Paul Andrews, the president and CEO of the National Western Stock Show and Complex, will retire early next year, the organization announced on Friday.
Taking the reins in 2010, Andrews’ tenure has been marked by significant changes for the Stock Show and the historic north Denver campus that has hosted it since 1906.
In 2011, Stock Show leaders announced plans to move the annual event centered on animal shows, rodeos and a celebration of Western culture to a site in Aurora. The organization argued at the time that the age, condition and constraints of its grounds north of Interstate 70 along Brighton Boulevard were making it less competitive with other livestock events around the county.
But the move never happened. In 2015, Andrews was part of the coalition that backed the successful campaign for Ballot Measure 2C, a bond measure — backed by an extension of taxes on hotels and rental cars — that raised capital for the $1 billion overhaul of the National Western Center complex and campus.
The project is ongoing with a new equestrian center and the Stock Show’s own Legacy building yet to be built, but the show itself has grown in the years since officials recommitted to the property.
In a news release announcing his plans to retire, Stock Show officials credited Andrews for his leadership in helping the show grow to an average attendance of more than 700,000 people per year over its 16-day run. The number of events held as part of each annual show has doubled on Andrews’ watch, exceeding 250 per year, according to the organization.
“Paul’s dedication, energy, and business acumen have been of incalculable value to the National Western’s recent successes,” Western Stock Show Association board chairman Doug Jones said in a statement. “His successor has some big boots to fill.”
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Andrews will be sticking around for one last rodeo. He will officially hang up his spurs after the completion of the 2025 National Western Stock Show in January, according to Friday’s news release.
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