Denver, CO

Buz Koelbel, family development firm’s second generation, dies at 72

Published

2 days ago

September 24, 2024

Buz Koelbel, family development firm’s second generation, dies at 72

Buz Koelbel, who led his father’s Denver-area real estate firm for nearly 40 years before stepping down from the top job earlier this year, has died.

Koelbel, 72, died Thursday from blood cancer, according to his family.

Buz Koelbel (Provided by Koelbel and Co.)

Koelbel’s father, Walter A. Koelbel Sr., was a Michigan native who moved to Colorado for military training in World War II, then stayed to attend the University of Colorado Boulder. He founded Koelbel and Co. at age 26 in 1952 as a residential brokerage and found early success buying land to the south of Denver in the path of the region’s growth.

“Early on, my dad realized that dealing with the real-estate agents and the brokers wasn’t as much fun as looking for good land and figuring out what to do with it,” Buz Koelbel told Avid Lifestyle, a publication that covers Denver’s southern suburbs, in 2021.

Koelbel, born the same year his father founded the company, was his father’s junior. But he acquired his nickname early on, thanks to his toddler older sister’s mispronunciation of “baby brother.”

“My sister couldn’t say Walter and she called me her little baby buzzer — and it just stuck,” he told the Villager newspaper in 2017. “When I was learning cursive in first or second grade, I looked at it and thought it sounds the same with one ‘z’ as two.”

Koelbel and his father’s company grew up together.

“To get us kids out of the house, he’d take us on property tours,” he told the Villager. “But probably the most significant memory is when they started converting my grandparents’ Hereford cattle farm into what is now Pinehurst Country Club and community. We used to play in the cornfields out there as a kid. That was our first big flagship community.”

Koelbel graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School and, like his father, UC Boulder, where his family became a major donor. The university’s Leeds School of Business is located in the Koelbel Building.

After graduating in 1974, Koelbel worked in property management in San Francisco for two years before joining Koelbel and Co. in 1976. He was named president in 1985. His father died in December 2011.

Koelbel and Co.’s development activity has been varied. The firm has developed single-family home communities in the Denver area, including The Preserve in Greenwood Village, as well as Rendezvous in Grand County. It also developed the region’s largest apartment complex — The Breakers Resort, now TAVA Waters, in southeast Denver, which set a record when it sold in 2016. The company also developed 10 income-restricted housing projects during his tenure.

The firm, however, isn’t just residential. Commercial projects have included retail space in Parker, a business park in Louisville and RiNo’s Catalyst office building. Another office building is underway in Aurora geared at defense contractors. In recent months, Koelbel has been the buyer as sellers have unloaded Denver Tech Center office buildings at big losses.

The firm didn’t stray outside Colorado for decades. But last year, Koelbel and Co. broke ground on a Catalyst office building in Omaha.

Koelbel stepped down from day-to-day responsibilities at the company in the spring, handing the title of president and CEO to son Carl Koelbel and taking on the title of chairman. His other sons, Walt and Dean, are also executives at the firm. Koelbel and Co. calls itself “the longest operating family-owned real estate development firm in the region.”

“We’ve all got what my dad calls the dinner-table DNA,” Carl Koelbel told the Villager in 2017. “It was growing up and hearing my dad talk about real estate. It just got embedded within us.”

Koelbel was a co-founder of the Denver South Economic Development Partnership, the Common Sense Institute and the High Line Canal Conservancy, according to his family. He served as a board member for a variety of organizations including the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and CU Real Estate Center.

Koelbel is survived by Sherri, his wife of 41 years, as well as his four children — Carl (Fallon), Walt (Laura), Dean (Kristin), and Bethany Mihalcin (Justin) — and four siblings: Lynn Stambaugh (Jim), Bob (Deb), Leslie Webb (Tom) and Laurie Chahbandour (John). He is also survived by 11 grandchildren who, according to his family, gave him a new nickname: “Bop.”

A memorial service will take place on Oct. 1 at 1:30 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cherry Hills Village. A reception will follow at Cherry Hills Country Club. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that donations be made to Junior Achievement or the High Line Canal Conservancy.

Read more at our partner, BusinessDen.

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Originally Published: September 24, 2024 at 3:00 p.m.

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Denver, CO

Broadway in downtown Denver shut down for more than an hour during morning rush, but nobody knows why

Published

5 hours ago

September 26, 2024

Press Room

Broadway in downtown Denver shut down for more than an hour during morning rush, but nobody knows why

Broadway shut down for more than an hour during morning rush

00:22

Slow traffic on Broadway isn’t unusual on weekday mornings, but Thursday was particularly frustrating for drivers as they approached the state Capitol. Despite a sign warning of only an approaching left lane closure, it turns out the entire street was closed between Colfax and 14th Street.

Broadway was closed from approximately 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Denver police officers routed drivers east and west on Colfax to get around the closure.

Broadway was shut down in downtown Denver but nobody seems to know why.

CBS

CBS News Colorado asked the Denver Police Department why Broadway was closed, but the media relations unit told us they had no calls for service and that perhaps the closure was due to an event. CBS News Colorado checked with the Civic Center Conservancy, but they were unaware of any events on Thursday morning.

