Thirty years at Greeley Hat Works have brought Trent Johnson remarkable opportunities, from presidential commissions to Hollywood productions. But ask him about the people who have shaped those years, and the conversation quickly turns to longtime friends, ranching families, fellow artists, and customers who have become part of his life.
Some relationships began with a single hat. Others reach back generations. Along the way, business partnerships became friendships, families grew up together, and shared experiences created bonds that extend well beyond the hat shop. Through their stories, and Trent's own reflections, a more personal picture emerges of the man behind Greeley Hat Works.
The Larson Family | Local Ranching Family
For the Larson family, Greeley Hat Works has been part of ranch life longer than Trent Johnson has owned the business. Jack Larson remembers Trent as a college student working in the hat shop, long before national recognition brought Hollywood productions and presidential commissions to Greeley.
Across generations, the Weld County ranching family has relied on hats built for the demands of everyday work. A good hat needs to withstand the weather, hold its shape, and be ready to return to the ranch the next morning. The Larsons have watched Greeley Hat Works grow while maintaining the craftsmanship that first earned their loyalty.
For Trent, families like the Larsons represent the foundation of Greeley Hat Works. “Yes, we build hats for movies and famous people,” he says, “but the cattlemen and women—they are our bread and butter. The sweat in their hats is their badge of honor in feeding America and the world.”
The Larsons' relationship with the shop reflects that philosophy: generations of working hats, familiar faces, and a shared appreciation for the Western way of life.
The Sanger Family | Local Ranching Family
For Chad and Marcy Sanger's family, Trent Johnson has long been more than the man who makes their hats. To their boys, he's Uncle Trent, a familiar presence who has found ways to make ordinary days at the hat shop unforgettable.
One visit began with an unusual assignment. Trent asked the boys to come to Greeley Hat Works and start brushing hats. They couldn't understand what they had done to deserve the chore. What Trent hadn't told them was that NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers would soon be walking through the door.
When Rodgers arrived, the boys discovered the real reason for their visit. They met him and had their photographs taken together, turning what appeared to be another afternoon of work into a memory Trent still loves telling.
The surprise says something about the relationship Trent has built with the family. Even with a famous customer arriving, he was thinking about two boys he wanted to include in the experience.
For the Sangers, the hat shop has become a place where family, friendship, and the occasional extraordinary surprise come together.
Kamrynn Patterson Miss Rodeo Colorado 2027
Trent Johnson has watched Kamrynn Patterson grow up through the Western and rodeo community, making hats for her since she was approximately 12 years old.
Over those years, Kamrynn has grown from a young rodeo enthusiast into a rodeo queen, representing a new generation carrying Western traditions forward. Through it all, Greeley Hat Works has remained part of her journey.
For Trent, the relationship reflects a familiar part of his work that rarely receives the same attention as his celebrity commissions. He has the opportunity to make hats for young people as they find their place in the Western world, then watch them grow into the traditions they represent.
Kamrynn's story is a reminder that a hat can accompany someone through many different stages of life. The young girl Trent first fitted years ago has grown up, but the connection to the hatmaker who knew her then remains.
Paul Kropp Longtime Friend and Customer
Nearly 30 years ago, Paul Kropp finished a cheeseburger lunch in downtown Greeley and decided to take a walk. A sandwich board advertising Greeley Hat Works caught his attention, and he followed it down the stairs into a small shop. There, he met Trent Johnson.
What began as a chance visit became a friendship that followed both men through decades of personal milestones. Paul made a habit of stopping by whenever work brought him through Colorado, sometimes just to visit and see what Trent was making.
Over time, Trent came to know Paul's family and children. When Paul's father passed away, Trent unexpectedly appeared at the funeral, a gesture Paul has never forgotten.
“He shows up—not because he has to, but because people matter to him,” Paul says.
Paul has watched Trent build relationships with people across the Western world and far beyond it, always finding a way to make others feel welcome. The shop may have changed since that first afternoon, but Paul still makes time for a Trent visit whenever he's in Colorado.
One ordinary walk led to a friendship neither man could have anticipated, and nearly three decades later, the connection remains.
Stephen Houser Third-Generation Owner of Stages West (TN)
When Stephen Houser first met Trent Johnson in a crowded Denver showroom, he was exploring the possibility of bringing custom hats to his family's Western retail store, Stages West, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. A few orders turned into larger orders, trunk shows, and eventually a friendship neither man could have predicted.
Trent remembers how naturally they connected, sharing ideas about business, family, and life. Stephen remembers something even more personal: the way Trent made him feel valued from the beginning.
“He has the ability to make you feel special, wanted, and appreciated without even trying,” Stephen says. “It's not forced it's real.”
