Jon Dennis
Oct 20, 2024
Ed Hennings uses his story as a self-made entrepreneur as a source of motivation to others
A Milwaukee-based entrepreneur urged young people to adopt a "work boot mindset" as they go out into the world and pursue their dreams.
“I got a work boot mindset. You say, ‘What is that?’ A work boot mindset is like I have little steel in there, ‘cause it’s gon’ be some things coming my way that might injure me, that might take me away from the goals and dreams that I got set for myself, ” Hennings said during a speech he gave to graduates from a local Job Corps program.
“So I gotta have a little steel to protect me in there, right?”
Similarly, Hennings said he must “waterproof” himself against the negativity of naysayers.
Hennings – who is head of a Ed Hennings Work Boots, a company he presents as the first Black-owned work boot company – suggested that work boots possess certain qualities and capabilities that named branded and luxury sneakers do not.
“See them Nikes, they’re made for the gym floor. Them Guccis. They’re made for the club floor,” Hennings said. “But that work boot? That work boot made for real life. Everyday grinding.”
Hennings made those remarks as keynote speaker at the Milwaukee Job Corps 2024 graduation ceremony. The event took place Aug. 15 at the Milwaukee Area Technical College, according to the edhenningsworkboots account on TikTok.
“See them Nikes, they’re made for the gym floor. Them Guccis. They’re made for the club floor. But that work boot? That work boot made for real life. Everyday grinding.” -- Ed Hennings, founder of Ed Hennings Work Boots.
Hennings frequently uses his journey from prisoner to book author and entrepreneur as a source of inspiration for others.
Job Corps is a federally-funded program that provides education and career training to low-income individuals ages 16 to 24. Participants get experience in fields such as construction, manufacturing and transportation.
Congress allocated $1.6 billion for Job Corps operations for July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. The program, which began in 1964 as part of LBJ’s War on Poverty, serves 50,000 young people per year at 120 centers throughout the United States.
Jon Dennis is the Fall 2024 and inaugural intern at Sneaker Theory. He is a senior at the University of Maryland, majoring in journalism with a concentration in African American studies.