Brandon Fugal embodies the American dream in a way that feels both classic and uniquely modern. He started with a strong work ethic, a supportive family, and a relentless drive to succeed, rising from a young entrepreneur in Utah to a nationally recognized business leader and philanthropist.
Humble beginnings and relentless drive.
Brandon Fugal was born in 1973 in Pleasant Grove, Utah—a small city with deep pioneer roots and a strong sense of community. Pleasant Grove, originally called Battle Creek, was settled by Mormon pioneers in the mid-1800s and was known as Utah’s “City of Trees” because of its many cottonwoods and fruit farms.
By the time Brandon was born, the city was a growing, tight-knit farming community with a legacy shaped by hard work, faith, and self-reliance. The area valued family, community service, and respect for diverse viewpoints—all of which seeped into daily life and shaped the outlook of its residents.
Growing up in Pleasant Grove during the 1970s and 1980s, Brandon would have experienced a small-town atmosphere that emphasized traditional values alongside a slowly modernizing economy. His family’s Scandinavian immigrant heritage and multi-generational ties to the community also grounded him in a legacy of perseverance and faith.
The culture of Pleasant Grove—with its strong church presence, community celebrations like Strawberry Days, and a work ethic exemplified by his father’s construction business—helped foster Brandon’s early passion for responsibility, service, and enterprise. In interviews, Brandon recalled growing up digging ditches and working on construction crews as a teenager, learning firsthand the dignity of labor and how to collaborate with people from different backgrounds.
This upbringing in a humble but industrious town instilled values that still guide him: respect for others, hard work, commitment to family, and an openness to explore life’s mysteries with curiosity rather than fear. Pleasant Grove’s environment of resilience and neighborly support clearly shaped Brandon’s drive and worldview, setting the foundation for the ambitious path he would later take in both business and paranormal investigation.
In short, Pleasant Grove and Brandon’s youth was a place where traditional values, work ethic, and community spirit merged, profoundly influencing his early character and perspective on the world. This small-town Utah upbringing laid the groundwork for a man who would go on to blend pragmatic success with an extraordinary quest for the unknown.
Climbing the real estate ladder.
After returning from his mission, Brandon Fugal pursued leadership studies at Utah Valley University but soon realized his passion lay elsewhere—in real estate. At just 25 years old, in 1998, he seized a pivotal opportunity to co-found Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors in Utah, relaunching one of the most storied and oldest commercial real estate brands in the United States.
This move was bold and ambitious, marking the start of his rapid ascent in the commercial real estate world. Under Brandon’s visionary leadership, Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors exploded in growth. Within just a couple of years, the firm became the dominant player in its market, garnering recognition as the top operating office globally for the Coldwell Banker commercial brand.
Over the course of his tenure, the company expanded to 30 offices across 11 states with around 700 real estate professionals. Brandon’s leadership skills were evident as he nurtured a loyal team, bringing in long-term partners such as CEO Lou Kramer, a key figure he recruited from being the president of World Trade Center Utah, who played an essential role in driving the firm’s national expansion.
Brandon’s sharp business acumen was not limited to real estate brokerage. He took Coldwell Banker Commercial Advisors private around 2013 and spearheaded an ambitious national growth strategy, accelerating the company’s footprint across multiple states. His success was recognized widely, earning him accolades such as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Utah in 2016 and repeated recognition as one of the industry’s top brokers globally for more than a decade.
By 2018, the firm merged with Colliers International—a major global commercial real estate powerhouse operating in 67 countries—and Brandon became chairman of Colliers International Utah, continuing to lead with the same intensity and vision.
Beyond real estate, Brandon has diversified his ventures significantly. He co-founded and invested in several innovative startups, including Cipher Corporation (which was sold to a public company, Axend) and investment funds like Texas Growth Fund.
His passion for groundbreaking projects extended to agriculture with large-scale developments such as a 1,250-acre community project on the north shore of Hawaii, which he envisions as a sustainable agricultural hub bringing economic and environmental benefits to the region.
Additionally, Brandon is involved in pioneering species preservation efforts through companies like Colossal Biosciences, showcasing his interest in cutting-edge science and environmental stewardship. His broad portfolio of investments reveals a man equally comfortable with established commercial ventures and avant-garde innovations.
In essence, Brandon Fugal’s career is a testament to calculated risks, visionary leadership, and the ability to scale businesses while maintaining close personal and professional relationships. His journey from a young entrepreneur in Utah to an international real estate magnate and diverse investor reflects a blend of tradition, ambition, and a forward-looking mindset that embraces both legacy industries and disruptive technologies.
The Skinwalker Ranch chapter: from skeptic to seeker.
In 2016, Brandon Fugal made a bold and unexpected leap from his successful commercial real estate career to become the owner of Skinwalker Ranch, a 512-acre property in Utah known worldwide for its unusual paranormal activity.
He purchased the ranch from billionaire Robert Bigelow, who had previously owned it and funded extensive scientific and military investigations into its strange phenomena. Brandon called the acquisition “the most unusual real estate play” of his career—initially viewing it as a fascinating science project with the potential to either debunk or uncover extraordinary phenomena.
After taking ownership, Brandon immediately tightened security around the ranch, enhancing it with fences, cameras, and guards to keep the site private and protected. His goal was to conduct systematic scientific research to understand the anomalies reported there, from UFO sightings to mysterious lights and strange creatures.
