Reps. Pearce, Accavitti, Agema, Amos, Ball, Bieda, Booher, Brandenburg, Byrnes, Constan, Cushingberry, Dean, Garfield, Green, Hammel, Hansen, Hopgood, Horn, Rick Jones, Robert Jones, Lahti, Lemmons, Marleau, Moss, Nitz, Opsommer, Pastor, Proos, Rocca, Sak, Scott, Shaffer, Sheltrown, Alma Smith, Spade and Vagnozzi offered the following resolution:

Rep. Pearce offers the following House Resolution:

House Resolution No.           House Resolution No. 430.

A resolution commemorating the 125th5^th anniversary of the Wolverine World Wide Boots, Shoes, Apparel and GearWorld Wide.

Whereas, Wolverine shoe company,was founded in 1883 by G. A. Krause. The, the company headquarters remains is located in Rockford, Michigan; and

Whereas,; Ffor more than a century,, Wolverine has been relentless in its pursuit of providing comfortable and innovative footwarefootwear, apparel, and gear for consumers; and

 Whereas, Bby 1903, the shoe factory, specializing in work shoes made 300 pairs each day, built with tough, durable horsehide that by 1914 was supplied by their own tannery and nicknamed, the “1000 mile shoes”; and

Whereas, Iin 1919, the Wolverine brand became very popular nationally and was marketed by one of the earliest national sales forces; and

Whereas, Fflushed with success, in 1921, the Hirth-Krause Company changed its name to Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Corporation and continued to grow; and

Whereas, Dduring the Great Depression, when sales were down, the factory lines were kept running and shoes were warehoused for better times; and

Whereas,; Dduring World War II the Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Company produced pigskin gloves for the United States Navy and by the end of the war Wolverine engineers created pigskin suede, a new type of leather; and

Whereas, Iin 1964, Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Company was renamed Wolverine World Wide, Inc., and shortly thereafter was traded on the New York Stock Exchange; and

Whereas; in the mid-eighties Wolverine funded the Biomechanical Engineering Laboratory at Michigan State University and formed the International Design Center in Montecatini, Italy; and

Whereas, Tthe company went on to introduce Wolverine^® DuraShocks^® utilizing, the first true comfort system for workboots and createding a revolution with lighter, longer-lasting products; and

Whereas,; Iin recent years, Wolverine’s apparel collection has expanded greatly, providing durable apparel for work and rugged casual wear; and

Whereas, Iin 2007,, Wolverine was awarded the Polartec APEX^™ Design Award for the Pioneer jacket that was selected for Wolverine’s outstanding and innovative use of Polartec fabrics; and

Whereas, Iin 2008, Wolverine was awarded the its ninth consecutive Plus Award, a footwarefootwear trade industry award for excellence in design in the work footwarefootwear category, continuing its nine-year tenure as the leading producer of work boots in the industry; and

Whereas, wWith its commitment to outdoor adventures and awareness, Wolverine supports The Wolverine Foundation supports and its research of the wolverine and the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem; and

Whereas, During Wolverine’s 125 years, the company has displayed a genuine commitment to the community through its philanthropic efforts: and

Whereas, Iin celebration of its 125th5^th anniversary and inspired by the company’s heritage, Wolverine will debut the No. 1883 Collection Heritage Collection that will consist of a series of boots and shoes featuring distressed leather and vintage design details; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, Tthat the members of this legislative body Wolverine World Wide is commemorated on itsthe 125th 5^th anniversary of Wolverine World Wide for its far- reaching impact of high quality work gear and outdoor apparel.