Creating a Culture of Giving
Community service is central to Southwest Gas’ corporate mission.
Southwest Gas does more than provide natural gas to more than 2 million customers throughout Arizona, California, and Nevada. It also gives back to the communities it serves with initiatives that address critical issues, such as hunger and food insecurity, unhoused seniors, foster care, and youth development.
“We recognize the vital role we play in strengthening our communities and enriching the lives of those we serve,” says Amy Timperley, the company’s senior vice president/chief regulatory, public affairs, and gas resources officer. “We are deeply committed to helping our neighbors, and we value the relationships we have fostered with local nonprofits and community-based organizations through The Southwest Gas Foundation, our employee giving and volunteer programs, and the supplier diversity program.”
Southwest Gas has worked with several educational organizations to foster professional growth and learning. Students at a local high school, for example, receive mentoring and real-world learning about working in the utility industry. The company also contributes regularly to local colleges and universities to support minority student engineering groups that foster a diverse talent pipeline focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, careers. It recently collaborated with the Lee Business School at University of Nevada, Las Vegas to present the Small Business Leadership Academy to assist entrepreneurs and help them develop practical skills needed to stay competitive.
The supplier diversity program, administered through the human resources department, collaborates with organizations with a similar focus to help minority-owned businesses thrive and grow. Through an innovative partnership with Certify My Company, diverse businesses learn about the importance of certification and receive guidance on completing the application approval process. Another partnership with Plan with Peers provides suppliers with the necessary skills and resources to formulate pitches to secure additional business.
In 2024, Southwest Gas spent more than $227.4 million with certified diverse suppliers across its three-state service territory. “Our diverse network of suppliers is essential to our mission and operations, and it plays a critical role in creating pathways for equity and economic growth in our communities,” says Albert Taylor, vice president of human resources with Southwest Gas. “Diverse suppliers are more than just vendors; they’re an extension of Southwest Gas.”
Company employees are encouraged to give back as well. Through the company’s FUEL for LIFE employee giving program, employees have the opportunity to contribute portions of each paycheck to support local nonprofits. Since this voluntary program began in 2012, employees have contributed an estimated $24.5 million to support more than 2,400 organizations.
A similar program, BLUE—Building Lives Up Everywhere, enables employees to volunteer their time to help local organizations through various activities, such as neighborhood beautification projects, assembling meal and hygiene kits for paralyzed veterans and the unhoused, and organizing emergency food packing and distribution events for underserved communities.
The Southwest Gas Foundation contributes regularly to local nonprofits, such as emergency shelters, veterans, educational development, and healthcare organizations. Most recently, it contributed to the opening of Central Arizona Shelter Services’ The Haven complex, Arizona’s first and only emergency shelter for unhoused seniors.
These community service initiatives have not gone unnoticed. In 2024, the Phoenix Business Journal honored the utility company with the Innovative Philanthropic Company Award for its charitable efforts. Southwest Gas was also named Corporation of the Year by the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council recognized it as the Local Corporation of the Year.
“Relationships matter and enable us to accomplish more together as a company, which positively impacts our customers, employees, suppliers, and the communities we serve,” Timperley says.
