Stephen Shelton
Stephen Shelton, founder and executive director of the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh, was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He began working in the masonry field as a teen during summers and weekends. After enlisting in the Navy at 19, he became a naval aircraft electrician and finished his four-year enlistment in that field. He worked at journeyman level as an electrician, a plumber, a masonry laborer, a bricklayer, and a specialist in stone restoration. In 2002, Mr. Shelton started a masonry company that has since been passed on to his son and is renowned for some of the finest construction and restoration work in Pittsburgh. Stephen also serves as Chairman of the Board for Pittsburgh Youth Partnership, a 501(c)3 organization that was established to help youth-related programs in Pittsburgh. In 2009, he realized the need in the masonry trade and other trades for a new generation of highly skilled craftsmen. In response, Stephen began the Shelton Trade Center, which is now the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh.