Family Has History of Working to Better Jefferson
Published Apr 16, 2004
Myogen-Westminster
The road to being one of Jefferson County’s oldest businesses has been long for Church Ranch Development Company – 134 years long, to be exact. Fortunately for Charlie Church McKay, co-owner of Church Ranch, three generations of entrepreneurs laid the cornerstones for the company he operates today.
“My great grandfather George Henry Church came here from Iowa by covered wagon in 1857, started out in mining and then got into agriculture,” says McKay, Church Ranch’s fourth generation operator.
Upon their arrival in Colorado, Church and his wife Sarah built a house between Westminster and Broomfield, which became the famous first stop on the Overland Stage Coach Route.
The Churches went on to develop Church Ranch, a versatile company whose influences and business endeavors range from agriculture to mining to land development.
“We still do very much the same things as the past generations as will the fifth generation, my daughter Candy,” says McKay, who credits Church Ranch’s success to generations of hard work.
“Some people have said our stage stop was the first form of economic development that started in this country,” McKay says.
The Churches can be credited with other firsts as well.
“Hereford cattle were introduced to Colorado by my great grandfather in 1869,” says McKay. Church also planted Colorado’s first successful wheat crop, which marked the beginning of the agricultural production for multi- faceted Church Ranch.
“We’re also still in the mining of gravel and clay, and we do both vertical and horizontal land developing,” McKay says.
Under the leadership of McKay and partner Gregg Bradbury, Church Ranch continues to serve Jefferson County through real estate, mining and water projects. One such project is Cimarron Park, a 426-acre development in Arvada that includes residential, office and retail space. McKay also helped develop the corporate headquarters of Myogen Corp., a Westminster-based biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders.
Other Church Ranch developments include Church Ranch Corporate Center, a 145-acre office center in Westminster, Great Western Park, a 365-acre business and residential development in Broomfield, and Mountain Plains Industrial Center, a 131-acre industrial site on U.S. Highway 93 between Boulder and Golden.
The company is also working on a 1000-acre reservoir enlargement project.
McKay says he loves the Jefferson County area because that’s where his family and company roots are.
“There have been numerous times we could have sold out and gone elsewhere to look for greener pastures,” he says. “But instead we have expanded here. Jefferson County allows businesses to get involved and try to affect change.”
Story by Jessica C. Kurtz
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