The fact that a record crowd of movers, shakers and policymakers who were prepared to part with some big money at the Colorado State Fair wasn’t the only big news to report from the Denver Rustlers’ 42nd annual brunch and road trip to Pueblo.  

Today’s gathering at Shanahan’s Steakhouse also was the occasion for Stanton Dodge, chief legal officer at DraftKings and a member of the National Western Stock Show board of directors, to make the initial public announcement that Denver Rustlers co-founder Larry Mizel will be the 2027 Citizen of the West. He will accept the award at a dinner to be held on Jan. 11. 

Mizel is the founder and former president, chief executive officer and executive chairman of MDC Holdings, the parent company of Richmond American Homes. The company was sold to Sekisui House, a homebuilder based in Japan, for $4.4 billion in 2024, at which point he and longtime colleague David Mandarich stepped down. 

“The Citizen of the West award is one of the National Western’s most meaningful traditions,” Dodge said and today it is my great pleasure to announce that my dear friend, Larry Mizel, who is a mentor, philanthropist and champion for Colorado and the entire United States, is being given the award.” 

A modest man of few words, Mizel responded by saying that while he “very much appreciated” being selected Citizen of the West, “So much of this success would not have been possible without the support of David Mandarich and my family.” 

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston jokingly described Mizel as “The only man I know who can get 250 of the most influential people in our area to show up for an event wearing identical shirts.” 

Each dues-paying member of the Denver Rustlers is given, and asked to wear, a Rockmount Ranch Wear-designed shirt and cowboy hat.  

Asked what it was like to look out at a sea of Rockmount shirt-wearing folks, Steve Weil, the company’s president and chief creative officer, replied: “It’s like Christmas.” 

Work and other obligations preclude some of the Rustlers from boarding the chartered buses for the ride to Pueblo; those who did continue on were expected to place bids totaling some $150,000 in the Junior Livestock Auction.

Josh Hanfling, who has held a leadership role with the Denver Rustlers for eight years, said the money comes from the Rustlers’ $625-per-person membership fee, sponsors and other donors. 

Katie Kramer, president/CEO of The Boettcher Foundation, said the idea of supporting the Junior Livestock Auction came from her former boss, Tim Schultz, when he was the state agriculture commissioner and was dismayed that there wasn’t much support for the sale. 

That changed when the Rustlers became involved, and to date that organization has supported the auction to the tune of $3 million. In addition to Schultz and Mizel, founding members of the Rustlers were Dick Robinson, Gary Levine and Frances Koncilja. 

So, who attended the brunch? 

For starters:  

Gov. Jared Polis, Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera, U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, state Rep. Jamie Jackson, Douglas County Commissioner Abe Laydon, Adams County Commissioner Steve O’Dorisio; Arvada Mayor Lauren Simpson and former state Rep. Leslie Herod. 

Also, former Lt. Gov. Donna Lynne, who now heads Denver Health; Roger Hutson, president/CEO of HRM Resources and a sponsor of the event; Pat Grant, a former state legislator and the National Western’s chairman emeritus; his daughter, lobbyist Cammie Grant Simmons; Denver Sheriff Elias Diggins; attorney Norm Brownstein; Charlie McNeil, founder/CEO of NexGen Resources; Janice Sinden, CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; and Alan Salazar, CEO of Denver Water. 

The current and former Denver City Council presidents, Diana Romero Campbell and Amanda Sandoval, were there, too, along with District 10 Councilman Chris Hinds and District 2 Councilman Kevin Flynn, who said he figured he’d better attend his first Denver Rustlers event, as this is his last term on the Denver City Council. 

Former RTD board chair Doug Tisdale, “Your once and future mayor of Cherry Hills Village,” explained that he had so much enjoyed serving as the mayor that after taking a break to serve in other capacities, he is now in full campaign mode to seek another two-year term. Another candidate pressing the flesh: Shimon Blau, who is running as an independent in Congressional District 1. 

Other familiar faces in the crowd: Barry Hirschfeld; Donna McGinnis, CEO of Denver Botanic Gardens; J.J. Ament, president/CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce; Greg Moore, former editor of The Denver Post and founder/CEO of KLOWTIFY; Shanahan’s general manager Marc Steron; Jim Chavez, executive director of the Community College of Denver Foundation; Nick Lopez, president/CEO of the Latin American Educational Foundation; James Gillespie, a vice president at Servicios de la Raza; Carrie Besnette Hauser, CEO of the Trust for Public Land; Angela Lieurance, who recently joined the Common Sense Institute; Kasia Iwaniczko MacLeod, a trustee of Colorado Mesa University; Carrie Tynan, executive director of the Adolph Coors Foundation; retired attorney and former Breckenridge Mayor Ernie Blake; and Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, the chief executive at Rose Community Foundation.