Lisa Field made a career pivot thanks to the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management
Lisa Field has spent her entire career around animals.
The certified veterinarian began as a small animal practitioner before specializing in acupuncture and physical therapy for dogs and cats. She loves her furry patients, as evidenced by the many photos of other people’s pets on her smartphone’s camera roll.
In the spring of 2022, she started feeling the pull of another opportunity. She was drawn to ranching, thrilled initially by the idea of owning large swaths of land and caring for a variety of animals. That was until reality set in.
“I came to Colorado thinking I wanted to be a rancher, but after a few days on a ranch, I realized I can’t do this,” she said. “First of all, it’s a lifelong learning curve. People who are ranchers, they’ve grown up on ranches. And I don’t want to live isolated from people. As much as I love living among cows, I also want to live among people. There are so many obstacles to entry.”
So she took a step back and reassessed. How could she pursue her ranch dream in a way that wasn’t so isolating?
It was at that moment that she developed an idea that would lead her to the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management. The idea? Think golf course community, but swap the 18-hole course for a professionally operated ranch. People get to play rancher, without having to live deep in the countryside. And they could do so under the guidance of experts.
In a twist of fate, or perhaps just an effective online algorithm, Field was introduced to the construction management master’s program at the Daniels College of Business. After chatting with admissions staff and departmental leaders about the potential to customize her degree, she was sold. Shortly thereafter, she committed to testing her idea in the classroom and earning a degree.
Now, a couple of years later, Field is set to graduate from Daniels, ready to put theory to practice and bring her idea to market.
As she reflects on the experience, she’s thankful for the help from expert faculty mentors, the connections made through the Burns network and the ability to be flexible in her degree. Often traveling between California and Buena Vista, Colorado, Field was immensely thankful for the people at Daniels who helped her reach graduation and prepare to pivot in the workforce.
“I am so happy that I did my degree here at Daniels because the support that I got from the professors has been amazing. The exposure to industry has been incredible,” she said. Field was part of a group of Burns students who attended the International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. There, they learned about cutting-edge technology and industry trends, while networking with people from across the real estate and construction landscape.
She also brought her ranch club idea into the classroom, iterating and tweaking it across her degree program.
“It evolved from an idea into a more grounded concept from a business perspective. When I first came to Burns, it was just like a painting. This is what it looks like,” she said. “But I had to figure out how to build it, which is why I came to Daniels. I have this vision, but what do I need to do to make that a tangible development? That’s what my education has provided me with.”
Her company, Greenfield Ranch Development, is aiming to create the Greenfield Ranch Club and Residences, which is a specialized development called an “agrihood.” It combines an agriculture element with a neighborhood.” Field’s unique ranch development is currently going through the Central Mountain Ascent Accelerator Program and she’s working closely with Chaffee County as one of the target regions for her development. Now, her next steps are clear.
“Find the land, get the investors and go,” she said.
Field laughs as she reflects on her winding road to real estate. How does a veterinarian end up here?
She’s one of many Daniels students who enter the business school with a nontraditional background. But she did so with crucial skills that translated to the academic setting.
“I had the study habits, problem solving skills and experience working as a member of a team,” she said. “I was the leader of a team of techs and receptionists and animal handlers. That also transfers to working in the groups that we have in class.”
She encourages other prospective students without business backgrounds to lean into the things that make them different.
“Follow your passion and your interest. It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from. It matters where you’re going,” she said. “You could be very surprised as to how the unique information that you have, that you bring to this program, not only supports you in a way that you can’t predict, but also enlightens other people with the things that you know.”