As the Folsom Pro Rodeo prepares to celebrate its 65th anniversary next week, organizers have entrusted one of the community’s most recognizable and influential figures with helping lead the historic occasion.
Harry Elliott, whose family’s name has become woven into the fabric of modern Folsom, will serve as Grand Marshal of this year’s Folsom Pro Rodeo, taking on a ceremonial role during a celebration that also marks America’s 250th anniversary and the City of Folsom’s 80th birthday. For many residents, the selection is a fitting tribute to a man whose impact on the community extends far beyond the neighborhoods, businesses and landmarks that bear the imprint of his family’s century-long legacy.
When the gates swing open at Dan Russell Arena on July 2, Elliott will help usher in one of the most significant editions of the Folsom Pro Rodeo in its history. The annual event has long celebrated Western heritage, patriotism, hard work and community spirit—values that many say mirror Elliott’s own contributions to Folsom over the past several decades.
“I am truly honored to be named Grand Marshal of the Folsom Pro Rodeo,” Elliott said when his selection was previously announced. “This event is a cherished tradition that brings our community together, and I’m proud to be part of a celebration that means so much to Folsom.”
According to Choose Folsom President and CEO Joe Gagliardi, Elliott’s selection reflects the same values the rodeo has celebrated for generations.
“Harry Elliott represents the very spirit of the Folsom Pro Rodeo—leadership, integrity and deep community pride,” said Gagliardi. “We are honored to recognize his contributions and have him serve as Grand Marshal for the 2026 Rodeo.”
While rodeo fans will see Elliott helping lead festivities during this year’s celebration, his connection to Folsom extends far beyond the arena. For more than five decades, Elliott has built a reputation as one of California’s most respected homebuilders and developers, but his story began long before he occupied a corner office or oversaw major master-planned communities.
Before becoming president of Elliott Homes, Elliott worked a variety of jobs in the construction trades, including as an electrician and painter. He joined the family business in 1969 at age 22 and learned the industry from the ground up, working in construction and management positions before eventually taking over leadership of the company after his father retired.
The family business he inherited already carried a rich history. Founded in 1914 by his grandfather, Elliott Homes has grown into one of the oldest privately held homebuilding companies in the western United States. Today, it stands as a fourth-generation family enterprise that has survived economic downturns, wars, housing booms and busts while remaining family owned. When Elliott’s grandfather launched the company more than a century ago, there wasn’t enough demand to focus exclusively on homebuilding. To keep the business growing, he built whatever was needed, including barns, bridges and even a historic five-story hotel.
The entrepreneurial spirit that defined those early years would continue through future generations. Elliott’s father, Harry C. Elliott II, known as H.C., started as a carpenter in the family business before working at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington during World War II. Following the war, H.C. pursued opportunities in Southern California.
In 1946, the same year Harry Elliott III was born, H.C. packed up his family of six into a 15-foot travel trailer and relocated south. There, he built his first subdivision, a modest five-lot cul-de-sac that helped launch the next chapter of the family business. Life looked much different then than it does today. Elliott has often recalled how his father would purchase property, build a home, move the family into it, then sell it and repeat the process with the next house under construction. The arrangement required sacrifice, patience and hard work, but helped establish the foundation for what would become a multi-generational business success story.
H.C. eventually built more than 1,500 homes throughout Southern California and another 2,000 homes in the Central Coast community of Goleta before turning his attention northward. Seeking larger opportunities and more reasonably priced land, the Elliott family expanded into Northern California during the 1960s.
As the company expanded, it began acquiring larger land holdings and pursuing entitlement opportunities that would allow for more comprehensive community development. Rather than distributing profits, the family often reinvested earnings into land acquisitions and future projects, helping fuel decades of growth. One of the company’s first major Northern California projects involved the redevelopment of the former Livermore airport. The 400-acre master-planned community ultimately included more than 2,000 homes, parks, schools, industrial uses, retail space and office development.
The project helped establish Elliott Homes as more than a homebuilder. It became a community builder, a philosophy that would eventually bring the company to Folsom.
In 1987, Elliott Homes acquired roughly 3,000 acres in Folsom in what would become the company’s largest development undertaking to date. The acquisition would ultimately reshape much of modern Folsom. From that land emerged Broadstone, Empire Ranch and Palladio, developments that would help accommodate decades of growth while creating new neighborhoods, retail destinations, business opportunities and gathering places throughout the city.
