WEDCO Names Justin Taylor as New Executive Director

01.14.2025


Honesdale, Wayne County, PA - WEDCO President Wayne R. Stephens announced today that Justin Taylor was hired as WEDCO’s new Executive Director, effective January 6, 2025. Stephens stated that Taylor’s community and economic development experience make him “ideally positioned to carry on the mission of WEDCO and foster economic development and job growth within Wayne County.”

Taylor succeeds Mary Beth Wood, who recently retired after serving WEDCO for more than two decades. “I am excited for our Board, Wayne County, and for Justin as he takes on the mantle of executive director,” said Wood. “He will be working in a county that has a clear and strategic vision for growth, understands local challenges and opportunities, has numerous development projects underway, and works in a collaborative manner like no other county in the Commonwealth.”

Taylor is a highly experienced public policy leader with a distinguished career in government service spanning nearly 25 years. He previously served as the Mayor and City Administrator of Carbondale, where he spearheaded a community-wide revitalization, and played a pivotal role in creating economic growth through large-scale development projects that would have regional impact. During his tenure, Taylor successfully led initiatives and administered programs that attracted over $80 Million of investment through cutting edge incentives, streamlined local regulatory processes, and partnerships between the public and private sectors.

As a previous Director of Susquehanna County’s Department of Economic Development, Taylor assisted with the start-up of 55 new businesses and successfully recruited national retail and commercial tenants to the County for the first time. Combining these rural experiences with those in the City of Carbondale, Taylor has a deep understanding of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s economic landscape and overall challenges, such as infrastructure, transportation, skilled workers, and technology.

His wealth of expertise in strategic planning, industry cluster support, and stakeholder engagement have twice earned Taylor recognition as one of the “Top 40 Under 40 in Business” by the Northeast Business Journal and The Times Leader – while serving in public sector positions. He has held numerous positions on state-wide boards and regional committees, including the Pennsylvania Municipal League, and PNC Bank Northeast Community Development Advisory Board.

Taylor holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration / Criminal Justice from The University of Scranton, and an Associate’s Degree in Fire Protection Engineering from Luzerne County Community College. He resides in Carbondale with his wife Ashley, their three boys (Creighton/Cashel/Callaghan), and are expecting Baby #4 in March.

WEDCO’s significant projects for 2025 include infrastructure improvements at the Sterling Business & Technology Park, enhancement of technology and business incubator services at The Stourbridge Project, and broadband expansion projects through the Accelerate Wayne! initiative. WEDCO recently completed the sale of a 65-acre lot within the business park, which has approval for an 800,000 SF industrial building that will be constructed by a private developer. To complement this growth, WEDCO will be expanding the business park’s wastewater treatment plant and improving sections of S.R. 191/3004 in Sterling Township.

For more information about WEDCO, call 570-253-5334, email justintaylor@wayneeconomic.com, or visit WayneEconomic.com. Connect with WEDCO on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.

Also, check out Wayne County Videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/waynecountypa.