Following fire, famed rope factory sets sights on new building

By JULIET BRISKIN | Staff writer

Fire at the Cactus Ropes facility in Pleasanton was first reported around 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 26. Firefighters responded to the scene, but the building was engulfed with fire within 30 minutes. Construction of the new facility is set to be finished around the first of June. -- Courtesy photo

March 25, 2004 -- The destruction and devastation that accompanies a fire cannot truly be understood by those who have not experienced one. The employees of Cactus Ropes learned, first hand, the far-reaching consequences of fire when their offices and manufacturing facility in Pleasanton burned to the ground on Jan. 26.

Dee Ann Burkes, marketing director, received the call at 6:30 a.m. that fateful day and rushed to the scene.

"Within 30 minutes the building was fully engulfed," she said. "We aren't exactly sure what happened. They came in that morning and turned on the propane to melt the wax, left the room for about 10 minutes and returned to find it on fire."

The trough where the ropes were dipped in wax was about 40-feet long and eight-inches wide. Propane heaters were used to heat the wax and each evening the heaters were turned off, then turned back on in the morning.

"We had just gotten in a shipment of neoprene boots and leg ware for horses, which are extremely flammable," detailed Burkes. "Then the wax itself created a chemical fire that couldn't be put out with water. Someone explained it as one big candle with all the nylon and wax and that is exactly what it was like."

The fire burned for eight hours and crews from five responding districts worked non-stop to prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings and the surrounding properties.

"They concentrated their efforts along the area where our rope machines were and did manage to recover them," said Burkes. "From what we can tell so far they weren't warped at all."

She explained that rope machines are unique to each manufacturer and if the machines had been lost, Cactus Ropes would have literally had to start over from scratch. The three machines are now set up in the building that ironically was supposed to be the new wax shop. They were just 10 days away from moving all of the waxing equipment into the new building when the fire occurred.

The slab for the latest incarnation of the wax shop has been laid and crews are preparing to put in the new wax trough. As a fire precaution, the new room will be completely electric and will house only the equipment and supplies needed for the waxing phase of production. Also under construction is a new 27,000-square-foot warehouse and office building which is slated to be finished in around the end of May or first of June.

According to Burkes, they are not exactly sure when full-scale production will begin again.

"We are planning to start testing out the rope machines in the next week or so and making some sample ropes," she said in early March. "We have every intention of coming back better and stronger just as soon as we can."

Cactus Ropes began making ropes in 1991 and is now the second largest rope manufacturer in the world. For the past five years it has held the distinction of official rope of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA).

"Consistency, season after season, sets our ropes apart," noted Burkes. "Ropers know that they can go and pick up their favorite brand of Cactus Ropes and it will always feel the same."

She explained the only way to create such high quality ropes is by paying close attention to every step in the manufacturing process.

"You might get a 35-foot rope and the first 30 feet will be great, but the last five feet are not," she stated. "Some companies might go ahead and put that rope on the market. We won't. Every single inch of our rope has to be perfect."

The process of making a rope begins with the string and, according to Burkes, Cactus Ropes purchases only the highest quality available on the market today. Once the string arrives, it is placed on one of three rope machines and spun into a rope. From there it is dipped in hot wax which makes the rope pliable and stretched 11 feet beyond its original length to bring out the fibers. Finally the eye is tied and the rope is coiled and powdered with talc to keep out any moisture.

"People don't know how hard it is to make the same rope season after season," asserted Barry Berg, production manager. "When someone settles on a rope they like, they want to be able to buy the same exact rope over and over again. They want consistency and that's what our specialty is, and I think that's why we've grown so much."

Berg noted each step in the rope-making process takes about 24 hours. A rope he makes on a Monday will not be complete until the following Monday. He added that to get a rope with a pure swing it is imperative to take a little extra time and not allow any step to overlap. "Our entire process is unique," he said.

All facets of production are done at the Pleasanton facility and, Burkes explained, all the employees of Cactus Ropes participate in the creation of each rope.

"We have our own barn, horses, cattle and arena for product testing," remarked Burkes. "Most of the people who work here do rope, so we all test the ropes and provide feedback to Barry Berg."

While the fire completely halted production, it did not destroyed the spirit of the employees or the crews working round the clock to rebuild.

"During the week after the fire everyone was here picking up trash and helping out knowing that they didn't have a paycheck coming in anymore," she said. "We have had to put about 20 employees on temporary unemployment, but we hope to have them all back in early April."