PAGE – The town’s new community development director is preparing not only for the looming shutdown of the Navajo Generating Station, but also for numerous other projects this year.

Page’s new community development director, Timothy George Suan, 28, originally from Sacramento, California, says the plant closure is extremely important.

“And for a lot of these other statewide organizations, it’s not the first time they have dealt with it,” Suan explained. “You have those different organizations that have experienced and have already taken steps.”

Suan started his fifth week in office on Monday, and he is planning a better and brighter future for the people residing in the Page-Lake Powell area.

“I’m extremely passionate about development and bringing resources into the community,” Suan said. “It’s something that I love doing, both professionally (and) personally.”
Suan says he is currently working on a number of projects and he believes the city is heading in the right direction in terms of development. Some of those projects include housing, which has become a city-wide initiative.

“There is a substantial amount of city land and that’s something that – in my time here – I’ve been able to navigate,” Suan explained. “So, when projects do come in and they involve city land, we’re able to handle that pretty quickly. But I’m really focused on fundamentals all together, as well as workforce and education.”

Workforce and education are big priorities, said Suan.

“Just my time here with the (business) owners that I know, there’s a lot of turnover,” he said. “(They) offer a full-time position to some of (their) staff, and then I hear that 85 percent of staff during the season (leave and are replaced). So, workforce is a critical piece.”

There are many other projects that need public involvement. Two of those projects are the upcoming 2020 census and a general planning for the town. A total of 21 public meetings have been arranged over a two-year period.

“My job is to oversee these different aspects within the city,” Suan said. “(And) what I’m involved (with) is making sure that the city has all the resources it needs to become successful.”

But it’s difficult working somewhere remote and rural like Page, said Suan. Stakeholders such as the Arizona Department of Economic Security, the state Office of Economic Opportunity, and Coconino County can help out a lot, he says, when dealing with the shutter of a major employer.

“But we’re very remote,” Suan said, “and what I found is we’re not as plugged in as we need to be. So, upon coming here, I plug myself in just because I have experience with a lot of individuals (who) are in those organizations.”

Suan has a relatively light résumé – two years, four months as the community and economic development director for the town of Gila Bend, Arizona, and six months working in economic development in Surprise, Arizona.

Suan is an Arizona State University alumnus with a bachelor’s in political science and a certificate in international studies; a Northwestern University alumnus with a master’s in public policy and administration; and an U.S. Air Force veteran who had achieved the rank of staff sergeant. He served six years, one month, according to his Linkedin profile.
Suan occupied various positions since 2008, which include being an instructor at an advanced military training center, a business development manager, a lead safety officer for a Critical Environment Response Team, and a correctional officer for the Arizona Department of Corrections.

“Before being the community development director here, I was the community economic director for the town of Gila Bend,” Suan said. “And on the personal side, I assist with a workforce development group in the Phoenix (area) … assisting veterans finding jobs.”

Suan says he enjoys working in this lake community where the people he works with are extremely motivated and talented.

“I’m talking about the city staff,” he said. “They’re very welcoming is exactly the feeling that I felt when I came here (as a visitor). And that’s the feeling as a visitor here.

Obviously in the past, I visited Horseshoe Bend, Antelope Canyon–– I’ve always felt welcomed by the people here. So, it’s that sort of vibe that I’m getting and continuing to get.”