in business trends, for exemplary service and for giving back to the community in many ways, including raising money for places like the Coborn Cancer Center, CentraCare Hospice and the Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center.
Other honorees
Other St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce honorees for this year are Mary Hondl, chief executive officer of Regional Diagnostic Radiology, who was chosen as the 2023 Women in Business Champion; and Tina and Jay Mrozek, owners of Blacklight Adventures, a family-fun center in St. Cloud. The Mrozeks were named 2023 Emerging Entrepreneurs of Year.
Rich and Jodi Erkens were named by the St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce as 2023 Small Business Owner of the Year and were honored at a banquet May 3. They own Audio Video Extremes in Waite Park. Jodi (Mohs) Erkens grew up in St. Joseph. Her sister, Gail (Mohs) Schloesser in the office administrator for Audio Video Extremes.
