1930‘s
1932
Founded in 1932 by brothers William (Bill) and F.M. (Mike) Brooks. The pair had lost their jobs in Columbus during the Great Depression. They moved to Nelsonville with their families in order to find work.
Clay and coal resources were being depleted, The Great Depression had set in and the McGovern Shoe Co. , that originally occupied the brick factory building, had closed leaving building vaccant.
The city of Nelsonville now owned the building and didn't want it sitting empty so they let the brothers have it rent free. The United Shoe Machinery Co. lent them the equipment they needed and the local residents raised $25,000 to pay the overdue property taxes on the building.
They started with 50 employees making 300 pairs per day of Goodyear welt shoes for men and boys. The William Brooks Shoe Company was incorporated in August 1932.
The unemployment rate is the US in 1932 was 23.6%. At the peak of the Great Depression in 1933 the rate rose to a staggering 24.9%. Starting a business during this trying time was certainly a risk. One that paid off for the brothers as well as the small community of Nelsonville.
1940‘s
1946
Amidst turmoil between the founding brothers, in 1946 F.M. Brooks left Nelsonville; however his son, John Brooks, aged 25, chose to remain in the area and continued to raise a family with his wife Gloria. During this time the couple welcomed their third child and first son, Mike Brooks — who ended up becoming Chairman and CEO for more than 30 years.
With remaining founder William Brooks at the helm business continued to grow. The company sold more than one million pairs of shoes and boots for military conflicts such as World War II and the Korean War.
During the 1940's William Brooks Shoe Co. built relationships with leading footwear retailers Sears Roebuck Co., JC Penney, Kinney Shoes, Thom McCan where most of the shoes they made were sold.
The company printed a monthly newsletter during this time called “The Babbling Brooks” to keep employees and their families informed about their local service members, and other current news and events.
1950‘s
-1960‘s
1959
Believing the shoe factory to be outdated and on the road to closing as other production facilites in the country had, remaining founder Bill (William) Brooks sold the company to Irving Drew Shoes Co. in Lancaster, Ohio.
John Brooks wanted to buy it but was turned down because he didn’t have the money and Bill thought it was a lost cause that John would later regret.
1960's
Footwear manufacturing in the US was failing, going overseas to China. In 1960 4% of the shoes were imported. That jumped to 47% by 1976.
1970‘s
A Brand is Born
1975
After years of decline in the US Footwear Manufacturing business Irving Drew announced he was either going to shut down the factory or sell it. He was asking 1.3 million for the then failing factory. John Brooks only had $500 in cash but desperately wanted to buy it. He negotiated the price down to $640,000 and with the backing of Farmers Home Administration and a consortium of five local banks he bought it in 1975. When he called his son Mike, who was working at a Milwaukee leather tannery at the time, he immediately came back home to work with his dad in Nelsonville and help run the family business.
Late 1970's
Mike Brooks wanted to start a line of branded footwear, feeling it was the only way to be competitive in the market. They couldn’t use their sir name of Brooks due to copyright issues with Brooks Brothers and Brooks Athletic. Mike suggested “Rocky” as a rugged name for the outdoor focused line of boots taking inspiration from the Rocky Mountains, the popular movie and the best-selling leather at the tannery where he had previously worked. The Rocky brand was born!
1977
Mike Brooks wins the Leather Industry of America Award for the Rocky Oblique Toe work boot.
Mike Brooks
1980‘s
1981
Rocky released the new "lightweight hiker" at less than 1/2 the weight of other hikers at the time.
1983
When railroad companies were shedding unused lines, Congress amended the National Trails System Act of 1968 to allow Municipalities and other entities, to use the abandoned corridors for recreational trails. They became known as "rails to trails" or "rail trails". Resulted in over 1800 rail trail systems, like the HockHocking Adena Bikeway, that begins in the back corner of the Rocky Outdoor Gear Store parking lot.
Late 1989
Introduced a waterproof boot made of Dupont's Cordura fabric, one of the first licenses of Gore-Tex. First all Cordura hunting boot to capitalize on the success Rocky had at the 1984 SHOT Show. The new camouflage hunting boots were sold to Dick's Sporting Goods, Cabela's, Bass Pro, and Gander Mountain nationwide.
