Rocky Brands’ announcement follows the Ohio Department of Health issuing a “Stay at Home” order for all nonessential businesses from March 24 through April 6, 2020. The company said its 200,000 sq ft distribution centre has been deemed as an essential infrastructure business operation; it currently has approximately 1.3 million pairs of footwear in inventory and stands ready to ship the company’s work, duty and outdoor footwear to customers throughout the country. Rocky Brands said its manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are under government orders to not operate for the next 14 days; these plants produce approximately half of the Company’s products, with the remainder being produced by contract manufacturers in other countries, primarily China, where manufacturing resumed at the end of February, according to the manufacturer.
“We understand and appreciate Governor DeWine’s efforts to flatten the COVID-19 curve and urge our fellow Ohioans to follow the order and take precautions for themselves and others around them”, said Jason Brooks, CEO, Rocky Brands. “However, we agree with Ohio’s approach to permit distribution centres to continue to operate. This is especially important at this time for our distribution centre to operate as our footwear products are utilised by our country’s critical infrastructure businesses which need to be maintained during this crisis”, he added. Final users of Rocky Brands’ products also include the military, police and fire and other first responders, farmers and ranchers, food and drug manufacturers, hospital workers, electric, gas and water utility companies, oil and gas producers, transportation and logistics businesses, and public works. Its brands include Rocky, Georgia Boot, Durango and Lehigh.