DOTI, which is Denver’s Department of Traffic and Infrastructure, has not yet responded to requests for information. Neither has RTD, which operates the Civic Center Station a block-and-a-half away.

Colorado State Patrol has jurisdiction over the state Capitol, but they also had no knowledge of the closure.

CBS News Colorado will continue to seek answers, but it’s looking like this closure may remain a mystery.

Laura Phillips

Laura Phillips is the Managing Editor at CBS News Colorado. She oversees the station’s daily news coverage and works closely with the reporters.

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Denver, CO

Broncos 2024 NFL power rankings tracker: How national experts rank Denver entering Week 4

Published

15 hours ago

September 26, 2024

Press Room

Broncos 2024 NFL power rankings tracker: How national experts rank Denver entering Week 4

It took six games, but the Broncos finally won a game in September under head coach Sean Payton.

Denver beat Tampa, 26-7, on Sunday and for the first time all season, every aspect of the team seemed to be clicking. The defense came up with a season-high seven sacks and a pair of takeaways. And running back Tyler Badie may be the answer to the team’s stagnant run game.

Now, can they replicate that performance against the Jets on Sunday?

Here’s a look at how various national experts rated the Broncos in their power rankings entering Week 4:

The Athletic (No. 28) | Last week: No. 30

“Bo Nix was Sunday’s best rookie quarterback”

“And he’s been the second-best this season. The competition is not as tough as we imagined it would be in April, but still. Nix is second among all quarterbacks this season in rushing (107 yards) and was efficient from the pocket Sunday as Denver got its first win. With Caleb Williams’ struggles, Nix is behind only Jayden Daniels in terms of rookie quarterback value so far,” Josh Kendall writes. See the full rankings.

Bleacher Report (No. 27) | Last week: No. 30

“The first two professional starts for rookie quarterback Bo Nix of the Broncos were rough. But Sunday in Tampa, the former Oregon and Auburn standout gave Denver fans some signs of what the future might hold under center in the Mile High City.” See the full rankings.

CBS Sports (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30

“Sean Payton showed he owns the Bucs with Todd Bowles as coach. That was a clinic. Bo Nix is getting better,” Pete Prisco writes. See the full rankings.

ESPN (No. 27) | Last week: No. 30

“Coach Sean Payton admitted it has been difficult finding a running back rotation that works, especially if Tyler Badie’s flashes are a sign of something bigger. Badie leads the team’s backs with 86 yards on only 10 carries, while Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin are each averaging just 2.2 yards per carry. Much like we saw from Badie in training camp, he patiently waits for openings before popping a big run — such as the 43-yarder in Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers. But Payton has said he typically leans on two-back rotations, whether it’s ‘right, wrong or indifferent.’ Trying to kick-start an inconsistent run game with three backs has proved challenging,” Jeff Legwold writes. See the full rankings.

NFL.com (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30

“Bo Nix played his best NFL game, top to bottom, and he looked remarkably comfortable at times — especially compared to the more chaotic feel the offense had in Weeks 1 and 2. The offensive line protected Nix well, and he made quality snap decisions and delivered very catchable balls more often than not. The run game did just enough, thanks to Nix’s scrambling, Jaleel McLaughlin’s miracle TD early and Tyler Badie’s fine work in the fourth quarter. And how about Denver’s defense? Patrick Surtain II clamped down on Mike Evans, and the front pressured Baker Mayfield relentlessly, to the tune of seven sacks and 18 pressures, per Next Gen Stats. Mayfield threw 33 times, but the longest pass play Denver allowed was for just 13 yards. This win was much-needed after the Broncos let a pair of close games slip away to start the year,” Eric Edholm writes. See the full rankings.

Pro Football Focus (No. 28) | Last week: No. 27

“The Broncos got off the mark in the win column with a competent and convincing win against the Buccaneers, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix earning a 74.1 grade. The defense has been equally impressive through three games and is eighth in EPA per play allowed (-0.173),” Thomas Valentine writes. See the full rankings.

Pro Football Talk (No. 21) | Last week: No. 29

“Well, now things are getting interesting,” Mike Florio writes. See the full rankings.

Sports Illustrated (No. 27) | Last week: No. 31

“I appreciated Sean Payton’s willingness to take the ball off the coin toss and place the game on Bo Nix’s shoulders. Nix has had by far the most ruthless start for rookie quarterbacks in terms of opponents — Seattle, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, and the Jets in Week 4 — and he has turned in two close losses and Sunday’s win,” Conor Orr writes. See the full rankings.

USA Today (No. 22) | Last week: No. 30

“Maybe they’re due a little more respect after facing three teams with a combined 8-1 record, the lone loss the Broncos’ shocking shellacking of the Bucs on Sunday,” Nate Davis writes. See the full rankings.

Yahoo! Sports (No. 28) | Last week: No. 30

“Running back Tyler Badie had 70 yards on nine carries Sunday. Javonte Williams has 52 yards on 24 carries through three games. Bo Nix had a nice breakout Sunday. He still needs support from the run game, and maybe Badie will be the next man up for that job,” Frank Schwab writes. See the full rankings.

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Originally Published: September 26, 2024 at 5:45 a.m.

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