June Featured Speakers

“Arizona Corporation Commission”
With guest speakers: Arizona Corporation Commissioners
Nick Myers and Kevin Thompson


The Arizona Corporation Commission’s mission is to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable utility services; have railroad and pipeline systems that are operated and maintained in a safe manner; grow Arizona’s economy as we help local entrepreneurs achieve their dream of starting a business; modernize an efficient, effective, and responsive government agency; and protect Arizona citizens by enforcing an ethical securities marketplace.

Please note that the Town of Sahuarita and Union Pacific Railroad have a hearing  scheduled with the ACC to get final approval on the changes to the Union Pacific’s traffic light proposal at the entrance to Quail Creek on August 7. This is based on the town and UPRR having executed the Construction and Maintenance Agreement.  The agreement allows UPRR to begin the design of their improvements and start ordering materials/equipment.  It’s thought to be a formality but an opportunity to make them aware of the importance of the improvement and see if there is anything they can do to push UPRR to move as quickly as possible.  The estimate for completion is eight months.

NICK MYERS

Nick spent almost 20 years in the software engineering industry. He then branched out into small business where he and his family started and sold several businesses. Nick’s involvement with the commission started when he had a major dispute with a utility. This led to Nick being a community advocate in a multi-year process that was very successful. Following that, he became a Policy Advisor for Commissioner Justin Olson until being elected as a Commissioner himself. Nick ran a campaign on wanting to bring back regulatory stability, keeping rates low, and keeping our utilities resilient and reliable.

Nick, his wife and three children live in Pinal County. Nick appreciates the faith the residents of Arizona have placed in him in electing the first ever Commissioner from Pinal County, and looks forward to serving all Arizonans.

KEVIN THOMPSON

Kevin Thompson has over 25 years of utility and regulatory experience, including serving as a twice-elected Councilman for the City of Mesa. Kevin is a combat veteran of the United States Air Force, serving in Operation Desert Storm. He is a small business owner that focuses on helping clients grow and expand their businesses and bring economic development to Arizona. Kevin was a cofounder of the Mesa Veterans Resource Center, an East Valley resource for veterans that includes help with employment access, resume building, VA healthcare and benefits training, and mental health counseling. Kevin was the Manager, New Business Development for Southwest Gas for over 12 years, responsible for all new business engineering including the sale, design, and installation of billions of dollars of natural gas pipelines for residential, multi-family, retail, and commercial development.

Kevin and his wife, Donna, have been married for over 33 years and have two children.