The beginning...Riecken's

Riecken's Beginning: In 1910 Louis H. Riecken operated a shoe repair shop in Mt. Vernon, IN. In 1914, he moved his shop to Evansville, IN.

In 1910 Louis H. Riecken operated a shoe repair shop in Mt. Vernon, IN. In 1914, he moved it to Evansville, IN. His son, George L. Riecken, entered the business and carried it on with his wife, Fannie, until his death in 1957.

In the 1940’s, George’s son, George Carl Riecken (b.1931), began working with his father, learning the trade. After a stint in the Navy’s Parachute Jump Test Corps from 1951 to 1954, Carl took over the business in 1957 upon his father’s death. George known as “Carl” used his middle name specifically and was known as such throughout his life.

Building on his family’s shoe repair business, Carl turned it into Riecken’s Orthotic Laboratory and Foot Comfort World, one of the most successful enterprises in the O&P and pedorthics industries. Carl was instrumental in making Riecken’s Shoes & Orthotics what it is today, envisioning the need for foot comfort and proper shoe fit in the future. He invented many pedorthic products and systems for the manufacture of pedorthic devices.

Pedorthic Visionary and Promoter

Riecken’s Shoes & Orthotic Laboratory: As President of the newly formed Riecken's, Carl envisioned the need for foot comfort and proper shoe fit for the future.

President of Riecken’s Shoes & Orthotic Laboratory since 1957, Carl was a past president of the Pedorthic Footwear Association (Pedorthic Footcare Association). He has served as Chairman for Crippled Children of Hadi Shrines Temple Evansville 2 terms.

Additionally, Carl lectured in pedorthics and gave pedorthic classes at Ball State University, Muncie, IN. His teaching credits include a professorship of Orthopedic Shoe Technology, 10 years working with Clyde Edwards, Orthopedic Shoe Technology and Custom Shoe making, Ball State University, Northwestern University.

Carl has published numerous papers and articles and was co-author of Diabetic Foot Care published by the American Diabetic Association. He has chaired PFA’s symposium on Management of The Arthritic Foot a Team Approach, which was cosponsored by The Arthritis Foundation and The American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society. Carl had also served as a judge for the Shoe Service Institute’s annual Orthopedic Shoe Service Contest in 1986.

Riecken’s Today

George Carl Riecken: 1931 - 2006

George Carl Riecken passed away in 2006 at 76 years old. Today, Riecken’s has been passed down through family and is continuing to carry the tradition of excellence into the next 100 years. As technology changes, Riecken’s provides a complete service to the foot-care industry: a full line of family shoes, shoe repair, design and manufacture of foot-care products, and a custom, central orthotic laboratory.

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