PEDCO reports prospect pipeline, flags a potential 300‑job project and faces council questions about its contract

Jeff Sharp, president and CEO of the Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO), gave the council a quarterly update on Nov. 10, describing PEDCO's mission to attract, retain and expand primary jobs and reviewing prospect activity since the last presentation. Sharp said PEDCO has about 16–20 "good prospects" and highlighted one active, large project the agency is pursuing: "It's a 300 plus employees with a CapEx of over 750,000,000," he said, calling it a potentially transformative southern-Pueblo opportunity if it materializes.

Sharp described PEDCO's role in retention and workforce collaboration with Pueblo Community College and CSU Pueblo and said the average wage for potential jobs in the current prospect pool is "73,000 plus benefits approximately." He reiterated that PEDCO is a membership-based 501(c)(6) with a long track record of bringing primary jobs to the community and that incentives are recommended by PEDCO but approved by the city.

Councilors used the update to question PEDCO's future contract and the city's RFQ process for economic-development services. Councilor Flores urged the council to consider reinstating PEDCO's contract and to renegotiate terms rather than rush a replacement, citing the organization's 43-year history and member support. Flores asked staff to involve city attorneys and allow several months for a careful approach rather than an end-of-year deadline.

Sharp and board chair Dominic Galena responded to questions about an economic dashboard, prospect vetting and how the half-cent sales-tax fund is used to support primary-job recruitment and emergency assistance for local businesses. No formal vote was taken; councilors asked PEDCO and city staff to continue dialogue on the contract and the RFQ process.