Risk & Business Magazine CEO/CFO Business Today Magazine Summer 2018 | Page 7

ROCKY BRANDS
“I’ve known Mark for 40 years, and even when we were
hanging on by our fingernails, he never gave up on us.”
making shoes for retailers to building
a brand and getting a foothold that we
could leverage to grow and achieve higher
margins.”
never gave up on us,” says Mike of the
relationship between the two men.
In evolving from a manufacturer to a
full-service company over the course
of several decades, Rocky Brands was
always protected against risk by Snider
and his team, which grew and evolved
along with Rocky Brands. What makes
the relationship work so well, according
to Mike, is that both men are straight
shooters, so in the rare event of a
difference of opinion between the two,
they are quick to sit down and resolve any
issues face-to-face. “It’s one of the major
benefits of dealing with a local company,”
says Mike.
The company’s gamble paid off big-time,
and it went on to acquire other brand
names and diversify into other businesses.
By 1981, it was producing 550,000
pairs of shoes and boots annually and
recording sales of $12 million. Under
Mike’s leadership, the company struck
it big in the hunting arena as an early
licensee of Gore-Tex fabric, which was
an integral component of the company’s
waterproof hunting boots.
While still maintaining most of its
operations in Ohio, the company finally
expanded its production facilities to
locations with cheaper labor, opening
factories in both the Dominican Republic
and Puerto Rico. With his father, John,
deeming the expansions too risky to
invest company money, Mike took it
upon himself and several partners to
raise the funds needed to develop these
facilities.
Following John’s retirement in 1990,
Mike assumed leadership as CEO, and
in 1992, with $32 million in sales, the
company went public at 10 dollars a
share, netting a total of $16.5 million.
After the company went public, it built
new offices and a dedicated retail outlet
and continued to grow, both locally
and overseas, eventually reaching $250
million in revenues. The compa ny’s
US distribution center alone, based in
Nelsonville, totals 200,000 square feet
and stocks over one million pairs of boots
and shoes.
The company now carries a variety
of brand names, including Georgia,
Durango, and Lehigh, and focuses on
military, western, work, and hunting
footwear. There is also an online division,
which accounts for about 20 percent of
business, and a small apparel division,
selling primarily men’s and women’s
outdoor clothing. Last year, Mike’s
son, Jason, was named CEO, marking
the fourth generation of Brooks family
company leadership.
Now acting in the role of adviser to
Rocky Brand, Mike looks forward to
the day when, he hopes, the company’s
sales revenues will reach $500 million.
In looking back at his career, however,
his view is mostly pragmatic. “It’s been
a wonderful ride,” says Mike, “with a lot
of heartaches along the way and a lot of
successes too. To me, it’s the American
dream. We’re not the smartest, we’re not
the brightest, but we have a good work
ethic. There’s a lot of ways to beat people
and one is to just outwork them. That’s
part of our secret.” +
Throughout Rocky Brand’s journey to
success, Mike Brooks has worked side-by-
side with Mark Snider of Snider, Fuller
and Stroh to ensure that it had the right
insurance coverage at every stage of the
company’s growth trajectory. “I’ve known
Mark for 40 years, and even when we
were hanging on by our fingernails, he
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