G.A. Krause believed in the possibility of opportunity. He dreamed of owning a shoe company and tannery that employed his values of quality craftsmanship and incessant innovation. In 1883, he founded a small company with a handful of employees. By 1901, Krause organised the Rogue River Electric Light and Power Company to bring power to Rockford, Michigan, allowing him and his sons to build and operate a shoe factory.

By 1903, they were making 300 pairs of shoes a day. Krause was a true revolutionary, later selling shares of the company to its own employees, becoming one of the nation's first profit sharing plans. In 1921, flush with success, the company took the name Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Corporation. Wolverine’s headquarters still remain in Rockford, Michigan today.