The Ranch - About Larimer County

Larimer County
Public Works Division
Annual Report 2008
Larimer County will add value to
the lives of its citizens by:
Building Partnerships
Being Customer Driven
Empowering People to Take Responsibility
Being a Fulfilling and Enjoyable Place to Work
Being a Good Steward of Public Resources

F
ive Years of Great
Partnerships
It is with great pleasure and excitement
that we present to the citizens of
Larimer County the first annual report
for The Ranch, Larimer County
Fairgrounds and Events Complex.
The past year, by all accounts, was one
of our most successful. The Ranch
hosted a record amount of events
totaling over 2,000 in the Budweiser
Events Center, Ranch-Way Feeds
Indoor Arena and Pavilions, the First
National Bank Building and Thomas M.
McKee 4-H, Youth and Community
Building, as well as the entire campus
itself. The Ranch also celebrated its
fifth year of operation. A few of the
highlights include the 129 th year of the
Larimer County Fair & Rodeo including
the 60 th
performance of the PRCA Rodeo, the
Goodguys Colorado National Car
Show, Thunder in the Rockies
Motorcycle Rally, the Colorado Mission
of Mercy, and the Colorado Eagles
hockey teams’ continuation of selling
out every regular season home game
since they first dropped the puck five
years ago.
With the excitement that each and every
event brings to The Ranch, it is easy to
overlook the team of people that carry
out the details each day. Larimer
County employees and our partners/
contractors in Ovations Food Services,
Global-Spectrum, and Front Row
Marketing Services are the most
valuable assets at The Ranch. They
continue to implement the Larimer
County Vision Statement every day and
fulfill the trust that Larimer County
Entrance to The Ranch– Taken by BHA
Design
voters put into our hands when they
approved the purchase and construction
of The Ranch in 1999 and 2002. Our
unique public/private partnership has
proven to be successful and we are
proud to be the most visited entertainment
venue in Northern Colorado.
Bob Herrfeldt
Director, The Ranch
2
000 Events and
Counting
With over two-thousand events scheduled
in 2008, and an equally busy
projected 2009, it is surprising to many
that The Ranch is booking new events
every day. This continuous growth
could be a result of many circumstances,
but here at The Ranch we are
certain that it is because of it’s unique
facility, knowledgeable staff and
customer service. There are few event
facilities that have the capability of
successfully hosting events that range
from cattle shows to five day conventions
and wedding receptions. It is the
broad collection of knowledge,
professionalism and a dedication to
events that has allowed the facility to
consistently increase in the number of
events since the opening of its doors in
2004. Between the four main buildings
and expansive outdoor area The Ranch
currently has on the campus, it is rare
to find an event that cannot be
accommodated at The Ranch.
In addition to all of the rental
opportunities, The Ranch has taken
advantage of it’s great facility to host
additional self-promoted events
creating a great revenue source as
noted on page seven of this report.
T h ese events i n clude t h r ee
partnerships, Engaging Loveland for
the Sweetheart Balloon Rally, Thunder
Mountain Harley Davidson for the
Thunder in the Rockies Motorcycle
Rally, and Ovations for the upcoming
Gnarly Barley Brew Festival at the
Larimer County Fair. Another self
promoted event, Big Thunder Draft
Horse Show, is a great tradition that
takes place each January.
It is hoped that The Ranch will
continue to grow in the number of self
promoted events in the future.
Banquet table decorations by Ovations.
Courtesy of The Ranch staff.
2

T
he Ranch gives
back...
T
homas M.McKee 4-H,
Youth and Community
Building
In August of 2007, the Thomas M.
McKee 4-H, Youth & Community
Building was built and opened for
Larimer County 4-H groups and
activities, Colorado State University
Extension events, and community
non-profit group events. In 2008, The
Ranch donated over $60,000 of free
meeting space in the McKee building
for more than 425 meetings and events
of the Larimer County 4-H program
and over $80,000 of free meeting space
to over 564 non-profit organizations for
meetings and events.
Colorado
R
elay for Life
In 2008, The Ranch was chosen as the
new location where the Loveland and
Fort Collins Chapters of the American
Cancer Society joined together to host a
larger, more regional “Relay for Life”
event. Over 70 registered teams
(approximately 10 members to a team)
and over 200 community participants
joined 152 survivors to raise funds for
cancer research. The Ranch and
Ovations supported both chapters by
donating facilities, labor, equipment and
food valued at over $19,000 to help
achieve one of its most successful
events ever! The Ranch is looking
forward to hosting the 2009 Relay for
Life event in June.
