Pueblo Economic Development Corporation

06/26/2026

🎉 Congratulations to the 2026 FAME Pueblo Graduates! 🎉

PEDCO was proud to join Pueblo Community College, local manufacturers, families, and community partners in celebrating another outstanding class of FAME graduates.

These students have spent the last two years earning their college degrees while working alongside experienced manufacturing professionals—graduating with valuable experience, nationally recognized credentials, and exciting career opportunities ahead.

This program is about so much more than education.

It's about creating opportunity for local students, helping manufacturers grow with a skilled workforce, and strengthening Pueblo's economy for years to come.

Congratulations to each graduate and thank you to the employers, instructors, mentors, and Pueblo Community College for investing in the workforce of tomorrow.
Industry partners for this cohort include TR Toppers Target Hartung Glass Industries and pewag

The future of manufacturing in Pueblo is in good hands.

05/22/2026

PEDCO President & CEO Jeff Shaw Announces Resignation After Years of Service to Pueblo Economic Development

PUEBLO, CO — May 22, 2026 - Jeff Shaw, President & CEO of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO), has submitted his letter of resignation to the PEDCO Board of Directors after accepting an economic development position in Texas. Shaw’s final day with PEDCO will be June 14.
Shaw has been actively involved with PEDCO for more than 25 years, including eight years of service on the Board of Directors and serving as Board Chair in 2008. He was appointed President & CEO in 2015.
During his tenure as President & CEO, PEDCO helped attract, expand, and retain roughly 2,000 primary jobs with companies that continue to do business in Pueblo. Those projects include United Launch Alliance, Coronado Stone, Vestas and Big R expansions, CR Minerals attraction and expansion, Grady’s expansion, Pewag, Evraz Steel Mill retention, TCCI/MxV Rail, Ecological Materials, Fomcore, and Trussworks.
“Jeff’s professionalism, knowledge, institutional recall, and ability to connect with PEDCO prospects and help them navigate complicated issues will be deeply missed,” said current PEDCO Board Chair Bob Leach. “His departure leaves a significant hole in our organization and in this community, but we are grateful for his years of service and the positive impact he has made on both PEDCO and Pueblo. We wish Jeff and his family the very best in this next chapter.”
Shaw said his time with PEDCO has been meaningful because of the people and partnerships behind the work.
“It has been an honor and privilege to be part of PEDCO and to work alongside so many great leaders in this community, both within PEDCO and across our partner organizations,” said Shaw. “The work of PEDCO depends on a strong team. I have full confidence in the PEDCO Board, staff, membership, and community partners to keep current and future projects moving forward. The mission of PEDCO to attract, expand, and retain primary jobs in Pueblo County will continue.”
PEDCO’s Next Chapter
As PEDCO prepares for this leadership transition, the Board of Directors will take the opportunity to evaluate how the organization continues strengthening its role in Pueblo’s economic development landscape.
The Board intends to review PEDCO’s current priorities, organizational structure, and opportunities to better support business attraction, expansion, retention, and primary job growth in Pueblo County. This transition provides an opportunity to build on PEDCO’s decades of work while also looking ahead at how the organization can continue adapting to the needs of employers, site selectors, investors, local businesses, and community partners.
PEDCO remains committed to its core mission of advancing primary job growth and supporting economic opportunities that strengthen Pueblo’s long-term competitiveness.
“The work does not stop with a leadership change,” Leach said. “PEDCO has active projects, strong partners, and an important mission. This is a moment to honor Jeff’s contributions while also looking carefully and positively at how PEDCO can continue serving Pueblo’s business community and economic future.”
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PEDCO President & CEO Jeff Shaw Announces Resignation After Years of Service to Pueblo Economic Development PUEBLO, CO — May 22, 2026 – Jeff Shaw, President & CEO of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO), has submitted his letter of resignation to the PEDCO Board of Directors after...

