Park Cattle CEO settles into new job

Brad Nelson moved into his house in Genoa on Jan. 1 and started his new job as the president and chief executive officer at Park Cattle Co. the next day.

Nelson will be based at the Park Cattle Co. corporate office in Minden and will be responsible for implementing the master plans for the company's holdings in Carson Valley and Stateline. He will oversee all regional communications, marketing and public relations having to do with asset development, acquisition and diversification.

Nelson put this all in a nutshell when he said his job basically is to "oversee everything in the company."

Nelson began the selection process for the position of CEO last August and his duties began at the beginning of the year. He said he was hired by the board of directors of Park Cattle Co. because he shared their vision.

"My whole career is real estate," Nelson said. "They wanted people with a real estate background, experience with a family-owned company and experience with gaming. I was selected because of that background."

Nelson grew up in Omaha, Neb., and is a graduate of Iowa State University with a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture and a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Arizona, Tucson. Nelson's experience is with developing large, master-plan communities and residential and commercial developments of Lake Las Vegas, Green Valley, Green Valley Ranch and Seven Hills in Southern Nevada.

Nelson said the board members of Park Cattle Co. don't have a preconceived notion of what their plans for the area should be.

"We'll work with the county to see what it can and should be," he said. "The vision they have is that the Minden property should be created as the best community it can be. It doesn't mean the whole thing is going to be paved, the idea some people are suspicious of."

As to whether there are plans for Carson Valley becoming another Lake Las Vegas, Nelson said master-planned communities require the right planning - something that happens in 20-30 years rather than five years. He said people like the idea of open space.

"People don't respond as well to golf courses," he said. "They like open space more. People can use it for walking, hiking, sitting areas. Open space means a lot more to people."

As a new resident of Carson Valley, Nelson is getting moved into his new home. His wife Pat is director of communications for the Clark County School District in Las Vegas and will be joining him in the coming months. The couple have two grown children.

As the new head of Park Cattle Co., Nelson is learning about area residents and what they like. Nelson meets with the company owners on a regular basis. They gave him a list of subjects to be involved in: master planning and entitlements and collecting data.

Nelson said he is getting to understand the county and its planning process.

"There are big issues, important issues for people here," he said about the three and a half hour Sustainable Growth Initiative meeting at the CVIC hall last week.

"It's important to meet with the staff in the county and see what their visions are. It's about talking to people. You can't do this job in a vacuum.

"I enjoy that part of the work - when you solve people's issues, the outcome is spectacular."

Nelson said something both he and his future employers took into account in the job selection process was that he wanted to make Carson Valley his home for a long time.

"The family wanted someone committed to the area and who wanted to become part of the community," Nelson said.

"It's a long-term vision, not a five-year plan," he said about Park Cattle Co. plans. "The family has been here a long time and they expect to be around a long time."