Their friendship grew far beyond business. Trent stood beside Stephen as the best man at his wedding and later traveled to Tennessee to serve as a pallbearer at his father's funeral. Trent also remembers sharing the father-daughter dance with Stephen's bride.
Through celebrations and difficult seasons, the two have remained close, even after Stephen's family sold Stages West.
“He is a famous hatmaker to many,” Stephen says, “but to me he is my best friend Trent.”
For Trent, that feeling is mutual. What started with a few hats became one of the closest friendships of his life.
Red Steagall Cowboy Poet and Entertainer
Red Steagall's connection to Trent Johnson began before Trent was born.
In the 1960s, the country Western singer, cowboy poet, and future Texas Cowboy Poet Laureate shared an apartment in Pueblo, Colorado, with a schoolteacher named Gary Johnson. Years later, at a rodeo, a young hatmaker approached Red with an unexpected introduction: “you know my daddy.”
That young man was Trent, Gary's son.
The chance reunion became a lasting relationship. Red began wearing Trent's hats and watched as the young craftsman purchased Greeley Hat Works and developed it into a nationally recognized business. Their friendship also became part of one of Trent's most remarkable commissions. When Trent needed to make a hat for President George W. Bush without taking measurements, he turned to Red, who knew Bush personally, for guidance on the president's preferences.
For Red, however, Trent's success carries a meaning that goes well beyond business.
“It's like watching a member of my family hit a home run in a tight game,” he says.
The friendship connects two generations of the Johnson family, beginning with a shared apartment in Pueblo and continuing through the hats Trent makes today.
Todd McCartney McCartney Ranch Co. (TX)
More than 20 years ago, Todd McCartney and fellow cattlemen Ron Gill and Curt Pate were traveling the country promoting better livestock handling through Stockmanship & Stewardship. Trent Johnson admired their commitment to the cattle industry and offered to make each of them a custom hat.
Todd remembers accepting enthusiastically. Since then, Greeley Hat Works has become a fixture in his daily life, whether he's working cattle on his family's sixth-generation ranch, attending church, or dressing for a special occasion.
“I wear a Trent Johnson every day. Every. Day,” Todd says.
Over the years, Trent has also made hats for Todd's wife and children. Todd speaks with particular gratitude about the generosity behind those gifts, something he considers every bit as remarkable as the craftsmanship.
Trent's admiration runs just as deep. He affectionately calls Todd “the Toddfather” and describes their relationship as a mentorship. Todd's wisdom, sincerity, and perspective have made a lasting impression on him, and Trent often finds himself passing along the lessons he has learned from his friend.
For two men whose lives revolve around the Western way of life, the relationship has become something much greater than the hats that first brought them together.
Dean Fish Arizona Rancher, GHW Ambassador
Dean Fish met Trent Johnson at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association convention in 2013 through their mutual friend Todd McCartney. At the time, Dean wasn't sure he should spend the money on a custom hat. He bought one anyway, beginning what would become a lasting friendship and loyalty to Greeley Hat Works.
Years later, Trent invited Dean to represent the brand as an ambassador. Dean couldn't understand why. He wasn't a celebrity, didn't have a large social media following, and spent his days working in the cattle industry.
Trent's explanation was simple. Dean was exactly the kind of person he wanted representing his hats: genuine, hardworking, and deeply committed to people, livestock, and the cattle industry.
Dean eventually came to see the decision differently. Famous faces might introduce Greeley Hat Works to new audiences, but people like him could share its story with those who wear hats every day.
“I really believe it's Trent's heart and true fondness for people that initiated this move,” Dean says.
What Dean initially considered an unlikely opportunity became an expression of the trust and friendship the two men had developed.
Bria Hammock Contemporary Western Artist
When Bria Hammock walked into Greeley Hat Works to purchase a hat, neither she nor Trent Johnson expected the visit to lead to an ongoing creative partnership.
As Trent worked on customizing her hat, the two began discussing Bria's artwork. Trent showed her around the shop, sharing his own approach to craftsmanship, and the conversation quickly revealed a creative connection.
Since then, they have turned hats into canvases, developed apparel collections, and explored the meeting point between contemporary art and Western tradition. Their collaborations include Of Here, a collection bringing together Bria's artwork, custom hats, cowboy poetry, Wyoming whiskey, and storytelling. Bria also created the artwork for Greeley Hat Works' 30th-anniversary merchandise.
For Trent, the relationship represents the creative possibilities that emerge when artists share ideas and trust one another's instincts.
“What I love about working with Trent is that he's always willing to say, ‘Heck yes, let's try it,’” Bria says.
Their work continues to evolve, but Bria considers the friendship behind it just as important as the finished pieces. Two artists who met over a hat discovered a shared enthusiasm for seeing what they could create together.