PORTLAND, Ore., July 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NYSE:NWN), dba NW Natural, has approved the appointment of David H. Anderson as CEO of the company, in addition to his current role as president, effective Aug. 1.
Anderson succeeds Gregg Kantor who is retiring after holding the CEO position since 2009.
Anderson will also be joining NW Natural’s board of directors. "David Anderson is ready and enthusiastic to lead this 157-year-old company,” said Tod Hamachek, chairman of NW Natural's Board, which voted on the promotion at its July meeting. "David’s strong financial, operational and leadership skills will be key assets to ensuring NW Natural’s continued success in the coming years.”
"It’s an honor to be the next CEO of this company and to lead our employees who are so committed to delivering natural gas to our customers safely, reliably and affordably each day,” said Anderson. “I intend to uphold this company’s strong legacy of customer service and community support as we move ahead.”
Anderson joined NW Natural in 2004 as senior vice president and chief financial officer. In 2013, he was elected executive vice president of Operations and Regulation. In 2014, Anderson was promoted to president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining NW Natural, he served in various executive positions at TXU Corporation (formally Texas Utilities) including chief accounting officer of the parent company and chief financial officer of TXU Gas.
Anderson is a director on the Portland State University Foundation Board, the Portland Business Alliance, Oregon Business Council and Greater Portland, Inc. He is a past board member of the Northwest Gas Association and a past chair of the American Gas Association (AGA) Finance Committee, the AGA Fiscal and Tax Committee, and the Association of Oregon Industries Fiscal Policy Committee. Anderson holds a BBA in Accounting from Texas Tech University and is a CPA (Ret.) and CGMA.
At its July meeting, the board of directors also promoted Grant Yoshihara to senior vice president of Operations. Yoshihara will report to Anderson.
Yoshihara has been with NW Natural since 1991, serving in the roles of vice president of Utility Operations, general manager of Consumer Services and managing director of Utility Services.
Yoshihara is a member of the American Gas Association Operations Section Executive Committee. He also serves on the boards of the Multnomah Athletic Club and the Japan-America Society of Oregon. Yoshihara holds bachelor and master’s degrees in nuclear engineering from Oregon State University and an MBA from the University of Oregon. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Oregon.
About NW Natural NW Natural (NYSE:NWN) is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and provides natural gas service to about 718,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is the largest independent natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest. Additional information is available at nwnatural.com.
Investor Contact:
Nikki Sparley
Phone: 503-226-4211 ext. 5857
Email: n1s@nwnatural.com
Media Contact:
Melissa Moore
Phone: 503-220-2436
Email: msm@nwnatural.com
Source: GlobeNewswire
(July 29, 2016 - 6:00 AM EDT)
