The Dehner Company, Inc.

From its beginnings in Junction City Kansas to its current location in Omaha Nebraska, The Dehner Company has been working non-stop to provide the finest quality riding boots, patrol boots, military boots and leather products available. Not only have they succeeded in creating a global following, but The Dehner Company continues to build every boot and shoe by hand, just as was done over a century ago.

The Dehner company is currently headed up by Jeff Ketzler, great-grandson of Carlton Dehner who founded the company in the late 1800's. Jeff is the third Ketzler to man the helm, preceded by his father Donovan Ketzler and his grandfather Harold Ketzler.

Around the office things have changed a bit. Mary Pat now heads up our accounts and billing department, and Kathy Kovalskas is the friendly voice you will more than likely hear on the other end of the phone. Dustin Champlin heads up the marketing side of things, and although he retired in 1989, you can still find Donovan Ketzler in the office almost every day answering questions and inspecting boots.

Today, Dehner employs a dedicated group of leatherworkers, each of whom has a specific task to complete in the creation of the boot. Many of the Dehner employees have been on the job for years, and they bring all that experience to the table each and every time they craft a pair of boots. In fact, several Dehner leatherworkers were trained by the late Francis Thompson, who was one of the original cobblers to make the move from Kansas to Nebraska in the early 1930's! "Francis was perhaps one of the most talented and knowledgeable bootmakers of his time" says current president Jeff Ketzler. "There just wasn't anyone like him."

Despite rising production costs, The Dehner Company remains steadfast when it comes to boot crafting. Many companies, at the expense of quality, have shifted toward a more cost-effective way of producing footwear (assembly lines, automation, etc). While this may get you your boot faster and for a discounted price, the craftmanship just isn't there.

For over 130 years the Dehner name has been associated with only the highest quality products, and this won't be changing any time soon.