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Rocky Boots history
Rocky Boots company history timeline
In 1932, William Brooks, joined by his brother F. M. "Mike" Brooks, founded The William Brooks Shoe Company in Nelsonville, Ohio.
In 1946, F.M. left Nelsonville, but his son John remained to raise a family and help grow the factory.
But in 1958, William Brooks decided to sell the business to the Irving Drew Shoe Company of Lancaster, Ohio.
In 1960, the founders sold the business, fearing United States shoemakers would not be able to keep up with foreign competition.
Footwear manufacturing in the United States languished throughout the 1960's.
In 1975, John W. Brooks formed John W. Brooks, Inc. as an Ohio corporation; reacquired the Nelsonville, Ohio, operating assets of the original company, and moved the business’ principal executive offices back to Nelsonville, Ohio – located in Athens County in the heart of Ohio’s Appalachian region.
In 1975, the new owners were getting ready to sell or shut down the business.
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.
Brooks — who led the company from 1979, when he was promoted to president, to this summer — will be around as needed.
In search of a rugged, outdoorsy name, the Rocky brand was created in 1979.
Following a successful SHOT show in 1984, Rocky shifted focus and expanded their efforts in hunting footwear, designing innovative boots like the Cornstalker.
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.
Even so, when Brooks announced in 2001 that Rocky would shut down its manufacturing in Nelsonville, “it was the hardest day of my life.”
Rocky Shoes & Boots acquired EJ Footwear on December 6, 2004, for $87.7 million in cash and roughly $10 million in stock.
But he has set up an office across the street from Sharp’s in Nelsonville’s old city building, which Rocky Brands bought in 2005 and completely restored.
Brooks and Sharp said that the company will continue to develop new footwear and, following on the heels of its acquisition of EJ Footwear Group in 2005, hopes to acquire other footwear companies that fit the company’s brand.
In 2006, Rocky Shoes & Boots changed its name to Rocky Brands, Inc.
Financials: Sales of $252.8?million in 2010; net income of $7.7?million, or $1.14 per share
In February 2014 the company acquired Los Angeles based Creative Recreation for $11 million.
In 2015, Creative Recreation's original owner Rich Cofinco was made creative director.
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Rocky Boots competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior Group of Companies | 1920 | $543.3M | 6,000 | 23 |
| TURA | 1938 | $15.0M | 100 | - |
| Commerce | - | $12.0M | 200 | 16 |
| Quill.com | 1956 | $600.0M | 2,200 | - |
| Systemax | 1949 | $1.3B | 1,550 | - |
| Ingram Entertainment | 1980 | $616.0M | 540 | - |
| Vantage Apparel | 1977 | $800,000 | 6 | 15 |
| Safilo USA Inc | - | $119.5M | 529 | - |
| Bridgestone Golf | 1931 | $89.2M | 225 | - |
| SWEIS | 2000 | $15.0M | 175 | - |
Rocky Boots history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Rocky Boots, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Rocky Boots. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Rocky Boots. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Rocky Boots. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Rocky Boots and its employees or that of Zippia.
Rocky Boots may also be known as or be related to Rocky Boots, Rocky Brands, Rocky Brands Inc, Rocky Brands Inc. and Rocky Brands, Inc.