THE PERSON:"Walt Koelbel graduated from CU in 1947 and went to work for Moore Realty, a successful Colorado real estate company. It was there that he got his start in the real estate business and met his long-time friend Bill Moore, whose father founded Moore Realty in 1931. Koelbel went on to found Koelbel and Company in 1952 with just three employees.
Since then, the company has built over one million square feet of office space, as well as developing residential sites such as The Breakers, the largest apartment project in the Rocky Mountain region, and the highly acclaimed 600 acre high-end development The Preserve. Its centerpiece is the 45-acre Marjorie Perry Nature Preserve, incorporating a residential development with habitat and wildlife preservation.
Walt Koelbel has said about his business, “We are unique in that we specialize in Colorado but we generalize in the entire spectrum of development. Most do the opposite. They specialize in one kind of development and go anywhere to do it.” Koelbel and Company is a tremendously successful local, Colorado business. Today the company that started out so small employs over 85 people. In 1976 Walt Koelbel’s oldest son, Walter “Buz” Koelbel, a ’74 grad of the CU business school, joined the business. In 1985 Buz took over as president, continuing the CU relationship with Koelbel and Company.
Walt Koelbel has a long history of serving the University of Colorado at Boulder, over 60 years in fact. He has been involved with many fundraising efforts in support of CU, including the renovation of the historic Macky Auditorium.
He has been especially generous to the CU Leeds School of Business over the years. The Koelbel family recently made a very generous gift for the renovation of and addition to the business school building, which will be named in their honor. Walt Koelbel was also involved in the original construction of the building in the late 1960s. He was instrumental in creating the Real Estate Center, one of the Centers of Excellence for the Leeds School of Business, and was also a founding member of the Real Estate Council. Koelbel has said of the Real Estate Center “There are a number of other top-flight centers around the country. I wanted the school to have one of them, and I think that goal has been realized.”
In addition to his dedication to the university, Walt has served on the board of directors for many other community organizations, including Great Outdoors Colorado, the American Cancer Society, Sewall Rehabilitation Center Foundation, State Historical Society, Colorado Woman’s College, Goodwill Industries of Colorado, and the Great Denver Corporation.
Buz Koelbel says, “I’ve learned from my dad how to take a focused approach to delivering a quality product from the land plan, to landscaping, to aesthetics, to architectural planning. In the end, this philosophy yields a far better product, better economic returns, and the ability to take great pride in what we do. We never forget that under all lies the land. We are custodians of the land for a short period of time, so we have great concern and understanding for what we do."" (from (
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THE PLACE:"he 38-year-old building that houses the University of Colorado at Boulder Leeds School of Business has been renovated and expanded in time for classes this fall.
Renovation of the existing 100,000-square-foot building and the four-story, 65,000-square-foot expansion cost about $38 million.
Students voted to impose a student capital construction fee on themselves representing $17.5 million, and $3.25 million from the university provided the financial base to start the project. The rest of the money is being generated through donations from alumni and business leaders.
The Koelbel Building is named in honor of the Koelbel family, Walter and Gene, and their son, Walter "Buz" Koelbel Jr., all CU business school graduates who donated to the project. Walter Koelbel founded Koelbel and Company 54 years ago, a Denver-based real estate firm that is considered by the university as a leader in Colorado real estate development, construction and sales.
In addition to high-tech, interactive classrooms, the building is home of the Beverly A. Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, the William M. White Business Library and the Real Estate Center headed by Byron Koste. The building's new atrium is named in honor of Koste.
Buz Koelbel, a business school alumnus with a degree in finance, said the family feels strongly about the school's importance. "The business school is the key to the university, and CU is the most important institution in the state - the key cog in the wheel," Koelbel said Aug. 22 during a preview of the building for the media and those who provided donations for the project. "This complete redo was critical to stay updated," Koelbel said.
Real estate developer Bill Reynolds was one of several people who donated $1 million to the project. His company, W.W. Reynolds, oversees 2 million square feet of space in Boulder. The CU graduate and founder of the CU Real Estate Center told the group why the renovation was necessary. "In this facility we can teach students and professors to be real leaders in our community, state and nation," he said.
CU Chancellor G.P. "Bud" Peterson agreed. "In the global word the rate of information being generated is mind-boggling. The technology in this space will help educate students and allow them to succeed in this new environment."" (from (
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