Prior to being elected mayor, Shaw was a radio personality and television news anchor on KOTA-TV in Rapid City.
Senators Tim Johnson, John Thune, Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and Governor Mike Rounds, testified before the BRAC committee public hearing in Rapid City in favor of keeping Ellsworth open.
Later that summer, the BRAC voted to remove Ellsworth from the list of recommended closures, and Shaw called it "a grand and glorious day for our community.
[7] In 2009 Shaw was part of a group that purchased the Black Hills Speedway and planned to renovate it in order to attract more visitors.
[2] In early January 2010 the Rapid City Journal named him as one of the "Ten in 2010"—ten local residents to watch in the year to follow because they were expected to make news.