150 YEARS OF S.B. FOOT TANNING: A Company that Runs in the Family

People who work at S.B. Foot tend to stay there for a long time — often their entire careers. Many employees have also even seen their own children and grandchildren follow in their footsteps. These employment timelines frequently overlap, with multiple family members carpooling to and from the factory on Bench Street for years at a time.

 What is it about the tannery that keeps so many people coming back for generations within the same family? Some say it’s the satisfaction that comes from transforming raw hides into beautifully tanned leather. Others mention the flexibility and hands-on nature of the work, or the camaraderie, or the pride they feel from working for a company that is so entrenched in the community of Red Wing, Minnesota.

 What follows are three stories of generations working for the S.B. Foot Tanning Company to help shed some light.

The Hines Family

Betsy Hines has worked in the test laboratory at S.B. Foot since 2007. Her main responsibility is testing the daily waterproof production to ensure the leather meets strict quality standards. Betsy earned a college degree in biology and chemistry. After graduation, she worked in the retail department at the Red Wing Shoe Company across town from the tannery. She did this job for five years and took a few more years off after that to raise her young children, before landing her current job at the tannery.

 “My dad worked in the raw material warehouse at Red Wing Shoes for 33 years, and I vividly remember laying on those pallets of leather and just loving that smell when I was eight years old,” Betsy said. “Now I get to experience that smell each time I come into work. I really love what I do. I still learn something new every day after all these years.”

 Just over a year ago, Betsy’s son Joe also began working at the tannery as a color mill operator.

 “My mom would bring me to the lab after school when I was young and I would play with the scrap leather,” Joe said. “I loved the smell and feel of it, and over time the place felt familiar to me, so I got a temp job at the tannery when I was old enough to work. And when it came time to find full-time employment, I couldn’t think of a better place to apply.”

 Although Betsy and Joe work in different buildings and on different shifts, Mom does get to see and inspect her son’s color formulas on the waterproof leather she tests. “I always remember to give him a hard time if one of the mills with his signature on it doesn’t pass inspection,” she said. “But seriously, Joe does a great job. I’m thankful that we both have careers at a company that is so focused on quality and cares so much about its people.”

 The Yoemans Family

Tom Yoemans started working at the S.B. Foot Tannery in 1973. He began in the finance department, where he was chief accountant. He also held roles in controller in 1981 before ultimately advancing to treasurer in 1995, which was his final role when he retired in 2010 after 37 years with the company.

 Tom’s oldest son Brandon was only four years old when Tom started at the tannery. Fourteen years later, in 1987, Brandon would start his summer internship at S.B. Foot, while he was still in college. “They used me for various things around the factory such as painting and research,” he said. “When I went back to college, I wrote my senior paper on leathermaking. That internship clearly influenced what I might do for a living.”  

 Sure enough. Shortly after graduation, Brandon began a full-time job in the finance as a process chemist in the technical department at S.B. Foot. He worked this role for 3.5 years, temporarily left the company and then came back 1997 as a Technical Manager. Brandon has been at the tannery ever since — 28 years and counting. The careers of Brandon and his dad overlapped for 13 years.

 “We didn’t see each other much at work, but we did play together on the S.B. Foot volleyball team,” Tom said. “And we talked about our jobs a lot outside of work. Having my son at the same company for all those years definitely made us closer.”

The Badder Family

In July 1970, Gary “Yogi” Badder began his 38-year career at the S.B. Foot Tanning Company. He had just returned from his tour in Vietnam for the U.S. Army and came to Red Wing in search of work. Yogi’s son Eric was born two years earlier, while Yogi was still serving overseas.

 “They made it a priority to hire vets like me, and I started out unloading raw hides from rail cars and loading them on to wagons with forklifts,” Yogi said. “It was tough, dirty work. But I really liked the people I worked with and I noticed that many people who worked there had been there for a long time. So I stuck with it and I’m very glad I did.”

Fast-forward 22 years, to 1992. Yogi’s son Eric was fully grown, married and looking for work that paid better than his current job to support a baby on the way. “I was glad to find out I got the job I applied for in the upper tannery,” Eric said. “And I think my dad put in a good word for me, which probably helped.”

 “I had no choice but to vouch for my son,” Yogi joked. “I didn’t want to have to feed him.”

 Yogi and Eric worked at the tannery and drove in together for 13 years. Eric started out on the same shift but in a different part of the factory than his father, but he would later fill in at times in the finishing area where his father worked, giving the two a chance to work side-by-side.  

 “We had a lot of special memories together and I’m very proud of my son,” Yogi said. “Eric even permanently moved to my shift and department right after I retired. He swears this timing wasn’t intentional, but I’m not so sure.”