Chip Cole

Charles Chip Cole is a real estate broker and appraiser dealing solely with agricultural properties. He is the owner and operator ofChip Cole, Ranch Broker, formerly Westbrook-Cole Company of San Angelo, Texas, which specialized in agricultural loans, appraisals and sales and served southwest and west Texas and New Mexico since 1953. The partnership was formed by the late H.W. Piggy Westbrook and the late C.A. Chili Cole to serve as agriculture loan correspondents for Connecticut General Life Insurance Company covering Texas, New Mexico, southern Colorado, eastern Arizona and southern Oklahoma. Chip Cole became associated with the company in 1980 as a ranch broker and appraiser.

Mr. Cole graduated from Texas A&M University in 1974 with a degree in Agricultural Economics and was commissioned into the U.S. Army. He has been appraising real estate since 1975 and was previously employed by independent fee appraisal firms in Austin and San Angelo and as the staff appraiser with First Savings and Loan Association of Uvalde. Appraisal experience includes extensive agricultural as well as commercial, residential and special purpose properties. He has appraised property for lending purposes, estate valuation and condemnation, both for the condemning authority and the landowner, and has testified as an expert witness.Holding a Texas Real Estate Broker's license, he has been actively engaged in the ranch brokerage business since 1981 and has closed some $262 million of ranch sales covering approximately 986,000 acres in Texas and New Mexico.

Chip Cole grew up in San Angelo, Texas and was involved in the family ranching operation in Schleicher County from an early age. At that time the C Bar Ranch raised registered Charolais cattle and running quarter horses. His early involvement in other agricultural businesses consisted of high school jobs with a local feedlot and auction barn and the Texas A&M Farm and local auction barns during college. He has operated the family ranch as manager, lessee, and now owner since 1983. He is married to the former Kelley Waterhouse and has four children. The C Bar Ranch is still a completely family-run operation raising pure-bred Charolais cattle in Schleicher County. Cole and his sons have partnership interests in commercial cattle in far West Texas and steers in New Mexico.

Professional/Community Affiliations (Selected)

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Director

National Cattleman's Beef Association

Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers Association

West Texas Boys Ranch Foundation, Founding Trustee and Past Chairman

West Texas Boys Ranch, Past Chairman of the Board, Honorary Director