The National Western Stock Show’s new President and CEO Wes Allison grabbed the reins of a renewed era for one of the nation’s largest stock shows, which rides back into action this week in Denver.

On Tuesday, the new stock show leader ushered in a fresh motto for the 120th year of the NWSS: “We are the West.”

For 23 years, Allison served as the president and CEO of the Heart O’ Texas Fair and Rodeo in Waco, Texas, where he said his love of Western culture flourished. Now, as he takes charge of one of the nation’s largest stock shows, Allison underscored some high ambitions.

Allison began his position in May after the retirement of former NWSS CEO Paul Andrews.

The Denver Gazette spoke with Allison as he previewed the 2026 NWSS in the new Legacy building on Tuesday. His answers have been edited for length.

DG: You’ve been in the position for eight months, but now it’s about time for the stock show. What does leading NWSS mean to you?

WA: I’m ready for Saturday. The kickoff and the start. Ultimately, the culmination of all the work that has gone into this, and the fact that it is now tangible, and we can see it, and we can feel it, and we can smell it. There’s just so much great momentum. For me, it’s a sense of pride to be part of the organization. It’s still very humbling. Also, I think that there’s a big responsibility, and I don’t take it lightly. We want to make sure we do our part to carry on the tradition.

DG: How do you see yourself and your experience fit into NWSS and the values that it brings to Western culture?

WA: What we did in Waco was to expand it to a 365-day-a-year campus and destination. We have that same opportunity here to create that place where you can come and learn about the Western spirit, where we can create economic impact, not just 16 days, but 365 days, with the facilities here, the partnership with Colorado State University and with the City and County of Denver. All of those opportunities that really will allow us to just really create that and so for me, that history in that year-round activity, as much as it is in the stock show for me, it’s really something that I believe I bring to the table.

DG: What are your most ambitious ideas when it comes to evolving NWSS?

WA: As a modern stock show, we have to look for ways to embrace our community, and we have to look for ways to continue to be that iconic event here in Denver that celebrates the Western spirit. Ultimately, it is about pushing our organization to continue to move forward, and those visions will include how we grow our membership, how we grow our volunteer base, how we grow our connection to the communities and ultimately all of that is about us giving scholarships. So how we use the Denver scholarship, how we use our scholarship trust to continue to impact young people who will ultimately have an impact on agriculture, because that is where we need to be.”

DG: When did you first attend NWSS? What drew you here?

WA: I showed cattle here at this facility in the ’80s. And then have been here a couple of times. We have a great connection to Colorado … for us, it was about the stockyards here. That’s why, you know, we are a cow town at heart. That’s really where our history is right, that connection to the beef cattle industry, to the sheep industry, to agriculture in general. That’s what drew me here. I grew up in it. I love it, and an opportunity, no doubt, with a little bit of ego, to run one of the big ones.

DG: What’s your favorite rodeo event?

WA: Saddle Bronc. It is the traditional, iconic rodeo event when you think about cowboys breaking horses and all those kinds of things. I guess I should probably say Mutton Busting, because that’s everybody’s favorite event.

The NWSS kicks off at noon Thursday with a parade downtown along 17th Street. More information, including schedules and tickets, can be found on the NWSS website nationalwestern.com.