#39-Ryan Newman and wife Krissie began discussing plans for an animal rescue facility in Iredell County a few years ago, and the first step in the process took place a couple of miles from their home in Statesville, NC. The facility is called ‘Rescue Ranch’ and will lay on 87 acres off NC Highway 21 and has been a dream of Krissie’s. The Ranch will have similarities to the Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. where a good friend Mike Arms is the President. The facility will have a number of phases; the first consisting of offices and classrooms. Future phases will consist of a boarding facility, veterinary clinic, horse stalls and pastures, riding trails, educational camps and a small animal and creepy/crawly building. The first phase of the project has been awarded to Mooresville based R.L. Smith, Inc. owned by Ronnie Smith. The projected completion date is early fall 2012. ‘My wife Lee and I [parents of Regan Smith] have been supporters of the Ryan Newman Foundation from the beginning,’ Smith noted. ‘We are huge animal lovers and honored to be part of Rescue Ranch and the building of phase one. The facility is something that I believe our county will be proud of and I commend Ryan and Krissie for their efforts.’(Ryan Newman Foundation)(1-31-2012)
