![]() John Brooks then brought his son, Mike Brooks, into the business as a product designer and manager. 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. In 1975, the new owners were getting ready to sell or shut down the business. William Brooks refused to sell, telling his nephew the shoe industry had no future. 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. īut in 1958, William Brooks decided to sell the business to the Irving Drew Shoe Company of Lancaster, Ohio. 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. During the 1940s and 1950s business continued to grow. 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. The company originally employed 50 to 100 workers with a production rate of 300 pairs of shoes per day. 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. Both men had lost their jobs during the Great Depression when Godman Shoe Co. "Mike" Brooks, founded The William Brooks Shoe Company in Nelsonville, Ohio. In 1932, William Brooks, joined by his brother F. The company was founded in 1932 in Nelsonville, Ohio and still maintains its corporate headquarters there. ![]() ![]() 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.
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