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At their June 7 meeting, the Tehachapi Rotarians had the opportunity to listen to Tejon Ranch Vice President Barry Zoeller. Zoeller joined Tejon Ranch following positions with the Kern Board of Trade, KERO television and the board of CASA. Following a video presentation, he outlined the history of the ranch and the master plan for the future of the company.

Last November was the 175 year anniversary of Tejon Ranch. It was founded in 1843 from a Spanish land grant. General Edward Fitzgerald Beale eventually combined four land grants into the 270,000 acre, 422-square mile ranch. Part of the ranch is in Los Angeles County and part in Kern County. At one time the ranch was owned by the Chandler family who also owned the Los Angeles Times. It became a publicly traded company and joined the New York Stock Exchange in 1999.

A Master Plan was developed in 2008 which included an historic agreement to keep much of the ranch as open space forever. Almonds, pistachios and other produce are grown on the ranch and part of it is leased out as grazing land for cattle.

Four communities have been planned for the ranch. The Commercial Center is well under way with large businesses like IKEA and the Tejon Outlets. Mountain Village at Tejon Ranch is a new conservation-based retreat designed for living with nature and keeping it green for future generations. Centennial, located in the Los Angeles County part of the ranch, is planned to be a residential and commercial sustainable community that encourages walking and biking with greenbelts, parks and hiking trails. Grapevine, located in Kern County, is planned to be mixed residential and commercial, providing housing for the Commercial Center.

Tejon Ranch has been honored with several conservation awards including the Government Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in 2009.

For more information about Rotary or if you are interested in membership please contact Tim Trujillo at (661) 821-0086.