Pavel Ivanovich Syuzev was born on August 20, 1837, in Dobryanka to a serf family of the Stroganov estate. His father, Ivan Trefilovich Syuzev, was a serf of the Stroganovs and a graduate of a school in the village of Ilyinskoye. In 1833, at the order of the steward, 18-year-old Ivan Trefilovich began teaching arithmetic and penmanship to ten yard boys. The 1834 exam showed the success of his teaching, and Ivan Trefilovich became the first teacher in Dobryanka.

Pavel Ivanovich, also being a serf, graduated from the Sofia School in Dobryanka and then, with the support of the Stroganovs, attended the Perm County School and the Moscow Landowners' School. He received the titles of "scholarly assistant manager" and "scholarly manager."

In 1858, his career began at the Dobryanka Ironworks, where he worked as an "intern in iron processing and coal production." Over ten years, he rose to the position of factory steward at the Kynovo factory of the Stroganovs and then became the manager of the Kynovo district. Under his leadership, the factory significantly improved and increased production, which was noted by his contemporaries.

In May 1877, P.I. Syuzev was transferred to the Dobryanka factory for its modernization. He actively implemented new methods of metal production and improved the organization of factory work. In the 1880s, the factory began using the open-hearth method of metal smelting, and the quality of the products became so high that Dobryanka steel was called "Stroganov steel."

Pavel Ivanovich also developed the factory's infrastructure: a narrow-gauge railway was built, and telephone communication was established. He was not only a well-known factory figure but also engaged in scientific, public, and cultural activities. Syuzev was a member of the Ural Society of Naturalists and the Perm Provincial Scientific Archive Commission. He studied geology, history, ethnography, botany, astronomy, and economics.

His cultural and educational activities were of great importance for Dobryanka. At his initiative, a factory museum was created, a theater group flourished, and a garden was laid out on the site of the former quarry. For his care of the Dobryanka School, he received gratitude from the Perm County School Council.

Syuzev's public activities extended beyond the Dobryanka district. In 1882, he became a member of the Perm Provincial Zemstvo Assembly, and in 1888, a member of the provincial committee for promoting agriculture and handicrafts. He wrote about the need to develop handicrafts to reduce unemployment.

An important part of his work was organizing fire safety. In 1891, he prepared a report on measures to combat fires and proposed creating fire committees. His book "Fire-Safe Rural Buildings from Low-Value Materials" was approved by the Ministry of Public Education for use in educational institutions.

Unfortunately, many of his initiatives remained unfinished due to his untimely death on February 14, 1893, in Perm. However, his legacy continues to live on: one of his last works, a metal chapel in honor of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky, was restored and included in the city's coat of arms. In 1993, Pavel Ivanovich was posthumously awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Dobryanka.