C
olorado Mission of
Mercy
One of the most unique and rewarding
events The Ranch hosted was the
Colorado Mission of Mercy in July of
2008. With the First National Bank
Exhibition Halls transformed into a
massive dental clinic, over 800
volunteers, including 113 dentists from
Colorado and around the nation
provided cleanings, fillings, extractions,
and root canals – all for free. COMOM
was able to treat nearly 1,500 patients
and donate over $1 million in dental
care over a two-day period. After two
full days of extensive setup, people
began lining up outside the First
National Bank Exhibition Hall at 4 am
to have an opportunity to receive free
dental assistance. The Ranch, Ovations
and the Larimer County Board of
County Commissioners eagerly
donated staff, facilities and assistance
to the event. COMOM 2008 was also
fortunate to receive the attention of
four legislators, a county commissioner,
and several media outlets. In addition
to our local media, CBS national news
(Katie Couric's evening news team) flew
out from New York to cover COMOM
on Thursday and Friday of the
event. This three minute segment, titled
"The Other America," aired on July 23
and highlighted the national dental
access-to-care issue, while showing
footage of the Loveland event at The
Ranch. The COMOM event travels
around the state of Colorado each year
and The Ranch anxiously awaits the
next opportunity to host this amazing
community event!
2008 Relay
for Life runners
and
volunteers.
Courtesy of
The Ranch
staff.
Mission of Mercy Load-In.
Taken by The Ranch staff.
A
merican Red Cross
On May 22, 2008 a disastrous tornado
hit Northern Colorado and caused
major devastation to our eastern
neighbor, Windsor. At 3:00 pm that
afternoon, the Centennial Red Cross
designated The Ranch as a tornado
relief shelter for Northern Colorado,
and specifically for Windsor residents.
Over 200 people were displaced from
their homes and were in need of food,
shelter and comradery that evening.
The First National Bank Building was
quickly converted into a sleeping area
where over 200 cots were setup. A
reception area where people could
check-in, eat, receive updated
information on the crisis, search for
loved ones and rest was also available.
The Ranch became the Centennial Red
Cross’s headquarters for the next four
weeks. The Ranch and Ovations’ staff
spent two hours transforming the First
National Bank building into a shelter.
Family members, spouses and friends
of the staff arrived to help set tables,
chairs, cots, supplies, etc. Ovations
prepared dinners for the evening, and
the following day they prepared and
delivered lunches to rescue areas
within Windsor as well.
3

The Budweiser Events Center prides
itself in bringing the best family
entertainment, special events, and
community festivals to Northern
Colorado. As we enter our fifth
anniversary season, The Budweiser
Events Center has established itself as
one of the premier facilities in the
entertainment industry, boasting over
180 events in 2008, from concerts to
thrill shows, company parties and
sold-out sporting events.
Hank Williams Jr. at Sarah Palin
political rally, fall 2008.
Courtesy of Larry Pullen.
Notable sell-outs and full-houses
from the 2008 season included
Monster Truck Winter Nationals and
Arenacross Series, Blue Man Group
“How to be a Megastar Tour 2.0”,
The World Famous Harlem
Globetrotters, The World Famous
Lipizzaner Stallions and New Years
Extreme Rodeo. Alaska Governor
Sarah Palin made a visit to the
Budweiser Events Center along the
campaign trail to speak to the people
of Northern Colorado. Over 6,000
Republicans and undecided voters
packed into the Budweiser Events
Center to hear the Vice Presidential
hopeful speak. Attendees were also
treated to an unexpected performance
by country music legend Hank
Williams Jr.
The Colorado Eagles continue to
thrive in Northern Colorado as they
continue to sell out home games at
the Budweiser Events Center. They
continue to have the “hottest tickets
Blue Man Group “How to be a
Megastar 2.0.” Courtesy of Larry Pullen.
in town” and currently boasts a CHL
record 181 consecutive sell outs for
regular season games and 218
consecutive sell outs including playoff
games and still counting. Global
Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in
the public assembly facility
management field, manages the Budweiser
Events Center.
“...boasting over 180 events in
2008, from concerts to thrill
shows, company parties and
sold-out sporting events.”
