DENVER — National Western Stock Show President and CEO Paul Andrews announced his retirement on Friday.
Andrews said he will retire after the 2025 National Western Stock Show in January.
Andrews has led the National Western Stock Show and Complex since 2010. He said he will continue as a consultant to the organization after a new president and CEO has been selected.
During his tenure, Stock Show attendance grew to an average of more than 700,000 visitors over the event’s 16-day run each January, with revenues rising accordingly. The number of National Western Complex’s non-Stock Show events more than doubled to 250.
Andrews also played a central role in the conception and development of the National Western Center, a new home for National Western being built on the same site as the existing complex.
“Paul’s dedication, energy and business acumen have been of incalculable value to the National Western’s recent successes,” said Doug Jones, chairman of the Western Stock Show Association board. “His successor has some big boots to fill.”
“From one minute to the next, Paul could be talking to a ranch hand, a top executive or a political leader,” said Pat Grant, who preceded Andrews as the National Western’s chief executive. “He worked directly with the mayor’s office and Denver City Council on the passage of ballot measure 2C in 2015 to fund the National Western Center and also worked with the Colorado Legislature in 2021 during the pandemic to secure funding for operations and was successful on both counts.”
The board of the Western Stock Show Association, which oversees the National Western, is forming a search committee that will work in tandem with an executive search firm to help identify and select Andrews’ successor.
It is anticipated that the new CEO will be in place sometime in the spring or summer of 2025, and Andrews will transition the position over the course of 2025 as we prepare for the January 2026 National Western Stock Show.
For inquiries related to the executive search, contact nationalwesternstockshow@heidrick.com.