Few individuals have played a larger role in shaping the physical landscape of modern Folsom than Harry Elliott. Today, countless residents live, work, shop, dine and recreate in areas that can trace their origins back to the vision Elliott and his team pursued nearly four decades ago.
Among those developments, none may be more recognizable than Palladio at Broadstone. Long before the center opened, Elliott envisioned something different from a traditional shopping center. Rather than pursuing a conventional retail model, he sought to create a destination that would serve as both a shopping and entertainment hub as well as a community gathering place. The project faced economic challenges and changing market conditions, but Elliott remained committed to the vision. Today, Palladio stands as one of the region’s most recognizable lifestyle destinations and remains a central part of Folsom’s retail and entertainment landscape.
Over the course of his career, Elliott Homes has built more than 40,000 homes, nearly 6,000 apartments, a dozen retail centers and millions of square feet of office space throughout California, Arizona and Texas. The company has also developed mobile home parks and numerous commercial projects. Those accomplishments have earned Elliott recognition throughout the building industry. He was inducted into the Builder Hall of Fame in 1993 and has served as president of the California Building Industry Association. He is also a lifetime director of the California Housing Foundation, reflecting decades of involvement in housing and development issues throughout the state.
Like the housing market itself, Elliott’s career has not been without challenges. The company weathered numerous downturns throughout its history, including the Great Recession, when annual production fell dramatically from roughly 700 homes per year to approximately 170 before eventually rebounding.
Yet those who know Elliott often speak less about his accomplishments and more about his character. Gagliardi, who has known Elliott for more than 20 years, describes him as a businessman whose word carries weight.
“He’s always been a straight-up guy. What he tells you he’ll do, he’ll do.”
Giving back has also remained an important part of the organization’s mission. In 1999, the company established a preservation conservancy. In 2003, it launched a philanthropic foundation that supports emergency hospital care, shelters for women and children, college scholarships and a variety of charitable initiatives throughout the communities it serves.
Away from work, Elliott enjoys skiing and spending time with family at a vacation home in Hawaii. Family remains central to both his life and the business itself. He and his wife Debbie have four children—Roxanne, Harry, Chelsea and Nicholas. Three of the four children, along with a son-in-law, now work in the family business, and all of the Elliott children serve on the company’s board of directors.
“It’s definitely a family-run operation,” Elliott has said in previous interviews.
As he looks toward the future, Elliott has often spoken about the importance of preparing the next generation to carry the company forward. One of his biggest professional concerns has been ensuring a successful leadership transition whenever the time comes to step aside.
“I’ve always sort of looked at myself as a caretaker of the business,” Elliott said. “We’re on a pretty decent course. I hope we can keep it up.”
That philosophy may be one of the reasons so many believe he is such a fitting choice to serve as Grand Marshal during this year’s rodeo. The Folsom Pro Rodeo itself has always been about stewardship—preserving traditions, celebrating heritage and passing community values from one generation to the next.
In many ways, Elliott’s story mirrors the story of the rodeo itself. Both are rooted in hard work. Both have endured changing times. Both have remained committed to traditions while continuing to evolve. And both have become enduring parts of the community they serve.
As Grand Marshal, Elliott will help lead one of the most significant editions of the Folsom Pro Rodeo in the event’s history.
The 2026 Folsom Pro Rodeo takes place July 2, 3 and 4 at Dan Russell Arena. Gates open nightly at 5 p.m., preshow activities begin at 6 p.m., and rodeo action gets underway at 7:30 p.m.
Fans can expect three nights of Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association competition featuring bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, breakaway roping and other rodeo favorites. Returning attractions include the Flying Cowboys, Bull Jumping, the nationally acclaimed Painted Ladies Rodeo Performers and mutton bustin’ for young riders. Each evening concludes with a fireworks display above Dan Russell Arena, continuing one of the event’s most beloved traditions.
Beyond the arena action, guests can enjoy food vendors, merchandise booths and the popular Saloon Under the Stars, which has become a favorite gathering place during rodeo week.
Tickets are available in several options, including $30 general admission seating, $45 reserved seating, $65 premier reserved seating and the premium Corral Club experience for $85. Family Packs that include four general admission tickets are also available for $110, while children ages 2 and younger are admitted free when seated on a parent or guardian’s lap.
As thousands gather to celebrate 65 years of rodeo tradition, 80 years of Folsom history and 250 years of American independence, they will also be honoring a man whose family has spent more than a century building communities, creating opportunities and helping shape the city he now represents as Grand Marshal.
Tickets and complete event information are available at folsomprorodeo.com.
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