Ovations Food Services at The Ranch
employs a knowledgeable, creative and
forward-thinking management team
that strives to produce new ideas and
opportunities for the complex.
Ovations Food Services provides
service in primarily three areas at The
Ranch: 1.) For major sporting events,
concerts and family shows in the
Budweiser Events Center operating all
“We have been very pleased
with both the rooms and catering
at our meetings. Our
attendance has been up for
every meeting since October
and I attribute a large part of
that to the new venue.”
-Dan Meyer/American Society
the concessions stands and the
Champion Auto Group Executive
Club restaurant and suites catering;
2.) All concessions in the Exhibition
Halls and Indoor Arena; 3.) Full service
catering across the entire campus in all
buildings from plated dinners to
receptions and everything in between.
Providing service beyond expectations
from the simplest event to campus
wide extravaganzas is our goal.
Tremendous strides have been made in
2008 with the “everything fresh”
concept in all concession areas and a
focused effort to elevate overall quality
of food and service in the catering
operation.
In Concessions, two major initiatives
provided faster service for patrons. A
new point-of-sale system was installed
in the Water Valley Tap and credit card
machines were installed in the
concessions stands making it more
convenient for patrons to purchase
refreshments.
The catering department established
several record-setting revenue months
in 2008 with a 6.4% increase over
2007. With the addition of a full-time
banquet manager to oversee the
increasing demands for catering
service, several operations areas were
retooled and
service levels
were stepped
up.
Best of all,
based on
f e e d b a c k ,
c l i e n t s
noticed!
4

Thunder in the Rockies Motorcycle
Rally is a nationally recognized rally
that attracts motorcycle enthusiasts
regionally, and from across the
country. In its fourth year, the rally
boasted non-stop music, competitions,
entertainment, poker runs, and
much more.
The Rally Celebrated a Military
Appreciation Day on Saturday by
partnering with the American Military
Families Organization. The day
included a live remote to Iraq
orchestrated by Freedom Calls,
capturing a surprise presentation of a
home renovation for Loveland
Marine-amputee Chris Hahn. The day
also included a motivational speech
by Major General Mark Graham,
Patriot Guard Presentation, Color
Guard Presentation, a mass swear-in
ceremony for Army and Marines, and
more.
The Rally attendees also enjoyed
several bands on the outdoor main
stage including many local talents
from Northern Colorado. As many
roamed through the vendors, they
were entertained by Pro Team Bull
Riding events, motorcycle stunt
shows, a custom bike show, a
strongman competition, roller derby,
Photos of Thunder in the Rockies 2008.
Courtesy of Fred McClanahan Jr.
and tattoo contest, just to name a few.
Comedian Joel McHale also kept a
crowd laughing as he performed in
the Budweiser Events Center on
Friday night of the Rally. The
upcoming years are certainly full of
high expectations and growth opportunities
for the Thunder in the Rockies
Motorcycle Rally event and The
Ranch.
The Big Thunder Draft Horse Show is an event that
many Northern Colorado community members look
forward to every year. With Nationally renowned
hitches coming from across the United States and Canada
each year the event continues to be successful in both
hitch attendance and public spectators.
In 2008 the event not only included 10 six-horse hitches,
but several local entries of teams or single entry horses.
The attendance increased from 2007 and the crowd again
appreciated the well formatted show. This is one of the
only shows in the area where you can see everything from
a single cart to a six or eight horse hitch all in the same
performance.
Draft Horse Show
2008. Courtesy of
The Ranch staff.
In 2007, The Ranch was asked
to partner with Engaging
Loveland to host an annual hot
air balloon rally in Loveland.
It was created to revive the
former Sweetheart Balloon
Rally, which ended back in the
mid 1980’s. The Ranch’s
location, partnered with its size
and amount of open space, was
an ideal location for the rally.
The first year of the rally was a
success as 1,000 participated in
the first annual Loveland
Sweetheart Balloon Rally at
The Ranch. For the 2008 rally
there were 30 registered pilots
to fly Valentine’s Day
weekend.
This number doubled the first
year of attendees. Unfortunately,
due to inclement
weather, the balloons were
unable to successfully launch in
2008. There are plans to make
additions and improvements to
the 2009 rally entertainment
and activities for participants
to enjoy in case of inclement
weather conditions.
2007 Hot Air Balloon Rally. Courtesy
of The Ranch Staff.
