Charlie Nicholas is a Candidate for Place 4 on Copper Canyon’s Town Council. Charlie was born in Lebanon, but his family left when he was a baby. The family came to the United States when he was 15 years old. Charlie graduated from Lewisville High School. At the young age of 26, Charlie started NE Construction. In 1996, he bought Congressman Michael Burgess’ home on Orchid Hill. In 1999, he and his brother Andre Nicholas bought acreage on the north side of Orchid Hill at the Chinn Chapel intersection. Andre and his wife Patti built their lovely home on that site. In 2006, Charlie and his wife Kathy moved into their current home on Copper Woods Lane with sons Alex and Colin.
At age 26, Charlie started NE Construction and is still its sole owner and CEO. Charlie took me on a tour of his company’s headquarters in Lewisville. It is a lovely, practical, functional building, and Charlie knew all the employees personally. They seemed very happy to be working there. When I asked if there was much turnover, Charlie said no. I asked him how many people he employs. He thought a minute and said about 870. EIGHT HUNDRED AND SEVENTY! I must have looked somewhat astounded. Very apologetically, Charlie said, “Well, we own over 21 companies. NE Construction is one of the biggest developers in the country.” That is quite an accomplishment for a man shy of 50 years old!
Charlie Nicholas is a very versatile developer
Charlie’s 21+ companies own single family homes, luxury apartment complexes, restaurants, and shopping centers. In the latter capacity, Charlie is the principal developer for many quality retailers. NE Construction also builds low income housing and military buildings for the government.
Charlie is part owner of Rough Creek Lodge near Glen Rose, Texas. It is a huge corporate conference center on 11,000 acres with a gourmet restaurant and corporate hunting and fishing facilities. He also owns AC Hunting Ranches and Beaver Run Ranch out of Aspen, Colorado and the 24,000 acre AC Ranch out of Junction, TX. All ranches have corporate hunting and fishing facilities. (“AC” stands for the first initial of his and Kathy’s two sons, Alex and Colin.) www.achuntingranches.com, www.roughcreeklodgeglenrose.com.
Charlie is also a rancher. He raises black angus cattle on AC Ranch and provides beef to quality restaurants and hotels. Charlie designed and built a state-of-the-art slaughter house facility as a teaching tool for area college students. He believes in “killing animals humanely, and processing beef in the most sanitary manner possible.”
Charlie Nicholas agrees to run for our Town Council
This is a man who is pleasant, charming, very low key, very unassuming – and obviously doesn’t brag. If you don’t know to ask the right questions, you will never know the extent of his far flung business operations. Charlie didn’t seek out a Council position. But when asked to serve, he thought about it and then stepped up to the plate and said “Yes”. This is not an ego trip for him. It is a way of giving back to our country, because his family has been able to actually live the “American Dream”.
Charlie and Kathy moved to Copper Canyon for its rural beauty, small town atmosphere, and for the privacy that our homeowners can enjoy. He would like to protect the value of our homes by attracting quality retail development. But the retail would only be located in our Master Plan Town Centers along FM 407. As a very successful businessman, he realizes that increasing and diversifying the Town’s tax basis with retail property taxes and sales taxes is the critical path to keeping property taxes low for our homeowners. Charlie has the crucial development experience to attract quality retail to our FM 407 strip – retail similar in caliber to the projects he has successfully masterminded throughout his career. (See the website for photos of the various projects already built. www.neconstruction.net)
Charlie’s opponent for Place Four on the Council is Mike Brasberger.
Mayor Sue Tejml
Copper Canyon, TX
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