Few development projects in Denver carry the scale, history, and ambition of the National Western Center. At the helm is Brad Buchanan, CEO of the National Western Center Authority, who, since 2018, has guided the evolution of the historic stockyards into a 250-acre campus for culture, entertainment, education, and agribusiness.
Buchanan’s path to leading the authority blends his experience as an architect and city planner with his personal connections to ranching. He studied environmental design and worked as an architect until he was appointed executive director of Denver Community Planning and Development with the City and County of Denver. These experiences proved invaluable upon stepping into his current role as the CEO of the National Western Center Authority, which is responsible for programming, operations, and maintenance of the campus.
Since 2018, the City and County of Denver has added more than 800,000 square feet of additional facilities on the National Western Center campus, and another 500,000 square feet are in the design process this year. As a result, the campus is quickly becoming an attractive new indoor and outdoor venue option. “We are adjacent to the South Platte River with 6 acres of open space that are scenic, beautiful, wild, and alive,” Buchanan notes.
The 48,000-square-foot Stockyards Event Center opened in 2022 and features an expo hall, arena, and auditorium. The 350,000-square-foot Livestock Center debuted this January during the 120th anniversary of the National Western Stock Show, which draws some 750,000 attendees. The Livestock Center includes CoBank Arena, an expo hall, a banquet hall, and a 10,400-square-foot “flex space” with bleacher seating and a video wall.
The two buildings are within a short walking distance of available outdoor spaces and partners’ bookable venues, including Colorado State University Spur’s Hydro, Terra, and Vida buildings and National Western Stock Show’s The Legacy building. Looking ahead, plans include breaking ground for a roughly 400,000-square-foot equestrian center that includes a 700-stall barn and an adjacent 160-room hotel, both of which are slated for completion in 2028.
For Buchanan—who also raises both Angus and crossbred Wagyu/Angus cattle with his family at Flying B Bar Ranch in Strasburg—the project reflects both his professional expertise and personal passions. “My whole crazy career has been leading to this very moment,” he says. “I am so blessed to have spent eight years working on this project, especially after developing the master plan for the venue in my prior job.”
