THATCHER — Since taking over natural gas service in Thatcher and Pima, Southwest Gas has invested $24 million on infrastructure upgrades.
Mike Gomez, Engineering supervisor for Southwest Gas, made that statement as the featured speaker for the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Region 3 mixer at Eastern Arizona College on Tuesday.
He also told the crowd Southwest gas spent $15 million for the new operations center on Reay Lane, and has plans to spend more.
“Over the next five years, for Southwest Gas, we have plans to spend more than $24 million on infrastructure projects,” Gomez said. “So really, for this community, we see the growth potential.”
He also said that the local Southwest Gas employees have donated $26,000 to five nonprofit organizations in the company’s eastern district through payroll deductions.
Ed Lopez, director for Region 3 of the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said the next mixer will be in District 2, at Wyatt Earp’s Oriental Saloon in Tombstone on Feb. 28, followed by a District 3 mixer March 20 at the Clifton Social Club.
“We’re a regional chamber and we work with our local chambers; with Greenlee County and we work with Vance (Bryce) over at Graham County (Chamber of Commerce,” Lopez said.
Lopez added that Carmen Esmeralda Gonzalez Tapia, the mayor of Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, will be visiting the City of Safford on April 17. Cananea and Safford are sister cities.
Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is divided into three regions — Region 1 serves Pinal and Pima counties; Region 2 is Santa Cruz and Cochise counties, as well as Sonora, Mexico; and Region 3 is Graham and Greenlee counties.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9:59 a.m. Thursday, March 6, 2025, to correct the amount raised by Southwest Gas employees for nonprofit organizations.
