New Park chief weighs options

Brad Nelson's charge at Minden-based Park Cattle Co. is straightforward: Maximize the assets of the company's property holdings in northern Nevada.

But don't expect anything to move quickly after Nelson was named chief executive officer of Park Cattle Co. at the start of this year.

Nelson said last week that he needs to carefully study the company's assets 4,500 acres of land in Douglas County's Carson Valley, another 500 acres at South Lake Tahoe before moving forward with plans for their development.

A veteran residential and commercial developer in southern Nevada, Nelson said his thinking about the company's future must take into account the political climate of Douglas County, where many voters worry about the effects of growth.

"Often, there is a lot of fear that is present," he said. "Part of our job is to come forward with facts and studies that mitigate those fears."

Because the company's planning remains in its early stages, Nelson said it's too early to tell whether Park Cattle Co. might look for alliances with other companies to develop its holdings.

The company's land at South Lake Tahoe includes the property upon which the Horizon and Montbleu casinos now sit. It also owns Edgewood Golf Course at Stateline.

In the Carson Valley, it owns the Park Cattle Ranch as well as the Tillman Center at Gardnerville.

The family-owned company founded in 1871 may be the oldest in Nevada. But its recent history has been roiled by legal disputes among family members who are divided on whether to keep the company whole or liquidate its assets.

Nelson succeeds Robert Armstrong, a Reno attorney who stepped down early last year after two years of providing executive leadership to Park Cattle.