1983-1987
"World Walker" Steve Newman wears Rocky Boots to walk 21,000 miles in four years, setting a World Record. The last person to walk around the world went through 27 pairs of shoes!
1987
Five Star Enterprises opens in Dominican Republic. Mike Brooks, John Brooks, David Fraedrich, Robert Hollenbaugh, Eric Beraza all took personal loans totaling $125,000 to open it. This factory still produces Rocky Brands footwear today.
1990‘s
1990
John Brooks retires, leaving the company, and all it's debt (11.25 million) to his five children, Barbara, Patricia, Mike, Jay and Stuart.
1991
Annual sales reach $32 million, boosted by military sales for The Gulf War. Mike Brooks named Ohio's Entrepreneur of The Year.
1993
As the apparent only solution to cover the debt owed, suggested by Mike, the company went public on February 3 with a stock price of $10, netting $16.5 million in profits. The name of the company was officially changed to Rocky Shoes and Boots.
1994
Constructed a new retail store and offices across the street from the factory building. $50 million in sales, 1,000 employees. Ram sculpture by Maine artist Forest Hart placed standing 9' tall, weighing 1,000 pounds.
1996
John Brooks passed away on February 19th at the age of 74. John loved this community and the hard working people of Nelsonville. He worked up until the week he passed away guiding the direction of his beloved family business.
Shortly after his passing the company began giving out The John Brooks Award annually at their Christmas Party to the employee who exemplifies community spirit and dedication.
1999
The new 200,000 sq ft, $6,000,000 state of the art Distribution Center opens just up the road in Logan, bringing hundreds of new jobs in the area.
2000‘s
2004
Rocky purchases E. J. Footwear with the established brands of Georgia Boot, Durango, Lehigh, plus licenses for Dickies and John Deere, doubling the size of the business. The aquisition provided a more diverse product offering with Work and Western styles, as well as a retail platform with Lehigh Saftey Shoes.
2004-2006
The old Nelsonville City Building which once housed city offices, the Fire Department and even the jail was sitting empty. Rocky bought it and rather than tear down the delapidated structure, spent two years and $1,000,000 to remodel it as offices while keeping the historic charm. Photos documenting the buildings history adorn the first floor hallway along with the original marbel plaque dating the structure in 1904.
Due to rising costs of local manufacturing and a tremendous amount of company debt the Brooks family was left with a very difficult decision. On November 21, 2001 the last pair of Rocky boots was boxed and shipped from this factory. However, Rocky Brands now employs over three times as many people in the Nelsonville area.
2003
The Rocky Outdoor Gear Store moves to it's current location expanding to 35,000 sq ft of retail space and offering a new local dining option.
2010‘s
2011
Mike Brooks, namesake and grandson of original founder, retires. The old city building was renamed “The Mike Brooks Building” in honor of his many years of dedication to the company and to Nelsonville.
4th Generation to Lead the Way
2017
Jason Brooks, Mike's youngest child and great-grandson of founder Mike Brooks, after working for the company for over two decades in various positions, is appointed CEO, marking the fourth generation of the Brooks family to run the company.
“ Your extraordinary passion for this company is inspiring and it is why I am so excited about what the future holds. ”
2019
An expansion of the Rocky Brands Distribution Center in Logan, Ohio begins. The inventory capacity is increased from 1,125,472 pairs to 1,808,782 pairs. The expansion nearly doubles the numbers of boots that can be shipped per day and added several jobs to the Southeast Ohio region.
2021
Rocky Brands Inc. purchased the Honeywell Footwear Group, including the well-known footwear brands Muck, XtraTuf, Servus, Neos, and Ranger. The aquisition also added 500 employees, two factories and another Disribution Center.
The Legacy Continues
2025
We proudly live our heritage as a hard-working generational company that makes the tough, comfortable products that our customers need at an incredible value. We are our customer. And that is what makes us great and sets us apart. We love what we do and are proud of the products we make.
The Best is Yet to Come!