PHOENIX – After 37 years of service for Arizona Public Service Company, first as outside counsel and then as a corporate officer, Steven M. Wheeler, Executive Vice President, Customer Service and Regulation, announced today that he will retire effective September 30, 2010. Wheeler was elected to his current position in 2003. He is responsible for all transmission and distribution activities, customer service, communications, community development, pricing, and state and federal regulatory matters.

Wheeler

“Steve has been an invaluable member of the APS team,” said Don Brandt, Pinnacle West Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our customers, employees and communities are the beneficiaries of his legacy, and so am I. Steve will be missed.”

Don Robinson, APS President and Chief Operating Officer, said: “Steve has provided firm guidance to APS through some of the most turbulent decades ever for the electric utility industry. He steered us through many of our greatest challenges and left his unmistakable imprint on our finest moments as a company. In addition, I have valued his steady advice to me as a friend and colleague.”

On announcing his retirement, Wheeler sent the following message to his fellow APS employees: “I leave with 37 years of indelible memories; memories that span the early siting of Palo Verde, the glory days of our natural gas system, and on through Arizona’s flirtation with retail access to our current status as an industry leader in customer service and operational excellence. But most of all, I’ll remember the warmth and character of the people I worked with. Their passion for our customers and communities has both sharpened and encouraged my commitment to public service.”

Prior to joining APS in 2001, Wheeler was a partner in the law firm of Snell & Wilmer, where he was chairman of its Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Law practice and a member of the firm’s executive committee. From his earliest days as an attorney, Wheeler provided counsel to APS.

Wheeler is active in numerous organizations. He was just elected chairman of the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. He is also director and treasurer of the Scottsdale Healthcare Corporation, director and past chairman of the Valley of the Sun United Way, director and vice chair of the Flinn Foundation, and vice president and trustee of the Phoenix Art Museum. He was previously chairman of the Fiesta Bowl, president of the Arizona Theatre Company, and through appointment has been involved in state initiatives on childhood education, transportation and the environment.

APS, Arizona's largest and longest-serving electricity utility, serves about 1.1 million customers in 11 of the state’s 15 counties. With headquarters in Phoenix, APS is the principal subsidiary of Pinnacle West Capital Corp. (NYSE: PNW).

Contacts

Media:
Alan Bunnell, (602) 250-3376

Analyst:
Rebecca Hickman, (602) 250-5668