Grant Yoshihara to Retire from NW Natural after 27 years at The Company

PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 21, 2017 -- NW Natural's (NYSE:NWN) board of directors at its meeting on Dec. 21 announced Grant Yoshihara’s intent to retire at the end of March, following 27 years of service with the company.

During his career at NW Natural, Yoshihara served in many capacities including managing marketing and customer services, commercial business operations, gas supply contract negotiations, and construction and operations. Additionally, he held top leadership positions with many industry associations such as the American Gas Association and the Western Energy Institute. Yoshihara has also been active in the community serving on boards or committees for organizations including Oregon State University, the Multnomah Athletic Club, and the Japan American Society of Oregon.

“Grant is a strong leader in our company and our community. He has made many remarkable contributions at NW Natural, and we wish him the best in retirement,” said David Anderson, NW Natural president and CEO.

The board also promoted Kimberly Heiting to senior vice president effective January 1. Heiting is currently vice president of communications and Chief Marketing Officer. She will work closely with Yoshihara until his retirement when she will become the senior vice president of operations, and add the majority of his operating and engineering responsibilities to her own.

“The company has always had a long-term commitment to succession planning. I am confident that Kim is ready to take on this next challenge with all of the intellect, passion and energy she has applied to other positions at the company,” added Anderson.

Heiting has worked at NW Natural for 19 years overseeing corporate communications, marketing, business analytics and major account services. Prior, she held management and senior communications positions at Alltel Corporation and Bank of America in Chicago, Illinois. Heiting is a board member of the Northwest Gas Association, Natural Gas Vehicles of American and Lifeworks Northwest. She received her bachelor of arts in communications from the University of Iowa and a master of science in communication from Northwestern University.

About NW Natural
NW Natural (NYSE:NWN) is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and provides natural gas service to more than 730,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in western Oregon and southwestern Washington. NW Natural and its subsidiaries currently own and operate 31 Bcf of underground gas storage capacity in Oregon and California. Additional information is available at nwnatural.com.

Media Contact:
Melissa Moore, NW Natural, (503) 818-9845, [email protected]