Susan Gray

President & CEO
Tucson Electric Power
Chair of the Board – Sun Corridor Inc.

What’s the one thing that stands out to you as a success for Sun Corridor Inc. over its 20 years?

Sun Corridor’s cooperative, regional approach to economic development has helped us secure some significant wins over the past two decades. One highlight is the South 32 Hermosa mine in Santa Cruz County. This will be a great new resource not only for our region but for the country at large. The mine will produce critical minerals for our clean energy transition while also practicing “next generation” mining to minimize its impact on the environment. Because the project is located outside of Pima County, it might not have been a focus for economic development officials working separately in Tucson or other local jurisdictions. But Sun Corridor brings together representatives from throughout Southern Arizona, giving us greater opportunities to attract projects that create broad benefits for our entire region.

Why are you involved in Sun Corridor Inc?

Personally, I’m excited about the opportunity to help our community thrive. We’re seeing incredible growth opportunities right now, including increased investment in domestic manufacturing and onshoring supply chains, and I enjoy working together with other local leaders to secure our share of those     investments. Professionally, I lead companies that serve as Southern Arizona’s primary energy providers. Both Tucson Electric Power and UniSource Energy Services, which provides both electricity and natural gas to customers in Santa Cruz County, are heavily invested in our region’s economic success. Unlike other companies, we can’t seek growth by expanding to other cities. We are literally hard-wired into our local economies. So, the best way for us to succeed is to support the prosperity of the communities we serve, and Sun Corridor is focused on that same goal.

What’s the biggest opportunity for the region?

Our location provides many well-known advantages, including natural beauty and warm weather that attract visitors and provide residents with so many recreational opportunities. But we’re also in a geologically stable region that’s relatively safe from the natural disasters that seem to be occurring more frequently in so many other areas. We don’t have to worry about hurricanes or earthquakes, and our summer monsoon storms are not nearly as damaging as the extended winter freezes that are becoming more common even in warmer states like Texas. This helps us keep our roads clear and our electric service reliable. That kind of stability is becoming less common as our weather grows more extreme, giving Southern Arizona new opportunities to attract technology providers, manufacturers, and others who need reliable, around the clock energy and other services.

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