Imagine you owned a major trucking company that off-loaded goods at Long Beach Harbor and then distributed throughout Arizona. And when you were looking for a site to expand your truck terminal, you found the ideal location in southern Buckeye, on Miller Road just a mile east of State Route 85. Ideal, except when you got there you saw a bunch of local kids riding their horses and competing in rodeo events, having the time of their lives. Would you still move your company to that site?
David Duncan didn’t, and the result is Buckeye now has one of the premier equestrian and rodeo destinations in the western U.S., boasting two covered and two open-air arenas, more than 100 hookup RV spots and 425 permanent stalls in 10 covered barns on 130 acres.
“As our trucking company Duncan and Son grew, we had run out of space to expand the truck terminal,” said David Duncan, the fourth-generation owner of the family business. “We caught wind that this property, the South Buckeye Equestrian Center might be on the market, so we went out to tour the site and they had a little event with kids riding horses and roping. I just didn’t have the heart to shut it down.
“Even though we’re not necessarily into farming and ranching, the Buckeye community is. I just couldn’t imagine going to the store and getting bum rushed by someone asking me why we shut it down, so I turned down the opportunity to buy it originally for that reason.”
Deep roots in Buckeye
Six generations of history in a community will engender that kind of perspective. The Duncan family came to Liberty, Ariz., in the late 1800s and ran a general store along the rail line near Jackrabbit Trail and Maricopa County Road 85. They founded Duncan and Son in 1943, which distributed oil to local farms and businesses. The company grew and evolved, soon delivering freight and baggage to destinations within 25 miles of Buckeye.
As trucking regulations changed, deliveries expanded statewide and today the company focuses primarily on international shipping, bringing goods off ships at the Port of Long Beach and into greater Phoenix. The company has been at the same facility on the eastern edge of Buckeye at Baseline and Buckeye Roads for five decades.
Duncan decided the South Buckeye Equestrian Center site had potential — just not as a truck terminal. And when he attended a cowboy event called the Shindig put on by the West Valley Mavericks, he was inspired to take a second look at the property as a potential rodeo and event center.
“We saw that it wasn’t close to reaching its potential,” Duncan said. “It wasn’t being maintained as well as it should have been. I spent some time with the managers, Don and Tammy Nahrgang, to get their assessment of whether he would be able to implement his vision for the facility.”
But first he had to overcome some skepticism on the part of the Nahrgangs.
“They were nervous as hell because Buckeye being Buckeye, the word was out in the rumor mill that I had already bought the place and was shutting it down,” Duncan said with a laugh. “They thought I was there to fire them.”
Once he assured them their jobs were safe — they remain the general managers of the facility today — they assured him his vision for the property was attainable. Duncan and his wife Amanda spent two weeks at the ranch examining its potential and decided to buy the property. The deal closed May of 2023 and the facility, now known as the Buckeye Equestrian and Event Center, has undergone a complete makeover under their ownership.
Investing in the future
The Duncans invested more than $4 million over the past year to improve the facility. Some of the upgrades are obvious, like the expansion of what Duncan described as “a dive bar” to a full-service restaurant and bar, the Tack Room. The renovated restaurant serves steaks, burgers, chicken, fish and other hearty fare in an indoor-outdoor setting.
The Duncans also reopened the equine veterinary center at the facility operated by Durango Equine Veterinary, which had been dormant for over a decade. Durango recently added a small animal hospital to further support the local community.
On the event side, the center added what Duncan called “big ass fans” to the main covered arena, which will allow BEEC to host events year-round. There's also expanded boarding capacity as the center has increased the number of covered horse stalls to 425, enhancing its ability to host larger events.
In addition to the outward facing improvements like the restaurant and vet clinic, a significant amount of the upgrade budget focused on something less glamorous — dirt.
According to Vice President of Strategic Development Brad Bayne, drainage at the site was a significant problem, turning it into a quagmire during rainstorms.
“We made a huge investment in improving the dirt out there, so we don’t have ‘Lake Buckeye’ whenever it rains,” Bayne said. “Water runoff now drains to the fields rather than the parking lots, the way it should. A big part of that was bringing in the right kind of dirt so the rain can drain off or percolate into the ground rather than pooling on the site.”
That dirt and associated drainage upgrades came at a cost of $1 million — an investment Duncan said was necessary to help the facility meet the quality standards with which he was comfortable.
“Some of the complaints about the ranch in the past were about the lack of facilities,” he said. “We’ve addressed that through the drainage improvements, and we also added all new bucking chutes for the bulls. But we also focused on comfort elements by adding more restrooms, concessions, VIP seating, the large fans and other amenities to the arenas.”
Now, Duncan said, local residents have a place for team roping events in the summer.
“I was willing to put about $4 million in upgrades into the facility, but we said we’re only doing this if we can make it a premier event center. The last thing I wanted was to not live up to that commitment.”
Keeping the legacy alive
Daily operation of the facility will continue to be guided by the Nahrgangs, Bayne said. He added their expertise and understanding of the center and Western events will be instrumental in bringing Duncan's vision to life.
“Don and Tammy Nahrgang have been an integral part of the Buckeye Equestrian and Events Center for the last 17 years,” Bayne said. “Their commitment to excellence aligns perfectly with Duncan's vision. Together, they will lead a dedicated team of professionals in ensuring the smooth execution of the facility's transformation and providing an unforgettable experience for all our visitors.”
The Nahrgangs said they are excited to work with all the new tools at their disposal.
"As general managers, we are looking forward to embarking on this new chapter at Buckeye Equestrian and Events Center,” Tammy Nahrgang said. “Our goal is to elevate the guest experience and bring even more excitement and bigger, better events to this exceptional venue.”
The Nahrgangs noted the upgraded facilities will position BEEC to attract the larger and more diverse events in the future.
Duncan said day-long music festivals are now on the menu, as it’s partnering with Bales Hay bringing in bigger musical acts like country superstar Easton Corbin, who will headline the Festival at the Farm event Nov. 23. The all-day event features local acts before Corbin’s performance.
The stage is set
BEEC will host the 2024 Battle of the States Bull Riding competition Oct. 12, an event that draws teams from 10 states. The competition pits teams of three bull riders from each state. Teams from Arizona, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Montana and Wyoming already have been selected and will compete for more than $10,000 in cash and prizes.
The competition will feature riders from the National Finals Rodeo, Professional Bull Riders tour, and college and high school rodeo teams.
The center also will host the World Series of Team Roping Nov. 8 to 11 and the Grand Canyon Pro Rodeo Finals the following weekend, Nov. 15 to 18.
The variety of events coming this fall highlights Duncan’s vision for the Buckeye Equestrian and Events Center, he said.
“We want the center to be a focal point of the community that locals can be proud of,” he said. “Not just for the local ranchers and farmers, but for visitors. We want to help make Buckeye a destination and we want it to be a place visitors can call their Arizona home. Too often we hear about people coming to Arizona for the restaurants in Scottsdale, or the cool downtowns in Chandler and Gilbert. I’d like us to build a destination like that here in Buckeye — one that can be a signature attraction that will stay on people’s radar and help the businesses around it grow and thrive.
“I’m excited about that part of town. The city has a vision for that area to make the southern edge of town an area that will attract both businesses and residents, and we want to be a part of helping them turn it into an up-and-coming part of Buckeye now and in the future.”
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10300 South Miller Road
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One Response
I have one big complaint….. that equestrian center is not very handicapped friendly and makes it very difficult and uneasy for those in wheel chairs to get around or to get a decent view or seating arrangement in the bleachers.