Brooks Running history

By 1920, Quaker Shoes had been renamed Brooks Shoe Manufacturing Co., Inc., and its shoes were sold under the brand name Bruxshu.

In 1938, the Goldenbergs bought the Carmen Shoe Manufacturing Company in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

In 1956, after a series of operational changes, John notified his brother that he would not renew their partnership agreement, and Michael discussed expanding Carmen with his nephew, Frank's son Barton.

Until 1957 a better grade leather was purchased, cut, stitched and fit in Philadelphia, while the same procedure in Hanover used lower grade materials.

In 1958, Michael purchased Barton's interest in the company, and as the sole owner, he renamed Carmen the Brooks Manufacturing Company.

Instead of making anything — from athletic shoes to combat boots — that would keep the factory turning, Brooks starts to think about limiting its focus. It could be said that Brooks' focus on running shoes actually began in 1972, when Yale graduate Frank Shorter won the Olympic marathon.

In 1975, Brooks worked with elite runners, including Marty Liquori, a former Olympian, to design a running shoe.

In 1977, based on newly developed measurements of cushioning, flexibility, and durability, the Vantage was ranked at #1 in the annual Runner's World running guide.

Raised in Seattle, Rockey graduated from the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1978, ending her academic career two years later, after she had earned her master's degree in business administration.

In 1980, as a result of production issues with Brooks's manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico, defective shoes began to arrive at sporting goods stores.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and was purchased at auction by footwear manufacturer Wolverine World Wide in 1981.

In 1982, stability became the top priority for runners, and Brooks introduced the Chariot, a medial post shoe that featured an angled wedge of harder-density foam in the midsole.

Nike hired Rockey in 1984 as a special sales manager of the company's then small apparel division.

In 1987, with Brooks for Women, it launched an anatomically adjusted line of shoes designed for women.

In 1991, HydroFlow wins the American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance.

In 1992, Brooks launched the Beast, a motion control shoe that integrated diagonal rollbar technology.

Ownership of Brooks changed hands in February 1993, marking the beginning of a new era for the troubled shoe manufacturer.

With the departure of what the July 1, 1994 Puget Sound Business Journal described as 'a faltering management team,' stewardship of the company devolved to Rokke Group's chairman and CEO, Bjorn Gjelsten.

Rockey saw her chance to join a higher profile company, and took it, leaving Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Bruce Pettet, a Brooks executive since 1995, in charge of running the company.

In 1996, for instance, Nordstrom Inc. carried Brooks footwear at just one store, but a year later, the department store chain carried the company's shoes at 30 locations.

Brooks introduced a full-line of technical running and fitness apparel for women and men in the spring of 1997.

After a 29 percent increase in apparel sales in 1998, the company's apparel business accounted for 15 percent of total sales by the end of the decade.

Brooks's Run Happy tag line first appeared in print advertising in 1999.

In 2001, Jim Weber, a former Brooks board member, was named president and CEO of the company.

Brooks was acquired by Russell Athletic in 2004.

In 2006, Russell was purchased by Fruit of the Loom and Brooks became a subsidiary of Fruit of the Loom's parent company, Berkshire Hathaway.

In 2011, Brooks became the leading running shoe in the specialty market.

Brooks DNA (and later Super DNA) was released in 2013.

The Brooks Heritage Collection was launched in 2016, returning the Vanguard, the Chariot, and the Beast to the market.