ALL IN THE FAMILY

Selling homes only whetted Kelly’s appetite for the real estate business.  His experience working in the trades during his summers in college gave him an appreciation for the detail and craftsmanship necessary to create unique homes from original designs.  In 1982, while at his uncle’s company,  Kelly became involved in a significant new development called Canyon Ranch.  Completed in 1979, Canyon Ranch is one of “the foremost spas in the States for personalized wellness regimes. During the 1970s, while the owner of a successful Arizona construction business, Canyon Ranch founder Mel Zuckerman struggled with excess weight, asthma and high blood pressure.  After a month-long spa stay in California convinced him to commit to a healthy lifestyle, Zuckerman and his wife, Enid, bought a working cattle ranch outside Tucson and turned it into Canyon Ranch.   Originally, Canyon Ranch sat alone on what was the Double U Ranch. Kelly credits Mel Zuckerman for being ahead of his time in creating and developing such an exclusive area dedicated to “finding the best in yourself and experiencing the exhilaration of healthy living."   During the early part of the 1980s through the mid-1990s, Kelly and his uncle built many of the casitas and custom homes that were included in the Canyon Ranch development plan.  They built custom homes in several subdivisions during that time, including Sabino Vista Hills, Canyon Ranch Hills Estates, Ridge Estates, Hacienda del Joven and Mountain Cove Estates.