Bob West

Biography for Bob West

Bob was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1955. His father started working for Chevrolet Motor Division, after returning from World War II, fighting the Japanese Army on the Burma road in China. Bob’s mother, a part time elementary school teacher and homemaker grew up on a farm in Arvada. After a brief move to Denver the family was transferred to the Motor City, Detroit, Michigan. Bob and the family including his brother and sister would leave their beloved Colorado. As part of a large corporation, success meant moving up the ladder, and physically moving often.

Next stop Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The rest of my family “voted” we wouldn’t move with my father to Pittsburgh, as the city had a very poor reputation for pollution and Steel Mills. After a call from my father from the airport after a house hunting reconnaissance, he convinced us to join him. Turns out Pittsburgh was pretty cool! Bob and his older brother attended High School, was active in the Boy Scouts and played a lot of little league baseball. An interest in high school drafting class, Bob got his start working in an Architect’s office at 16 after being noticed at a Rotary Meeting where he presented a balsa wood model he built of a house. Every summer the family would vacation in the west, Bob would not miss riding the paint horse at his grandfathers farm.

When the college bell rang, Bob only applied to one school, The University of Colorado in Boulder for the Environmental Design Program. Active in the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, which his father and brother and several uncles where also members. Half way through his sophomore year the family moved to Lake Oswego, Oregon. He remembers his first trip back to Oregon during a college break, when he had to call his parents to get directions to their new home. Excelling at designing academic pretend buildings he set his sights for Graduate School and obtained his 2 year Master of Architecture, graduating with honors.

Now married, he needed to gain employment and was lucky to land a job at a very prestigious Architectural Firm in Boulder, Everett, Zeigel, Tumpes, and Hand. due to a recommendation from the Dean at The CU Architecture Program. Starting at the very bottom of the ladder, running blueprints and drafting, Bob quickly rose up the ladder. Professionally Licensed at 22, he was well ahead of many of his peers. Unfortunately, a deep recession in the 80’s caused the 30 year old firm to implode almost into bankruptcy. The firm was so slow with work that all of the employees started bicycle racing to fill the days time. Bob became fairly competent licensed United States Cycling Federation racer, and thanks to his partner’s family traveled all over Europe, including Scotland where he first saw a Highland Cow. One partner stayed, one of Bob’s clients came through with a large contract at the last moment, and along with two other employees, who became partners, built the firm to solvency. Knowing the inadequacies of Architects with business acumen, the firm rehired Janet Fogg to become the CFO. A merger with a Denver Firm launched OZ Architecture and the success was almost immediate.

Starting at the bottom of the Architectural Firm list of 35 in Colorado, OZ’s success with Mountain Resort Design, work for the National Park Service, and high tech manufacturing Facilities catapulted the firm to number one with 275 employees in five offices.

Looking for an escape from 60 hour work weeks with high stress days sitting at a desk, Bob’s new family now with a older step son, and two young son’s began the quest for property to allow for weekends away from the hustle and bustle of the sprawling urban growth alone the front range, a place that would require the exact opposite vibe and daily adventures. After several years of searching the family and Bob bought the 3,850 working cattle ranch in Wheatland, Wyoming, called the Devil’s Washtub.

Fifteen years of love of the ranch lifestyle and work ended in a divorce, and the sale of the ranch.

With a new partner, Alanna Day and a mutual love for horses, another smaller ranch was acquired for “weekend’ getaways near Livermore, Colorado which turned into a full time passion. Bob retired after a successful and rewording 35 year career in architecture, to full time at the Ranch where Alanna and Bob run a five star Bed and Breakfast, and a historic local “hang out” called the Forks Mercantile and Saloon. Oh yah, and by the way, the Whiskey Belle Ranch raise over 30 head of “Scottish” Highland Cattle.

One afternoon sitting on the ranch porch, while Janet Fogg, now a successful author in her second life, was visiting, Bob mention he had this journal and lots of stories about the Devil’s Washtub Ranch in Wyoming………………