NELSONVILLE, Ohio (RFD NEWS) — A childhood spent in 4-H helped shape the career of Durango Boots Marketing Manager Erin DeLong, who has spent the past 13 years helping grow one of the western footwear industry’s best-known brands.
In her conversation with RFD News, DeLong says her 4-H experience taught her valuable lessons about responsibility, communication and hard work. Through livestock and other projects, she learned the importance of caring for something that depended on her and developed skills that continue to influence her work today.
Those agricultural roots have come full circle during her career with Durango, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. DeLong has been with the company for 13 years and says she has watched the brand evolve through new products, marketing campaigns and partnerships.
One initiative especially important to DeLong is the National Day of the Cowgirl, which Durango established in 2021. The company also created a $30,000 scholarship to support young women pursuing undergraduate degrees connected to the western and agricultural industries.
DeLong says the initiative is designed to recognize the women who play an important role across the western industry while helping provide financial support for the next generation.
Durango has also recently added content creator Gatlin Didier to its new influencer team. DeLong says the partnership was a natural fit, noting that Didier has worn Durango boots throughout his life and has a strong connection to agriculture and the western lifestyle.
DeLong recently discussed her career, the Durango brand, its partnerships and lessons learned along the way on the latest episode of Dirt Diaries. She says her conversation with host Kirbe Schnoor also explored the less-polished side of marketing, including learning from campaigns that don’t go as planned and moving forward from those experiences.
For DeLong, the lessons learned through 4-H continue to influence her work—and demonstrate how agricultural experiences can help prepare young people for careers well beyond the farm.
