ProFile: Curt Matthews

Top Hand Ropes has been in production for six months. Under the direction of rope maker, Curt Matthews, the company has quickly spun its way into the hands of thousands of ropers across the country.
Curt grew up around horses and landed a job at a western store on May 31, 1969. That store happened to have a rope company in the back. “As a kid, I wanted money and it was something I was interested in,” he said. “I made girths, swept floors, and did it all. I worked the western store on the weekends and helped in the rope company the rest of the week.” He apprenticed under Pete Emmons, a rope master and innovator. In 1986, at the age of 30, he and a few partners took that knowledge to open up their own rope shop. “I invented the first nylon poly rope right there,” he said. The poly blend rope completely eliminated the need for aging and breaking in ropes and was put together by a machine that Curt also improved, with the help of his father, Curtis Sr, and brother, Tommy. The new rope was so popular, Curt’s shop quickly grew to become one of the biggest rope shops around (Classic Ropes) and he had the opportunity to sell out. The original poly blend rope is called the Money Maker and is still available.
He went to work for an order buying company buying cattle. “My family had done that so it came easy,” he said. After his five year non-compete was over, he took a job with Professionals Choice making ropes for them and eventually moved over to Fast Back, working with Al Benson. “Al was my first employee at the Classic rope shop and he and I made a good team. It was a good combination and I stayed there until Al retired from Fast Back Ropes last spring.”
Shortly after that, two of his best friends convinced him to start one more rope company. “The other two owners are my best friends and their wives are my wife’s best friends and I hesitated because I didn’t want business to affect our friendships. It’s worked out great – we know how to be friends and we know how to do business.”
He lives 12 miles from the shop and gets to work at 5:30 every day to check ropes that were made the day before. “Then by 10:30 I start shipping. I do all the shipping so I can see every rope that leaves here.” That pretty much takes the rest of the day. He does all the purchasing as well. Curt has surrounded himself with quality people, from the marketing to the management and he enjoys it all.
When he’s not at work, he enjoys hog hunting, team roping, and spending time with his family. He has been married to Christi for 32 years and they have three children; an older son, Jim, two grandsons, their middle son, Cory, who is a baseball coach, and their daughter, Catherine, who played fast pitch softball. None of his kids roped, they were involved in sports – baseball, softball and football – which Curt helped coach. He is still involved in baseball through the Miracle League, a baseball program for children with physical and mental challenges that he is very passionate about.
He is also still passionate about ropes. “My longevity and reputation as a rope maker from years of doing it has helped make Top Hand Ropes so successful from the start. You’ve got to prove yourself daily as a rope maker.” The company has three machines going, all day and Curt still has his hand in the tying, waxing, and overall manufacturing process. “I still have a few ideas of new ropes I’d like to try,” he said.