Aside from its Nelsonville corporate office, Rocky Brands has large manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, as well as a handful of employees in China to help with sourcing and manufacturing there.
Brooks visited the other locations to discuss building on what had already been created.
“The reaction I got from every one of those trips was awesome. They were all very excited,” he says.
Rocky Brands also made changes in the Puerto Rican factory, which had low margins.
“We made some pretty big changes down there and were able to be a lot more efficient and give ourselves a little better margin there,” Brooks says.
However, he says technology continues to be a moving target because as soon as you make a decision, it seems like you need to change again.
Brooks’ father, who comes in for several hours every day, is also still available to help as he and his executive team make decisions.
“He is absolutely 100 percent committed to this company and if we need direction, he will help us and guide us,” Brooks says.
Takeaways:
- Don’t get distracted at the expense of your core business.
- It takes strength to focus, so concentrate on finishing a few things.
- Open communication and an open culture pulls employees together.
Hurricane Maria
Rocky Brands has a large manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico. A week after Hurricane Maria hit, its employees were at the gates asking to work, Brooks says. They needed the paycheck to rebuild their lives.
The company sent down five containers of food, water and life essentials, which were given to many employees. It also sent down about 350 generators.
“There was about a 10-day period that we were not working at all. You just couldn’t,” Brooks says.
A generator allowed some work after that, but luckily the electricity came back in a few weeks, he says. Rocky Brands ended up recording a $1 million loss because it still paid wages when it was down and there was no production to absorb the overhead.
The file:
Name: Jason Brooks
Title: President and CEO
Company: Rocky Brands Inc.
Born: Lancaster, Ohio
Education: Bachelor’s degrees in public relations and psychology, West Virginia Wesleyan College
What was your first job and what did you learn from it? I worked here in Nelsonville in the shoe factory. There’s a guy who still works here, taking care of the buildings, Joe Nudo. But Joe was a plant manager, and in the summer, when I was 14, 15, Joe would teach me the different steps and processes to make shoes.
Joe was about two things — focus and passion. He said you’d better be focused on what you’re doing with the equipment because if you don’t, you could find yourself getting hurt. He also taught me that you need to have a passion for what you’re doing, whether it’s making shoes or being a doctor.
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received? I was a salesman for my first job in Atlanta, Georgia, and Ted Kasner, who worked here as a designer, developer and product guy, called me and asked me how much money I was going to make. Ted was relatively close with the family, so I could be honest.
He said, ‘OK, do me one favor. I’m not going to ask you to do anything else, but take 10 percent of your salary every year and put that money away, and at the end of your career, you’re going to have $1 million sitting there waiting for you.’ And I’m like, ‘All right, Ted, great advice. Thanks, I really appreciate it.’ Of course, I didn’t do it, but I’ll never forget that, and I certainly wish I would’ve listened to him sooner.
What do you like to do when you’re not working? I enjoy spending time with my family. I’ve been married 21 years, and I have 20‑year‑old and 17-year-old sons. We like to do different activities: hiking, skiing and golfing.