04/28/2026

Economic Development Takes a Community
Big things don’t happen by accident.
Every successful project in Pueblo starts with an opportunity—and a community working together to move it forward.
It’s not one organization or one decision.
It takes coordination between local government, utilities, workforce partners, industry, and more.
• Every piece has to come together
• Every partner has to be aligned

When one piece is out of sync, projects slow down—or stop.

That’s where PEDCO comes in.
We connect the right partners, organize the process, and help keep projects moving.
PEDCO isn’t the decision-maker.
PEDCO is the connector.

It takes a community to compete—and to win.
And when a project isn’t fully aligned yet, the work continues behind the scenes to help get it there.
We’re here to work with companies at every stage—and help them succeed.

04/17/2026

This is great news for Pueblo and for the future of rail infrastructure in North America.
Congratulations to Rocky Mountain Steel Mills, who has entered into a new long-term agreement with Union Pacific—a strong signal of continued investment, production, and confidence in the work happening right here in Pueblo.
We’re proud to see steel produced in Pueblo continue to help build and maintain critical rail infrastructure across the country. The momentum continues because of what our community has worked together to build.
As David Ferryman, former Senior VP of Evraz NA, shared in a discussion reminiscing about the complexities of their long rail mill project:
“I think Jeff (PEDCO CEO) and the community of Pueblo, really, along with all of these companies that have come together, are pioneers.”- Watch the webinar at https://www.pedco.org/pueblo-a-better-environment-for-business/
That pioneering spirit—and the willingness of partners to come together to make complex projects happen —is what moves Pueblo forward.

The contract underscores Union Pacifics clear commitment to buying the majority of its rail from a United States manufacturer.

04/16/2026

Congratulations to MxV_Rail and Mark “Yak” Maryak of CAE on their well-deserved recognition at the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce 2026 Business Awards Luncheon.

PEDCO is proud to have played a role in helping MxV Rail and CAE not only stay—but thrive—in Pueblo.

Hear directly from MxV Rail's, President and CEO, Kari Gonzales on what that partnership looked like.

Kari Gonzales explains how PEDCO helped MxV Rail keep facilities in the Pueblo community.

04/14/2026

Economic growth doesn’t happen by chance—it builds over time.
When a primary employer comes to Pueblo:
It brings new dollars into our community
And those dollars don’t stop there:
• They support local businesses
• They create additional jobs
• They increase demand for housing and services
Economic models show one primary job can support 2–4 additional jobs locally

All jobs are important, but the type of job determines the impact.

Primary jobs are like turning on the faucet.
They bring new money into Pueblo.
Retail jobs use the bucket.
They depend on the money already here.
If we want to grow—we need the faucet turned on.

04/09/2026

Economic development requires coordination, alignment, and long-term focus.

PEDCO is a private, member-supported nonprofit dedicated to attracting, retaining, and expanding primary jobs in Pueblo.

Our role is to connect partners, resources, and opportunities—helping projects move forward through alignment, due diligence, and strategic coordination.

This work is often behind the scenes, but it is essential to building a strong and competitive local economy.

04/07/2026

We are PEDCO.
For more than 40 years, we’ve worked behind the scenes to support jobs and investment in Pueblo.

An example of PEDCO’s ability to bring partners to the table is reflected in Rocky Mountain Steel’s recent decision to further invest in our community. A few years ago, then EVRAZ, now Rocky Mountain Steel Mills, was deciding whether to reinvest here or go elsewhere - a thousand jobs were at stake.

It started with a call to PEDCO.

From there, partners aligned—industry, utilities, and public partners—focused on one question:
What will it take to make this work in Pueblo?

That alignment made the difference.
As then Senior VP of Evraz NA, David Ferryman said:
"Without that partnership… I don’t think this investment would have happened."

This is what economic development looks like.
Not always visible.
But always happening.

Mark Williams, President of Strategic Development Group and David Ferryman, Senior VP of EVRAZ NA Pueblo Business Unit, discuss the hard work and partnership...