Western wear is in Steve Weil’s genes. Steve is the 3rd generation to run Rockmount Ranch Wear Mfg. Co., founded in 1946. Three generations of Weils mirror the evolution of Western wear. “Papa Jack” (1901 – 2008) founded Rockmount and is considered to western shirts what Henry Ford is cars. Papa Jack made the first shirts with snaps. As Rockmount’s first designer, he established the market in the West. His son, Jack B. (1928 – 2008), Rockmount’s design force for over forty years, took Western wear across the Mississippi, making the brand national. Steve joined the company in 1981, taking its sales to most developed countries. He has headed design and merchandising since the 1990s and is now president. Steve literally wrote the book on Western wear. Western Shirts: A Classic American Fashion surveys 70 years of design, the people and companies who popularized it. “Ask Papa Jack: Wisdom of the World’s Oldest CEO” is Steve’s 2nd book, anecdotes from his grandfather. Design Awards & Accomplishments: ∙ Designed shirts for Brokeback Mountain, sold at auction for $101,000, 2006. ∙ Designed United States Congressional Shirts for Democratic National Convention, 2008 ∙ Designed Colorado Delegation Shirts for Republican National Convention, 2008 ∙ Designed Official Shirts of United States Medal of Honor, 2008 ∙ Named Best Designer by True West Magazine, 2008 – 2010 ∙ Lifetime Achievement Award for Lifelong Contributions of Study, Research & Preservation of the Rocky Mountain West, 2010 Rockmount is the last remaining US Western shirt maker of the early companies. The signature “sawtooth” and “diamond” snap design is the longest running shirt design in America. Rockmount shirts, worn in countless movies, by Elvis, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Robert Redford, David Bowie, Nicolas Cage and Ronald Reagan. Rockmount shirts played a central role in “Broke Back Mountain” and sold at auction for more than $100,000. The company is based in downtown Denver in a historic landmark building with a flagship store and museum. Steve has degrees from Tulane University (BA), University of Bristol, UK (MsC) and the University of Colorado (MBA). He lives in Denver with his wife Wendy and son Colter.