CF&I company plane, Denver, Colorado (1959). Left to Right: James Ryan, Earl Troutman, Howard Dorwood, Clarence Carington. Howard was the pilot, head engineer and friend
of James Ryan. Photo courtesy of Paul Ryan, VerSales.
kept by CF&I while educating Jim on the finer points of wire rope engineering. Tese relationships and the supportive,
The VerSales Family, left to right:
Paul, Craig, Rick, James and Gloria Ryan. Photo courtesy of Paul Ryan, VerSales.
“Mom and Dad enjoyed being part of the CF&I family,” recalls Jim’s son Paul Ryan, now one of VER Sales’s co-owners. “Everyone looked after each other.” Jim built a number of strong partnerships at CF&I, and worked with Jack Driggs; Joe Boyle, the Salt Lake district office manager; and Howard Dorwood, head of wire rope at the Denver office. Paul recalls the well-matched team of his father and Howard Dorwood: Jim was a natural interacting with the customers, and Howard, a pilot and CF&I engineer, flew them from place to place in the small plane
family atmosphere at CF&I were missed when Jim later moved on to other companies. He worked briefly at Pacific Wire Rope, which was soon bought out by MacWhyte. During his brief time with Pacific Wire Rope and looking back to his experience at CF&I, Jim began to consider the possibility of starting his own family company. In 1972, Jim established VER Sales with a unique focus on small-diameter wire rope. Tis was seemingly counterintuitive in the 1970s: conventional wisdom held that larger diameter was the key to higher profits. However, Jim wanted his company to specialize in a product that no one else was willing to focus on. Te company produced mostly for the
aircraft industry at first. Over the years, however, Jim found new ways to use its products. VER Sales began doing work in the entertainment industry, providing rigging and fall protection solutions on film and television sets. Te theme park, aerospace, and maritime industries then recognized the company’s expertise, and as of today, VER Sales has worked with some truly high-profile clients,
Jim Ryan, former CF&I employee
and founder of VerSales (1972). Photo courtesy of Paul Ryan, VerSales.
James Ryan (left) and Al Rairden,
Palmer Mass,1953. CF&I Wickwire. Photo courtesy of Paul Ryan, VerSales.
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE MAY-JUNE 2012
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