The company produces round, braided cord and twisted ropes made of cotton, nylon, polypropylene, polyester and other synthetics at its plant at 381 N. Grace St. Its orders include made-to-order cords for companies such as Briggs and Stratton.
“What makes us unusual is we are still a textile manufacturing company in the South,” said Andy Barker, executive vice president of the company. “We aren’t big enough to go overseas. We have some niche markets. That is where we find our longevity. If we get too large with a product or a particular production item, then it will be picked up overseas. For years, we were one of the largest manufacturers of rope for hammocks.”
Barker said the primary way they land customers is by going to numerous trade shows throughout the country.
This company was started in 1934.
“Prior to that, there was a lot of the migration of Northeast textiles coming South,” Barker said.
The company was created after three principals of Rocky Mount Mills – the Bunn, Battle and Stephens families – bought the bankrupt Buckeye Cordage Co.
“That was located down where the old Pepsi plant is. That cord company started probably in the mid-1920s, and they went bankrupt,” Barker said. “North Carolina State Bank had it for sale a couple of times, and some former principals of Rocky Mount Mills bought it and started the Rocky Mount Cord Co. We’ve been around a while.”
The plant produces more than 6 million yards of cord a week. If this length of cord were stretched out, it would extend from 26 miles off the Pacific coast of the United States, cross the continent and end 26 miles off the Atlantic Coast, Barker said.
Q: What products or services do you provide?
A: We make braided cord and twisted rope. It can go into small engines like Weed Eaters, lawn mowers, blowers and trimmers. We manufacture commercial fishing cord line, but not normal fishing line. It goes in crab pots, lobster pots and fish netting, but not rod-and-reel fishing line. We produce tent line and parachute lines, anything where a small diameter line could be used.
Q: Who are your key leaders?
A: President Joe Bunn, whose father started the company and was the only other president, Executive Vice President Andy Barker, Vice President of Manufacturing Louis Hinson, and salesman Alden Love.
Q: How many people do you employ?
A: 75
Q: When were you established?
A: 1934
Q: What’s your business philosophy?
A: Quality, consistency and on-time delivery.
Q: What makes your business unique?
A: One, that we are manufacturing it here in the United States, and we have the versatility and equipment to be able to run a wide range of fibers and diameters of cord, braided or twisted types. We cut to length for Briggs and Stratton and put a lubricating finish on the cord.
A lot of our customers have gone to China, not to get cord made, but to have their finished products made. They used to produce here or in Mexico, but the Chinese have taken over production for finished products.
Q: What changes do you expect for your company in coming years?
A: The big thing is to be able to keep up with what the market demands and keep our response time to a minimum. That is where we have the advantage. All of our production is made to specification, whether it’s a government specification or a Cordage Institute specification or customer specifications.
Q: How has your company grown in the last several years?
A: We have actually been growing well, finding new markets over the last couple of years. We’ve expanded our presence in the poultry market. We’ve expanded our presence in the parachute market. Those have been good. We’ve got a lot of governmental defense contracts, either as a contractor or subcontractor. Most of our business is as subcontractor.
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