5

This coming August, Larimer County
will celebrate its 130 th Larimer County
Fair and PRCA Rodeo! With that, the
Larimer County Fair and Rodeo will
be celebrating its 5 th year at The
Ranch.
In 2008, over 40,000 people attended
the festivities over the five day period.
Larimer County residents came out to
The Ranch to support over 1,100 4-H
members showing their exhibits such
as animal projects, leather craft
projects, decorated cakes, quilts,
photography and woodworking.
Fair patrons participated in the many
campus-wide attractions, such as the
Bill Hames Carnival, community
demonstration area, Water Valley
Corral for Kids, Open Class exhibit
hall, pancake breakfast, nightly
fireworks show, jumbo-tron movies,
draft horse shows, junior rodeo and
Loveland Police dog demonstrations.
The PRCA celebrated a special honor
for retired Rodeo Committee Member
Dale Weist. In a surprise ceremony
preceeding a night of rodeo, the arena
was officially named the Dale Weist
Arena at The Ranch. The Banner will
be displayed any time the arena is set
up for a horse or rodeo event.
2009’s Larimer County Fair and
Rodeo is already proving to be a
fun-filled event, as a Colorado State
University Alumni Association Social
on Saturday; deeming Saturday “CSU
Day” has been added. The Ranch and
Ovations will be unveiling their first
annual Gnarley Barley Brew Festival,
where local and state breweries will
provide samples of their products,
vendors will provide educational
demonstrations regarding the brew
process, and a local brewmaster’s club
will participate in a home brew
contest. Larimer County will celebrate
the traditions and diversity that 130
years has brought to the Larimer
County Fair!
Larimer County Fair 2008. Courtesy of John
Clarke Photography.
L
arimer County Extension
Larimer County's 1,100 4-H members
and 100 Master Gardeners were
frequent visitors at The Ranch in 2008.
Many of these youth and adults
participated as either volunteers or
participants in another successful
Larimer County Fair .
Thirteen of the 4-H clubs held their
monthly meetings in the McKee 4-H,
Youth & Community Building throughout
the year. The broad spectrum of
Extension and 4-H skill-building
programs hosted at The Ranch included
the creative cooks contest, animal
workshops, hippology workshops, team
practices and more. The annual 4-H
Carnival attracted hundreds of local
families for a day of fun. The 4-H
Exchange Club and 4-H Junior Leaders
used The Ranch facilities, with the 4-H
Dairy Bar continuing a long tradition of
serving great ice cream during the Fair.
Rounding out the 4-H year, the annual
4-H Achievement Program featured
awards, fun and food.
Extension’s Master Gardener training
held workshops at The Ranch on
diagnostics, herbs, container gardening
and other topics. Other Extension
sponsored conferences included the
Rocky Mountain Conference on Aging,
the Larimer County Financial Literacy
Summit, the Getting to Know Your
Rural Properties seminar, a workshop on
farm taxes, a DARE To Be You training,
workshops for small acreage owners, and
a Strong Women Program regional
training, among others.
The Larimer County Extension staff is
pleased to partner with The Ranch in
hosting these educational endeavors that
increase knowledge and skills, increase
community capacity, and provide
valuable information for use in addressing
environmental, economic, and
societal concerns. "Making The Best
Better" is more than just the 4-H way, it's
the Extension way. The Ranch provides
an invaluable venue for programs such as
these that are sponsored by the Larimer
County office of Colorado State
University Extension.
Master Gardeners answering questions at a
public booth. Courtesy of Extension staff.
6

S
ummary of Finances
The Ranch revenue and expense
amounts are summarized below:
Revenues:
Budweiser Events Ctr $3,076,916
McKee Building $ 54,600
Operations $1,815,084
Campus Wide Events $ 627,339
Facility Rental $ 708,362
Expenses
Budweiser Events Ctr $2,695,522
McKee Building $ 340,154
Operations $2,174,084
Campus Wide Events $ 858,634
Facility Rental $ 341,783
These figures are unaudited. Audit to be completed mid 2009.
H
ighlights of
2008 Praise in the
In five years of business, The Ranch
has grown into the premier multi-event
facility in Northern Colorado.
As The Ranch revved up its busy
summer, it hosted its third annual
Good Guys Colorado Nationals Car
Show. The show is continually a
success at The Ranch’s location
drawing close to 30,000 spectators and
hundreds of show cars over the course
of a three day weekend.
