Founded in 1932, Rocky Brands’ humble beginnings trace back to brothers William (Bill) Brooks and F.M. (Mike) Brooks, who took a leap of faith during the Great Depression and moved their families from Columbus to Nelsonville to start a shoe factory in southeastern Ohio. In search of opportunity, the brothers set up shop in a rent-free factory with lent equipment and the William Brooks Shoe Co. was born.

The company originally employed 50 to 100 workers with a production rate of 300 pairs of Goodyear welt shoes per day. With a newly-constructed addition and the installation of more equipment, by the mid-1930’s 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 and the Korean War, the company built key relationships with leading footwear retailers such as Sears, Roebuck and Co., JCPenney, Kinney Shoe and Thom McCan.

When John Brooks bought back the company, he simply planned to run a small family business…but his son had other, bigger ideas. By the late 1970s, Mike Brooks decided it was time for the company to have its own brand name. Looking for a rugged, out-doorsy name, he chose Rocky, the name of the best-selling leather at the tannery where he previously worked.

The company was producing 550,000 pairs of shoes and boots annually and recording sales of $12 million by 1981. With Mike Brooks at the helm, the company continued to grow throughout the 1980s and, following a hugely successful SHOT show in 1984, Rocky moved steadfastly forward investing more time, money and energy in the hunting business. Now an innovator in the hunting arena, in 1989 Rocky introduced a waterproof boot made with Dupont’s Cordura fabric and became one of the first licensees of Gore-Tex. Outdoor and sporting goods stores, along with small upstart retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cabela’s, Bass Pro and Gander Mountain were selling Rocky products across the country.

Mike Brooks and his management team decided they needed to include more than just Rocky-brand boots and moved into the Western and work footwear categories. Their next move was the acquisition of EJ Footwear which gained brands including Georgia, Durango and Lehigh, along with the licenses for Dickies and John Deere.

In 2006, Rocky Shoes and Boots changed its name to Rocky Brands to reflect its diversified portfolio. Rocky Brands will soon introduce two exciting new lines, ZUMFOOT and MICHELIN FOOTWEAR. Both brands offer the same great quality and value that Rocky Brands always offers.

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tel: 0118 9262 491 fax: 0118 935 2364 Email: enquiries@ulc.co.uk