Ricky Bolin

Outside the Arena with...

Ricky Bolin

By Georgia Akers

Visualize a cowboy. What do you see? You see someone in a cowboy hat, western belt buckle and boots. Those are the three most common items that are what everyone thinks of when you are asked to think of a cowboy.

Boots have become commonplace for professionals, cowboy or not. When I was presiding in the court (for those that do not know, I was a judge) and lawyers would approach the bench, I was surprised at how many would be in their conventional lawyer suit and tie and have on boots. Some were wearing them as a fashion statement. Many had realized that a good pair of boots are really comfortable.

What separates these men from a cowboy is the hat. Rarely would they come into court with a cowboy hat. I can think of only one lawyer and he deserved the hat because back in the 40’s/50’s University of Texas had a rodeo team and he went to school on a rodeo scholarship as a bull rider. He made his “ spend money” going to local rodeos around Texas.

The hat is as individualized as the cowboy. I had an opportunity to interview Ricky Bolin, General Manager/President of Hatco. He is the genuine article. He is a cowboy (still team ropes) and according to him has the best job in the world. It is nice to find a company that hires someone who knows about the business as a cowboy and not just a numbers guy. Hatco got it right. They got both with Ricky.

Tell me about yourself.

I was raised in Mesquite, Texas outside of Dallas. I have two sisters. I am married for the past 44 years to Melanie. We grew up together, went to school. We married at 18. Melanie back then showed horses. Her brother was world champion saddle bronc rider Monty Hensen. We have two daughters, Paige and Blair, and three granddaughters.

No one in my family rodeoed. I lived close to the Mesquite Rodeo and when young would ride in the grand entry. Each year they would have a Junior Rodeo. I entered the steer riding and the first time came in tenth. The next year I was first. At that point I was also competing in dirt bike flat racing. My dad came to me and said I would have to choose, that he could not afford both. I started riding at the Kowbell bull riding in Mansfield. In order to pay for the equipment that I needed, my dad would pay the $3 fee but he picked the bull. If I rode him, then he would get me a piece of equipment that was needed.

Eleven years later I got my PRCA card at the age of 16 years. At that time, you needed two co-signers if you were under age. I had Jim Shoulders and Neil Gay as co-signers. I started with the PRCA in 1978 and was invited to be at many NFRs. The last year was in 1985 which was their first year in Vegas. Prior to Vegas the NFR was in Oklahoma City.

I started winning as an amateur. I was fortunate to have the balance and moves required to ride bulls. It came natural to me.

My plan was to retire at 30. I continued to rodeo locally. I tore a groin muscle really bad. I had a wife and two daughters. When Lane Frost got killed it put a different perspective on everything.

Who were the riders you most admired growing up?

Donny Gay, Pete Gay, Marvin Shoulders, Denny Flynn. I rodeoed at the same time with them. They were five years older than me. There was a whole group of men throughout my career. We respected each other and pumped up each other. Donny Gay was a mentor to me.

What do you see as the biggest change in bull riding today?

Money. There is no comparison to what I could make and what the riders are making today. The most I made was $70k. We did not have any sponsors. I was one of the first to get a sponsor in that the Coors Beer distributor sponsored me. I had a van with their logo and special paint job and chaps. PRCA had a problem with me wearing the chaps in the arena but it was worked out with the lawyers. I wore them for five years.

How did you become General Manager/President of Hatco?

I had worked in one of their outlets shaping the hats when I was injured on weekends. The owner lived in Virginia and I treated him like everyone where some employees were scared of him. He called me Cowboy and said “one of these days you will run this”. It I was offered the job of running the outlet stores. Then for 15 years I was in sales. From that position, I was offered National Sales Manager. Eight years ago, I was promoted to General Manager to run the company.

What are the brands that Hatco produces?

Stetson, Resistol, Charlie 1 Horse which is for ladies. With Stetson, we also have different products such as: Stetson dress such as a fedora like Tom Landry wore; Stetson outdoor which is a crossover tor hunting. They have smaller brims and ear flaps and the traditional Stetson. We also make Dobbs dress hat which are in the brighter colors.

We are proud that all our fur felt hats are made in the USA. Our facility in Longview, Texas makes the fur felt body and then the finishing is done in Garland, Texas. We employ 500-550 people.

Have you expanded beyond hats?

We have wearing apparel for men and boys with our Resistol shirts and outerwear. We have a dedicated line of Made in the USA called 1927.

Tell us about the different types of hats.

Stetson is the oldest name. It has been around since 1865. The typical profile of the top-of-the-line Stetson is someone who drives a King Ranch truck and has a ranch. Stetson has customers that tend to be more ranchers and cattlemen. The younger customer knows that name.

Resistol is more the rodeo and rodeo cowboys who buy for fit and durability in the arena.

You have different grades in hats. For Stetson, the top of the line is 1000x. It has a 14-carat buckle set with ¾ carat diamonds in the hat band. It comes with a hand tooled leather case and is made of beaver and chinchilla. It is a dress hat. It runs around $5,000. Then you have 100x down to 30x. The most common sold is 30x which is for everyday wear.

For the first time buyer a 6x is a good hat. It is durable, will last and the cost is around $250.

The Stetson El Patron is 30x. It comes in every crown and shape. It is what I wear. It lasts, durable and can wear it every day.

Same with Resistol. They have 40x and 20x. George Strait wears this as many other artists do.

We make 3x-1000x in both brands. 500x in Resistol. The more x’s you have, the better the quality.

We are the only company that makes their own hat bodies here in the USA. We know what the fur mix is. Other hat companies purchase the hat bodies overseas and are not as in control of the mixture. This is what sets us apart. WE ARE USA MADE. 255 hands are involved in our product before a hat goes out to retail.

Favorite color hat?

Black is the most dominant color. But different color hats have become more popular.

How waterproof are cowboy hats?

All hats are waterproof. But if you really get it soaking wet, it can be reshaped and re-steamed. That’s what makes our hats.

How does a buyer select a hat?

It is really important to have a knowledgeable salesperson. Our sales managers in their districts will conduct seminars and have videos available to train sales personnel. They need to know about hats. Color is important, then shape, crown and brim width. Brim width can be 3-5 inches but anything over 4” would not be suitable for a first-time buyer. Then you have to consider the face shape which should play into selection of a hat, brim, crown and how you shape the hat.

What about straw hats?

All our straw hats are hand woven. We do not make them here. It takes an average of 12 hours over three days to make one. Straw hats are incredible and most people do not realize the time it takes. We have Drilax sweatband that we invented for our straw hats. It makes it feel like a ball cap. Very soft and cushiony like a ball cap. The cowboys love it because it stays on their head better.

We still have a lot of leather bands in our hats but Drilax is becoming more popular.

What has been the best part of your job?

All of it. Riding bulls and cowboy hats have given me a terrific life. The PRCA gave me an incredible opportunity. If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I pinch myself. We are the largest hat company in the world. It is an unbelievable career. It took me a long time to learn what I needed to know. I worked my way up in every position and gave it my all. I cannot imagine anything better.

We are fortunate that the demand is such, that we are running two shifts in every factory. They say everyone has a little cowboy in them. I think the television show “Yellowstone” has increased interest in the cowboy way of life. Then we have the entertainers who work with us. They do not realize how much they give.

Cowboy hats are cool and 75% of the sales in western stores are cowboy hats. It can be regular or crossover hats. We have several brands and everything we have is selling.