May 8, 2009 5:40 am US/Mountain
How A Western Original Would Beat The Recession
Rockmount Ranch Wear Family Business Has Survived Tough Times Again & Again
Written by Brooke Wagner
DENVER (CBS4) ―
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Steve Weil shows CBS4's Brooke Wagner some of Rockmount's styles.
CBS
Elvis. Robert Redford. Eric Clapton. Clark Gable. Bob Dylan. Tom Brady. The list of superstars who have donned Rockmount Ranch Wear Western shirts is too long to print here, but it is impressive. And it all started in Denver in the 1940s with Jack A. Weil.
"He created a whole fashion, and the fashion is popular around the world, yet he's just a guy from Denver on Wazee Street," said Weil's grandson, Steve Weil.
The Western shirt with snaps created by the man known as "Papa Jack" have stayed in style so long that they are iconic. So is Papa Jack. He became famous for being "the world's oldest CEO."
Papa Jack went to work every day, until he died last year. His son and Steve Weil's father, Jack B. Weil, also passed away in 2008. This year, Steve, now president of Rockmount Ranch Wear, released a collection of family lore and quotes titled "Ask Papa Jack; Wisdom of the World's Oldest CEO."
"(My grandfather) would instantly recall things from 25, 50, 100 years ago," said Steve Weil. "He was so colorful in his storytelling, he was mesmerizing."
One of Papa Jack's favorite topics was economics. His grandson said his book offers common sense advice for anyone trying to beat this recession.
Papa Jack thrived through the Great Depression, and once wrote an essay on recessions, saying "the world is not coming to an end."
He was an expert at finding the positive in a bad situation, and his business proved it. Rockmount Ranch Wear, still operating and manufacturing at the original Wazee location, has not seen sales dip, according to Steve Weil.
He said he is grateful his father and grandfather left the company in a very good position.
"(Papa Jack) represents the opportunity that the west offered, which is why people came here to begin with," said Steve Weil. "He's what's right with business in America. He never isolated himself from the customer. He never missed a 'Hello' to anyone who came in."
In fact, Papa Jack had a private office he never used. He was too busy up front, greeting customers and working on his computer, even at age 107.
"He represents what's good in life: hard work; family; innovation; running a business that's sustainable," said Steve Weil. "I always thought we were frugal here, but later I found out we're green. We save string here. We re-use paper -- we run it through our printers on both sides. We watch the thermostat, we drive cars until they're dead."
Weil believes that if more businesses and Americans would get back to basics, we'd be better off.
"Sometimes we need to forget conventional thought and come up with solutions that work. And that's what I learned most from my grandfather," said Weil. "Often, the solutions to our problems are right in front of us."
Weil remembered one piece of advice, in particular, that stayed with him year after year.
"I applied for a credit card and it asked how long I'd been working. I asked him, 'Should I tell them about my summer jobs and stuff?' And he said, 'Tell the truth, and you'll never have to remember what you said."
Papa Jack was also fond of saying "The West is not a place, it's a state of mind."
And he was quick to tell anyone who asked about the celebrities who favored Rockmount's sawtooth pocket, diamond snap styles that all of his customers were big shots.
"The stories about the celebrities are amusing, because neither my dad nor my grandfather knew these names like David Bowie or Bob Dylan or Eric Clapton. These were all unknowns to them. That's part of the charm, they weren't fawning over these people," said Steve Weil. "They valued the everyday person who walked in every bit as some movie star who happened to like our stuff enough to buy a shirt. The way I validate that is, we don't give rich people free stuff -- they have to buy it!"
(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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