Rocky Brands, Inc., formerly known as Rocky Shoes & Boots, Inc., designs, develops, manufactures and markets outdoor, work, western and military footwear, and other outdoor and work apparel and accessories. The company was founded in 1932 in Nelsonville,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and still maintains its corporate headquarters there.

History

In 1932, William Brooks, joined by his brother F. M. "Mike" Brooks, founded The William Brooks Shoe Company in Nelsonville,

. Both men had lost their jobs during the Great Depression when Godman Shoe Co. of Columbus went bankrupt. In search of opportunity, the brothers set up shop in a rent-free factory with lent equipment and what would eventually become Rocky Brands was born. The company originally employed 50 to 100 workers with a production rate of 300 pairs of shoes per day. With a newly constructed addition and the installation of more equipment, by the mid-1930s the factory employed 225 people and production output increased to more than 2,000 pairs per day. During the 1940s and 1950s business continued to grow. While supplying more than one million pairs of shoes and boots for military conflicts such as

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and the

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, the company built key relationships with leading footwear retailers. But in 1958, William Brooks decided to sell the business to the Irving Drew Shoe Company of

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

. His nephew, John Brooks, who had worked in the plant full-time since age 17, attempted to make a play for the family-run business, but his efforts were rebuffed. William Brooks refused to sell, telling his nephew the shoe industry had no future. In 1975, the new owners were getting ready to sell or shut down the business. John Brooks, who stayed through the Irving Drew years as plant manager, bought the business back for $640,000, re-establishing The William Brooks Shoe Company in Nelsonville. John Brooks then brought his son, Mike Brooks, into the business as a product designer and manager. In 1977, Mike Brooks won an award for what now is called the original "Rocky boot," and the company paid $1,000 for a trademark and launched the Rocky brand. As the company struggled in the early 1980s, the shoe market bounced back, and in 1983, the company began marketing occupational shoes, such as those worn by police officers and mail carriers, under the Rocky brand. It opened up new markets and new distribution methods. Sales rose and in 1988, the company reached $20 million in annual revenue. Two years after the retirement of John Brooks in 1991, his son, Mike Brooks took the company public, spending nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in the process, changing the name to Rocky Shoes & Boots and initiating the company's initial public offering. Rocky Shoes & Boots acquired EJ Footwear on December 6, 2004, for $87.7 million in cash and roughly $10 million in stock. The move brought Georgia Boot, Durango, and Lehigh Safety Shoes brands into Rocky's fold and added a licensed footwear brand in

Dickies Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. is an apparel manufacturing company primarily known for its largest brand, Dickies. The company was founded in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1922 by C. N. Williamson and E. E. "Colonel" Dickie, who began a denim bib overall co ...

. In 2006, Rocky Shoes & Boots changed its name to Rocky Brands, Inc. Following the name change Rocky Brands acquired comfort footwear Zumfoot shoes and Michelin footwear. In February 2014 the company acquired Los Angeles based

Creative Recreation Creative may refer to: *Creativity, phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is created * "Creative" (song), a 2008 song by Leon Jackson * Creative class, a proposed socioeconomic class * Creative destruction, an economic term * Creative dir ...

for $11 million. In 2015, Creative Recreation's original owner Rich Cofinco was made creative director. In 2021, Rocky Brands acquired

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...

's performance and lifestyle footwear business for $230 million, including The Original Muck Boot Company, the neoprene boot brand

Xtratuf XTRATUF is a brand of neoprene boots manufactured by Rocky Brands. First made in Rock Island, Illinois, they are popular throughout Alaska and the Pacific Northwest in general, especially in coastal areas and among fishermen. History BF Goodri ...

, as well as the Servus, NEOS and Ranger footwear brands.

Philanthropy

In 2009, Rocky Brands formed the not-for-profit philanthropic organization Rocky Community Improvement Fund (RCIF), which maintains an endowment and awards grants.

Awards

Rocky was awarded ''Footwear Plus'' magazine's Plus Award in the work footwear category for 2010.

References

External links

*{{official website Shoe companies of the United States Clothing companies established in 1932 Outdoor clothing brands Manufacturing companies based in Ohio Companies listed on the Nasdaq Athens County, Ohio 1932 establishments in Ohio