Rocky
Nelsonville, Ohio, 1932 — a public company that publishes its numbers to the dollar, and tells you in its own 10-K that most of its boots are made in three other places.
Brothers Bill and Mike Brooks founded the William Brooks Shoe Company in Nelsonville, Ohio in 1932. Rocky Brands is now listed on Nasdaq as RCKY and reported net sales of $481.976 million for 2025 against $453.772 million for 2024, with over 2,200 employees. It bought Honeywell's performance and lifestyle footwear business in March 2021, which brought Muck, XTRATUF, Servus, NEOS and Ranger under the same roof — the second time Honeywell turns up in this corner of the roster. Boot standards are per model: protective toe, electrical hazard, puncture and slip resistance are properties of a specific boot, never of a brand.
- $481.976MNet sales for 2025, per the Form 10-K, against $453.772M in 2024
- 2,200+Employees as of 31 December 2025; about 1,700 in manufacturing
- March 2021Completes the acquisition of Honeywell's footwear business
What we'd reach for
- Rocky work bootsThe core line. Check the ASTM markings on the specific boot — protective toe and electrical hazard ratings are per model, not per brand.
- The Original Muck Boot CompanyNeoprene and rubber, acquired from Honeywell in 2021. The boot people own for mud rather than for standards.
- XTRATUFDeck boots with a following among commercial fishermen — the line that connects this page to the marine side of the roster.
- Georgia Boot and DurangoThe work and western lines. Same parent, different customers entirely.
- Lehigh CustomFitManaged safety-footwear programmes — how employers actually buy boots at scale.
- Servus and NEOSRubber boots and overshoes, also from the 2021 Honeywell transaction.