1939-1950s
Four generations of the Koelbel family have embraced Grand County for both its healing powers and as their playground. Carl Norgren, the great-grandfather of current leadership, came to the area in his youth to recover from tuberculosis and remained to work as a logger. After finding success with multiple inventions, Norgren purchased Byers Peak Ranch in 1939. The Ranch became a favored retreat of President Eisenhower, and Norgren hosted him and President Hoover in a rendezvous circa 1954. By the mid-1950s, Norgren and his partner owned over 3,800 Grand County acres.
Norgren’s daughter, Gene, married the enterprising Walt Koelbel, a Michigan native who made Colorado his adopted home after playing on the University of Colorado’s football team for four years. Walt founded a Front Range residential brokerage firm at the age of 26, then fell in love with land development. Koelbel and Company went on to spearhead the development of Pinehurst Country Club and other flagship metro Denver neighborhoods.
1950s -1960s
Walt and Gene’s five children, including Koelbel’s future second generation leader, Buz, grew up in the 50s and 60s learning to ski at Ski Idlewild (now the site of the new Rendezvous Idlewild Park), fishing, catching boreal toads along the Fraser River, and camping in and around Grand County.
1999
The family’s deep ties to Grand County led to the purchase of the 1,100-acre Cozens Ranch, also known as Maryvale, in 1999. Koelbel created a vision for today’s Rendezvous Colorado, paying homage to Billy Cozens’ affectionate name for the historical stagecoach stop. Wrapped around the land’s natural contours, Rendezvous encompasses 186 acres of protected open space and trails.
2002-03
The first Rendezvous homes were completed in 2002. Shortly afterward, the family created the Rendezvous Foundation, which has gifted more than $1.3 million so far to support Grand County charitable organizations and numerous needs throughout the Fraser Valley.
2007
After dividing the Rendezvous development with a former partner, Buz Koelbel expanded the community by acquiring 660 adjacent acres to the south. Located within the Town of Winter Park, this parcel expanded Rendezvous to close to 1,150 total acres once again.
2018-2019
As a show of Koelbel’s long-term commitment to the Grand County community, the company acquired naming rights to the Rendezvous Event Center in downtown Winter Park. Many of the community events and lively concerts are sponsored by Rendezvous and the Koelbel family. A year later, Koelbel put the finishing touches on the adjacent Rendezvous Center, home to the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center and the Koelbel Mountain Communities headquarters.
2022
Koelbel broke ground on the expanded Rendezvous development in Winter Park, building freshly designed townhomes, paired and single-family homes. The newest model homes opened two years later.
2025
Tucked within Rendezvous is Idlewild Park, which sports a public playground, picnic destination and playfield, all designed with inclusivity in mind. The park reclaims land that was once the bustling town of Arrow, which welcomed the railroad in 1904 and was home to 2,500 residents until it was consumed by fire in 1915.
Today
With Buz’s passing in 2024, the third generation of Koelbels is continuing the family’s Grand County legacy. Sons Carl, Walt and Dean are at the helm of Koelbel and Company, with new home designs and amenities planned well into the future!
As part of our continued dedication to the land on which we build, Koelbel and Company founded the Rendezvous Foundation in 2003. The Rendezvous Foundation supports community-based organizations in Grand County. Through charitable giving, we aim to bolster activities and programs that further the development, availability, and maintenance of the county and the recreational opportunities that surround us.
The Foundation’s endowment is funded by the continued sale of homes in Rendezvous and is put to use toward children’s education, historical preservation, community enhancement, promotion of the arts and culture, affordable housing, and education surrounding natural resources.
Since 2003, the Rendezvous Foundation has donated over $1,100,000 to causes across Grand County.
Rendezvous Foundation Submittal Process Rendezvous Foundation Submittal Form Rendezvous Foundation Brochure
