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The Boss Lady, Marilyn Kelch Gubler, and her family are
bonafide Westerners. Her parents settled in Las Vegas in 1939 to realize their
dream of putting down roots in the mysterious Mojave Desert. Real Vegas pioneers
who started the first radio station in the Las Vegas Valley KENO, Maxwell and
Laura Belle Kelch are  listed in Las Vegas history books among the
most important early
citizens.
When she was growing up, the Boss Lady's parents owned a home with rolling
lawns, a pasture, and a barn. Marilyn started keeping her own horse when she was
in 7th grade, often riding it to school. Now, she has a remuda of 21 horses,
several colts, 70 long-horned cattle at last count (the darn things just keep
multiplying), numerous pigs, goats, and chickens, plus the able staff to support
them - all at Sandy Valley Ranch.
In 1997 Marilyn bought 110 acres of mesquite and joshua tree-covered range
and began to carve SVR out of the hidden valley formed by the graceful mountain
ranges that guard the entrance to the Las Vegas Valley. At the time, her
attorney and fellow horse fancier, Al Marquis, had invested in Sandy Valley and
offered her a chance to buy in. "When, I drove over the Columbia Pass into Sandy
Valley to look at Al's property I knew: This was it. The whole place reminded
 me of the western spirit of my childhood," she
concludes.
Once SVR was christened and mapped, Including a Piute Indian "smudging"
ceremony to encourage good spirits, The Boss Lady and her team started
construction, leveling the desert, hauling in gravel, installing power, water
and telephone lines. Construction began on April Fools' Day, 1999 - a date whose
irony is not lost on any of The Boss Lady's quirkier friends. SVR opened for
business officially in February, 2000.
SVR is a family affair. You've heard of Spaghetti Westerns? Well, Thomas
DiGiacomo, Marilyn's husband, is SVR's very own Italian Cowboy. He hails from
Newark, New Jersey, where he learned his wicked ways roaming the streets of the
city with a band of trouble-making friends. He's an avid golfer and has created
an unusual driving range in SVR's cow pasture, complete with special SVR printed
flag sticks. He can be seen frequently on Las Vegas television and plays
pursuing his passion for acting. His official Ranch title is Marketing Wrangler,
but he claims his side  job is the hardest one on the
Ranch.being married to the Boss Lady.
Boss Lady's daughter and part owner of the Ranch, Laura Dahl, is a former New
York fashion designer creating the brands "Wifebeader" and "Laura Dahl," that were sold at Nordstrom's Savvy, Anthropologie,
and hundreds of boutiques.
 Now she and her husband, Timothy
Dahl, have founded the popular family website www.builtbykids.com. As Laura explains, "It doesn't take a lot of
money or a contractor's license to connect with our children and make lifelong
memories together. It just takes a little inspiration, some good old fashioned
elbow grease and time." The site provides parents with everything they need to
create "Do it Your Self" projects with their children. The site was recently one
of 5 nominees for the Academy Awards of the internet in the parenting category
of the Webbies. They're very proud to be in the company of nominees like Sesame
Street.
 Laura and Tim now have their own
"kid," Boss Lady's first grandchild, Hunter Presley Dahl. Boss Lady already has
a mini-horse for Hunter to ride when he's a bit older. They visit Nevada often,
getting back to fashion with their Wranglers and, spurs and the official blue
denim of SVR.
Laura's husband, Timothy Dahl, created the original SVR website and has gone
on to produce the sites of This Old House, Elle Decor, Metropolitan
Home, and Woman's Day. He is also the
founder and editor of Charles & Hudson, a
premier DIY home renovation site. His business includes web optimization for
medium sized companies.
And Matthew, the Boss Lady's son, enjoys a career as a director/artist/song
writer and actor. His credits include the character Nico in Wes Anderson's "The
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and "RV"  with Bill Murray. For all the Chipmunk fans,
he is the voice of Simon in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 Chipmunk movies. He had a supporting role in "500 Days of
Summer," the Sundance winner that premiered in the summer of 2009. He has
been seen for eight seasons on CBS' "Criminal Minds" playing Dr. Spencer Reid. He has directed five of
the CM episodes. Matthew wrote, directed, and produced music videos for the song
Reagan by Whirlwind
Heat, Soko's First Love
Never Die and the Killers' 2008 Christmas video, "Don't Shoot Me
Santa," all of which were filmed at the Ranch. He also owns CornStalk
Recordings. For more on Matthew, check out his websites at www.matthewgraygubler.com or www.gublerland.com.
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