Greeley leaders remember downtown champion Tointon

GREELEY — Business leaders in the Weld County seat are remembering executive and investor Robert Glenn “Bob” Tointon as a tireless advocate for downtown Greeley and public education — as well as simply a nice, approachable guy.

Tointon, who died peacefully Dec. 27 in his home, was 92.

“The word icon is a bit overused, but to say Bob was an icon in Greeley is a gross understatement,” former mayor John Gates said Monday. “Bob was the pioneer of downtown when many said downtown Greeley would never be a force. Bob never took that answer seriously and continued to pour resources into it. He would invest when others would not.”

In a 2023 interview with BizWest, Tointon recalled that “we didn’t have any buyers for buildings. We supported downtown because we think that that’s what people will see and look to as how the town is doing.”

Tointon’s efforts in the 1970s led to the formation of the Greeley Downtown Development Authority, with which he was involved for more than 30 years.

“He was like a father to me. He did so much for downtown, and we worked side by side,” said Pam Bricker, who was executive director of the DDA from 2010 to 2018. “The DDA was his thing. He made things happen downtown. I can’t say enough about somebody who had a lot of money but who was so touched by our downtown.”

Tointon joined Hensel Phelps Construction when he moved to Greeley in 1963, and became its president in 1975.

Arlo Richardson, a principal in Richmark Holdings, a family-run business that has been active in downtown holdings, recalled that even though he was 13 years younger than Tointon, “I kept my eye on Hensel Phelps and knew who he was and what he was about early in my life.

“Bob was the guy who kickstarted Hensel Phelps, but he did well above that,” Richardson said. “The business model they work with today goes all the way back to Bob. It’s so well structured that it has a lasting effect, creating a company that can move into the future without collapsing.”

When Tointon took the reins at Hensel Phelps, “we were just a $100 million company,” said Mike Choutka, who chairs its board after having served six years as its CEO. “He stayed in that role until the company was sold to our employees in 1989, and by then we were a $550 million company, so it grew fivefold during his tenure running the company.”

That same year, Tointon and Hensel Phelps’ Joe Phelps founded Phelps-Tointon Inc., a privately held investment and holding company with interests in manufacturing, real estate and industrial businesses throughout Northern Colorado.

“I joined Hensel Phelps in 1991, after Bob stepped away,” Choutka said, “but I got to know him when I stepped into the role of CEO in 2019, and I reached out to Bob to schedule a lunch and learn about the history of the company and the community.

“His impact is nothing short of amazing, the way he’s invested in Greeley and education,” Choutka said. “Every charity around here, Bob had his fingerprints on it. And he’s been so meaningful for me and my career.”

Bricker opened Mariposa Plants and Flowers on the ground floor of the building at Eighth Avenue and Eighth Street where Tointon had his offices.

Tointon “was so gracious to us, and we didn’t have to pay much to be there,” Bricker said. “I could go upstairs and talk to him when I needed to. He was the kindest, smartest man.

“He was nice to people. It wasn’t just the people with money,” she said. “He wasn’t about who has more money, I can’t even imagine what would have happened for downtown if it wasn’t for him.”

Added Richardson, “He took care of the older buildings that needed work. He was a very generous man. His heart has always been with Greeley and its residents. He was not one to move off to a sexier location.”

Born May 19, 1933 in Smith Center, Kansas, Tointon studied civil engineering at Kansas State University, where he met Betty Brammell. They married in 1955, moved to Greeley eight years later and became involved in many parts of the city’s life until Betty’s death at 87 in July 2020. The family foundation they created continues to contribute to civic projects, education and scholarships.

“Bob was very much an advocate for public education and programs for troubled youth,” Gates said. In 2022, “Greeley-Evans School District 6 named a school for Betty and Bob” — the Tointon Academy of Pre-Engineering — “and I was there when that school site was dedicated. Bob was humbled and proud, but he didn’t want recognition. He was uncomfortable with recognition. He just did what he thought was right for Greeley.”

The Tointons in 2007 started a Student Recovery Program that helps mentor male Latino high school students who are behind on credits and helps them complete high school. They invested in a blended-learning pilot program at Bella Romero Academy, and in 1995 created the Tointon Institute for Educational Change at the University of Northern Colorado.

In a statement emailed to BizWest from UNC, athletic director Darren Dunn called Tointon “a visionary leader, an incredible businessman and a deeply treasured friend of the university,” UNC athletics and the city. … The Tointons dedicated their lives to strengthening education, enriching community life and uplifting countless individuals across Northern Colorado. Together, they helped shape the fabric of this community through tireless service, generous support and an unwavering belief in the power of opportunity.”

For 36 consecutive years, Dunn said, the Tointons “championed UNC’s Athletics programs, understanding the vital role it plays in academic excellence, personal growth and community pride. Bob and Betty believed that meaningful change requires vision, collaboration and a genuine commitment to the well-being of others. Their legacy of leadership, generosity, and service will continue to inspire and guide our work across education, athletics and community development.”

Tointon and his wife were grand marshals of the Greeley Stampede parade in 1993. He was was named the Weld County Distinguished Citizen by the Boy Scouts of America in 1992, was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame in 2003, won the Dana Crawford Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation in 2005, received the Bonfils Stanton Community Service Award in 2012 and was named the 2019 Citizen of the West by the National Western Stock Show.

John Anderson, who founded Ancon Construction in 1974, first met the Tointons two years later, “I was just a small contractor in Greeley at that time,” he said, “and probably still am, compared to Bob.”

From his home in northern Minnesota, Anderson recalled pheasant hunting trips they took together, visits to Tointon’s ranch in North Park, and how Tointon helped steer Anderson’s son Matt — now CEO at Ancon — into enrolling at Kansas State in the 1990s. Tointon even asked Anderson’s firm to remodel an office for him instead of using his own company, and also to remodel the Tointons’ home in west Greeley.

“I was very appreciative that he would ask me,” Anderson said, adding that Tointon “was just an ultimate gentleman. He guided me in different things throughout my life. I always looked up to him. He was just a great mentor to me.”

Anderson recalled that after a day of hunting with Tointon, they would enjoy a good meal together — but that afterwards, Tointon always wanted dessert at a Dairy Queen.

Said Gates, “Bob was always a man of wisdom and was always glad to see you.” 

Tointon is survived by his brother, Roger, sons Bill and Bryan, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the UNC Foundation for the Tointon Institute for Educational Change, the Betty L. Tointon Fund at the Weld Community Foundation, the Tointon Family Foundation. The family planned a private graveside service, but said a joint celebration of life for both Bob and Betty will be held on a future date.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional reaction.

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