Highlander Podcast · Outdoor Product Design & Development

Randy Merrell | Founder of Merrell | History of Gear

·1 hr 5 min·5 clips

Randy Merrell's dad called his bootmaking idea the stupidest ever, cementing his determination to prove him wrong.

Randy Merrell, founder of the Merrell footwear brand and the Merrell Foot Lab, recounts his journey from custom bootmaker to outdoor industry pioneer. Host Chase Anderson explores Merrell's deep ties to Utah and his unconventional path into gear manufacturing. Merrell describes growing up on a horse ranch in Utah, where building and fixing things was a necessity, not a hobby. His first outdoor gear project was constructing backpacks with his Boy Scout troop at age 13 because proper equipment was unavailable. He later built his own sleeping bag on his mother's sewing machine, fostering a lifelong maker mentality. Merrell initially planned to become a veterinarian but struggled academically at Utah State University due to undiagnosed ADHD, leading to his academic suspension. His pivot to footwear began after a visit to a Logan shoe repair shop, where the owner gave him a magazine listing trade schools for shoe and boot making. His father called the idea to become a bootmaker "the stupidest" he'd ever heard, which only solidified Merrell's determination. He attended the Lynn Independent Industrial Shoemaking School in Massachusetts, where director Ben Tenaglia also doubted his custom boot shop dream but supported his education. A critical skill Merrell learned was pattern-making from instructor Tom McKeon, a rare expertise he says few possess today. While in Lynn, he also convinced a local hatter named Henry to teach him hat-making, working after school for free to learn the craft. Merrell opened his custom boot shop, "Merrell Custom Boot," in his father's Vernal, Utah garage on January 1, 1975. His first customer was June Merkley Jr., whose request for "mules ears" on his Western boots forced Merrell to quickly learn the term. The outdoor industry in Utah was virtually non-existent at the time, with heavy, non-packable gear being the norm. A pivotal moment came when a local man named Ron Black asked for hiking boots, leading Merrell to make his first pair for a backpacking trip in Wyoming's Wind River Range. Merrell gained industry recognition after a 1981 Backpacker magazine article he authored, titled "Secrets of the Bootmaster," which featured his name prominently. Co-founders Clark Matis and John Schweitzer later sought him out, wanting to use the "Merrell" name for a new company aiming to produce outdoor boots in the U.S. market. The Merrell Boot Company was officially founded in 1982, with its first models, the M1 and M2, based on Merrell's custom designs but initially manufactured in Italy and Germany. The company grew rapidly, reaching $1.2 million in wholesale sales in its second year, but this fast growth led to financial strain. Merrell left the company after five years, citing exhausting travel schedules to Europe and the strain it placed on his family life. The episode maintains a conversational and reflective tone, blending personal narrative with historical detail. Listeners interested in entrepreneurial origin stories, footwear design, and the grassroots history of outdoor brands will find this compelling. Those seeking technical deep-dives into modern gear or high-production narratives might find the pace deliberate.

As heard by us

A steady founder story about custom bootmaking, family logistics, and the early work that turns a garage shop into a brand.

Randy Merrill's story keeps its feet on the ground. It begins with a sign on the road and a custom boot shop in Vernal, Utah, then moves through the newspaper piece, the first nervous customer, and the plain logistics that made the work possible: a small house, chores on the…

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Hear how a custom boot shop in Vernal, Utah grew into the founding of Merrill.

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