I n
mid-June The Ranch hosted Praise in
the Park. This is the first event that has
taken advantage of The Ranch’s large
outdoor amphitheatre as an outdoor
concert facility. With a few thousand
northern Coloradoans enjoying the
Park 2008.
Courtesy of The
Ranch staff.
summer weather, this was an impressive
event for The Ranch in 2008.
Rounding out the summer season, The
Ranch hosted what has quickly become
the largest barrel race in the state of
Colorado. A few hundred barrel
horses and their families settled in at
The Ranch as a finale to their long
summer of traveling and competing.
2008 was the first year The Ranch
hosted the Episcopal Diocese Convention,
a regional event that was excited
to move north out of Denver. They
utilized both the First National Bank
West Exhibition Hall as well as the
Thomas M. McKee 4-H, Youth, and
Community Building to host their
numerous convention activities.
The Ranch was presented with a oncein-a-lifetime
opportunity to host the
U.S. Vice Presidential candidate, Sarah
Palin, Political Rally. The event was a
prime example of how remarkable the
staff at The Ranch truly is. In a week
the staff contracted and executed a
nationally publicized event that
demanded many security changes and
facility details that had never been
performed before. This event created
many challenges and much excitement
for the staff. This was the ultimate
occasion to showcase The Ranch’s
capabilities, facilities and opened many
doors to get The Ranch on the map.
"Everything was wonderful ...
the staff did a great job making
[the facility] warm and
inviting."
Episcopal Diocese Convention
7

L
ooking to 2009
In almost five years, The Ranch has hosted over 5,000 events! With the addition of an in-house sales manager, The Ranch has
the opportunity to add several large conferences and events to its calendar for 2009 and beyond. Some important upcoming
events include: Oregon California Trails Association Convention, Colorado Society of Associations Executives Conference,
Colorful Colorado Horse Show, Poudre Valley REA Annual Meeting, Certified Veterinary Technicians Conference, the first
annual Gnarly Barley Brew Festival, Engel Old West Auction, Loveland Western Collectible Show and many more. In 2010,
The Ranch will host the Bearded Collie Club of America Specialty Show in October. The American Belgian Tevuren Club
National Show has also chosen The Ranch as its 2011 location. In 2009, the Budweiser Events Center will host the Ringling
Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in May. It will also host, for the first time, Fort Collins Symphony with Classical Mystery
Tour – A Tribute to the Beatles event in April. Both Foreigner and Montgomery Gentry are scheduled as additions to the
Thunder in the Rockies Motorcyle Rally in 2009.
The most notable addition to The Ranch in 2009 will be the opening of the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center on the
southwest corner of The Ranch property. The hotel will open with 263 two-room suites and over 40,000 square feet of
conference space. This will be a great compliment to the existing conference capabilities of The Ranch.
Sunset on the Larimer County Fair Grounds and Event Complex 2008. Courtesy of The Ranch staff.
Contact Information:
The Ranch
Administrative Offices
5280 Arena Circle, Suite 100
Loveland, CO 80538
Phone
(970) 619-4000
(970) 619-4001 Fax
Office Hours
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Monday - Friday
On the Web At:
www.larimer.org/theranch
www.budweisereventscenter.com
www.larimercountyfair.com
www.bigthundershow.com
8
Departments within
The Ranch:
Ovations Food Services
5290 Arena Circle
Loveland, CO 80538
970-619-4055
Budweiser Events Center
Global Spectrum
5290 Arena Circle
Loveland, CO 80538
970-619-4001
Larimer County Fair & Rodeo
5280 Arena Circle, Suite 101
Loveland, CO 80538
970-619-4000
This publication is
printed on recycled
paper.
Public Works Division
Marc Engemoen, Director
Engineering
Fleet
Natural Resources
Road and Bridge
Solid Waste
The Ranch
Did you Know?
The Ranch hosts an event every day of the
year except Thanksgiving and Christmas.
If the Budweiser Event Center
refrigeration piping under the ice were
uncoiled and laid flat it would be over 10
miles long.
In the inaugural year 2006, the Thomas M.
McKee 4-H, Youth & Community
Building hosted 704 meetings. In 2007 the
number of meetings doubled to 1,460.
It takes 324 man hours and 1,421 cubic
yards of dirt to prepare the Budweiser
Events Center for a rodeo.