Our History
Buckle began as a men's clothing store in 1948 in Kearney, Nebraska. The first store was founded by David Hirschfeld and operated under the name "Mills Clothing". His son Dan took over the operations in 1965 and has been a leader in the company since. In 1967 a second store was purchased and operated under the name "Brass Buckle". At that point the company began selling more casual men's clothing and by the early 1970's Brass Buckle had developed into a denim based store. In 1977 the company introduced women's apparel and has since evolved into the store you shop today. Brass Buckle changed its' name in 1991 to The Buckle and in 1992 the company went public on the NASDAQ and traded as BKLE. In 1997 The Buckle moved to the New York Stock Exchange where it now trades under the symbol BKE.
Throughout the years many changes have occurred in fashion, retail, and within the company but one constant has driven Buckle's success....the mission "to create the most enjoyable shopping experience possible for our guests".
This mission is carried out by the teammates on the floor and in the home office. Our teammates in the store are able to carry out this mission personally as they develop relationships with our guests and provide them with educated service. The merchandisers aim to provide the stores with the best selection of fashionable merchandise. Our distribution center works to deliver the product in a very timely manner and the store operations team works to keep the stores updated. Along with these departments, teams such as Advertising, Computers and Finance & Accounting also contribute to the success of Buckle.
The Store Operations team recently completed the development of a new store design. This new design is just another way Buckle is reinforcing our uniqueness and continuing to create the most enjoyable shopping experience possible.
The Buckle team is led by an outstanding group of leaders, who have a long history with the company. Dan Hirschfeld has been with the company since 1965 and leads the company as Chairman of the Board. Dennis Nelson is the President and Chief Executive Officer and has been with the company for over 30 years. He began as a part-time salesman while he was a college student and continued full time after graduation. He has helped lead the company to over 300 stores and is actively involved in all phases of the company's operations. Kari Smith, Vice-President of Sales, has been with the company for 25 years. Her attitude, inspiration, and passion for people provide great motivation for the Buckle team. Buckle would not be the team or the company that it is today without the dedication, commitment and passion of the above leaders along with many other leaders and teammates within the company.
