Ranch Vision and Owner
Hi Everyone,
My name is Brent Oxley, and I am the owner of Ox Ranch. I am a 31-year-old college dropout who was successful by selling the hosting company I founded, Hostgator.com.
I went from leading an army of nerds in July of 2012 to managing one of Texas’s largest hunting ranches in October. I had no ranching experience, never hunted before, and did not have a clue what to expect. I have come a long way in a short period of time. I have since discovered dozens of caves and underground caverns, killed hundreds of pigs, and even hold the ranch distance record after killing an Aoudad sheep at a 937-yard distance (with a single shot). There is no way I could have progressed as much as I have without the mentoring of our ranch veterans Larry Hromadka and CEO Tony Harden. Thank you!
Hostgator.com was founded in my college dorm room in October of 2002. I was a freshman attending Florida Atlantic University in my hometown of Boca Raton, Florida. I launched Hostgator with $1,000 to my name and one employee, myself. I prided the company on its 24/7/365 phone support offering which was a rarity at the time. The business began booming immediately and toward the end of my second college semester, I had hundreds of customers and was making more money than the average college graduate. I was profitable but, unfortunately, could not afford additional employees. This resulted in being woken on average six times a night from support calls. I could not even make it through a single class without having to step outside to take business calls.
It was apparent to me that I did not have time for both school and a blossoming business. I spoke to my family and against their wishes, made the decision to drop out. The decision to drop out of college ended up being one of the best decisions of my life. In 2008, Hostgator ranked 21st on the Inc 5,000’s list of fastest growing private companies in America and 1st in Texas! The best part is that this was all done without any loans, debt, or partners.
When I sold Hostgator in 2012, it was the number one recommended hosting company on the web and grew as fast as we could hire. The formula to success was a simple one: Reputation = Growth. The better the support we offered, the faster we grew. I have no control over the new owner’s decisions for better or for worse. I hope they follow my simple formula and assuming they do, they will thrive and be successful.
At the time of Hostgator’s sale it had:
1,000+ employees
$100,000,000+ in annual sales
8,000,000+ websites hosted
Hosted 2-3% of the internet
I may no longer be in the hosting world, but my goals and ambitions are just as big. I have decided that I am going to create the finest hunting ranch the world has ever seen. I am off to a good start and believe that I will achieve this goal within two years.
We have launched millions of dollars worth of projects including….
Giraffe pens
Hundreds of miles of roads covering the entire ranch
Over 10,000 acres of cedar removal
5,800-foot paved runway for the option to fly directly onto the ranch
6,000+ square-foot lodge and bar
8 authentic luxury log cabins
12,000 square-foot pavilion (under construction)
$200,000 bass fish stocking program
$2,000,000 wildlife expansion for 2014
The diversity, topography, and water features of the land are truly what makes Ox Ranch so unique and special. We have parts of the ranch that look like West Texas, South Texas, and then other parts that are similar to the Texas Hill Country. The ranch has multiple lakes totaling over 50 acres of water. The lakes are spring-fed by over seven miles of creeks flowing through the center of the property. I have talked with dozens of brokers, biologists, guides, outfitters, and surveyors before and after buying the ranch, and every single one of them has told me they have yet to see another ranch that compares.
The land is so special that there has not ever been a single rattlesnake found on the property! This fact stumps everybody including myself. Tony has cleared over 10,000 acres of cedar over the least 8 years and still not a single rattlesnake! I have been in hundreds of caves and holes, but again no rattlers! There are also very few, if any, mosquitos out here. I attribute this to the fact that we have such a large bat colony on the property and so much running water.
I plan to be a good steward of the land with any and all decisions being made to improve the water, vegetation, and well-being of the wildlife. We are working diligently to build upon sustainability while increasing our wildlife diversity. I am not going to rest until we have large herds of any and all species that flourish in a Texas environment. We have recently launched a $2,000,000 wildlife budget and have been building upon our Bongo, Sable, Arabian Oryx, Markhor, and Sitatunga herds. We also have a year-round $500,000 protein budget which promotes antler and horn growth.
I want Ox Ranch to be a place where traditions are created, dreams realized, and experiences of a lifetime made. I’m very proud of our activities list which includes High-Performance Jet Skis, Caving, Mountain Rappelling, blowing up cars, Machine guns, Yoga, Arrow Head Hunting, Tanks, and more. A lot of people think I am joking when I say there is a tank with a firing turret coming soon. I am not! I have always wanted to drive and fire a real tank, and I believe many of our guests will enjoy this activity as well.
I have a goal to not only make Ox Ranch the number one hunting ranch in the world, but also one of the top corporate retreats and wedding venues. The Lodge, Luxury Cabins, and Pavilion that are currently under construction will be able to support weddings and corporate retreats of over 500 people. It may not be for everyone, but I myself cannot imagine a better wedding or retreat than one surrounded by zebras, giraffes, and dozens of other species on over 18,000 acres of God’s country.
I have been blessed with success early in life, have great friends, and a loving family. I look forward to sharing Ox Ranch with all of you and creating memories that will last a lifetime.