Unlike previous owners who operated somewhat in secrecy, Brandon decided to bring transparency and media into the process by partnering with the History Channel, producing the popular series The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch. This show placed cameras in the hands of experts and investigators, allowing the public to follow the unfolding research and mysteries.
The story deepened when, just months after buying the ranch, Brandon and his research team experienced firsthand the kind of phenomena that propelled the ranch’s legendary status. In the autumn of 2016, they witnessed a silver-gray disc-like object hovering above the mesa—an experience that profoundly changed Brandon’s perspective from skeptical entrepreneur to passionate paranormal investigator.
This encounter confirmed for him that the ranch was a hotspot of truly unexplainable, high-strangeness events and pushed him to assemble a dedicated team of scientists, engineers, and security personnel to rigorously study and document the events with cutting-edge technology.
Brandon’s involvement is also deeply personal. He frequently flies to the ranch by helicopter—often piloted by his brother Cameron—blending family ties with his quest to unlock the ranch’s secrets. This combination of cutting-edge research, transparency, media engagement, and family involvement is unique in the history of Skinwalker Ranch.
Brandon is not only the owner and investigator but also the relatable face championing the search for truths that challenge our understanding of reality. Under his stewardship, the ranch has become one of the most scientifically studied paranormal properties on the planet, attracting widespread attention and sparking renewed public fascination with topics like UFOs, multi-dimensional realities, and cryptid lore.
Brandon sees the ranch not just as a property or business venture, but as an ongoing investigation that could redefine human knowledge about the universe—making his journey from businessman to paranormal pioneer both extraordinary and inspiring.
In summary, Brandon Fugal’s leap into Skinwalker Ranch is marked by curiosity, courage, and a commitment to scientific rigor and openness, turning an enigmatic piece of land into a globally watched scientific and paranormal laboratory.
Personal life and passions beyond the paranormal.
Brandon Fugal’s personal life is as rich and multifaceted as his professional one. He was first married to Lacy Anne Fugal, with whom he has four children—two sons named Hunter and Chase, and two daughters, including one named Ireland. Despite their divorce, Brandon and Lacy have maintained a solid bond, prioritizing their children and family connections.
His children are an important part of his life, with Hunter notably spending two years on a missionary trip in Brazil for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reflecting the family’s strong Christian faith.
In September 2021, Brandon married Kristen M. Cardi in a stylish wedding ceremony held at the Sundance Resort in Utah, with the rock band Air Supply providing music—highlighting the event’s elegant and memorable atmosphere. Kristen is not only Brandon’s life partner but also actively involved in philanthropy and advocacy.
She holds a leadership role as the legal affairs director at Adamantium Real Estate, one of Brandon’s company ventures. Kristen and Brandon share common roots, both being alumni of Pleasant Grove High School and Utah Valley University, emphasizing their shared community and values.
Away from the pressures of business and paranormal investigations, Brandon indulges in more personal passions that reflect his appreciation for history and luxury. He collects rare and valuable historical books, including extremely old manuscripts like a 1470 Book of Hours and a 1611 first-edition King James Bible.
His taste extends to exotic automobiles, owning high-end supercars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis—showcasing a blend of sophisticated interests ranging from ancient history to contemporary luxury.
Brandon Fugal’s personal life paints the picture of a man deeply grounded in family, culture, and faith, yet also enjoying the finer things and embracing philanthropic and leadership roles alongside his wife. This combination of dedication to family, intellectual curiosity, and a flair for elegance rounds out the image of a complex, driven individual navigating a life full of both mystery and tradition.
The man behind the mystery.
Brandon Fugal truly embodies a rare blend of pragmatism and wonder—a shrewd businessman whose early skepticism was transformed into passionate curiosity by his experiences at Skinwalker Ranch. Originally approaching the ranch as a scientific experiment and an unusual real estate investment, Brandon has become the public face of one of the world’s most famous paranormal investigations.
With his team, he has applied rigorous scientific research alongside cutting-edge technology to explore phenomena that challenge conventional understanding of reality, including UFO sightings, strange lights, cryptid activity, and unexplained energy fields.
His story resonates globally because it bridges the everyday with the extraordinary: a family man and successful entrepreneur stepping into the unknown with humility, bravery, and an unyielding quest for truth. Brandon often expresses his belief that confronting these mysteries pushes society forward technologically and spiritually—offering hope, skepticism, and a call for open-minded investigation wrapped into one.
For nearly a decade since acquiring Skinwalker Ranch in 2016, he has overseen an expanding scientific platform and media presence, including the popular History Channel series The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch, which continues to attract millions of viewers eager to learn alongside his team.
Constantly evolving, Brandon’s work now includes advanced efforts like satellite monitoring from orbit, collaboration with experts in astrophysics and aerospace engineering, and public engagement to normalize dialogues about the paranormal as a legitimate field of inquiry.
Ultimately, Brandon Fugal’s journey is more than just about Skinwalker Ranch or his wealth—it is about pioneering new frontiers of knowledge, balancing faith and science, and inspiring a global audience to reconsider what may be possible in the universe.
His life story, woven with ambition, family, and a relentless curiosity for the unknown, offers both a beacon for paranormal enthusiasts and a model of how to live boldly between skepticism and wonder.
