Houston Reynolds

Houston Reynolds is Manager of Portfolio Management and Trading at ACES’ West Regional Trading Center (RTC). He manages a team of five traders and schedulers that support Arizona Electric Power Cooperative (AEPCO) and its members, as well as seven ACES Customers, including reservations and Indian districts.

Last year was one of the most volatile years of trading in Houston’s experience due to the extreme summer heat and natural gas constraints during the winter. He tries to keep a broad view of the market to ensure natural gas constraints, weather, and other issues do not catch his team off guard. The entire West market, from the Pacific Northwest to the Desert Southwest , is under his purview. Approximately 70% of the power trades at ACES’ West RTC are bilateral trades, and the remaining 30% are through CAISO. “The West is evolving, and we’re so busy trying to stay on top of everything. It is anticipated that in the next three to four years the majority of the West will be in joining the CAISO EDAM, SPP Plus, or a full RTO. It is anticipated that in the next three to four years the majority of the West will be in joining the CAISO EDAM, SPP Plus, or a full RTO. ” Houston says.

Houston graduated with a Business Management degree from Southern Virginia University, with an emphasis on finance. Prior to joining ACES, he worked as an advisor, specialist, and manager in the financial, liability, and construction services industries.. A friend that worked at ACES mentioned there was an opening, and Houston decided to join the company. He grew up in St. David, Arizona, which is a few miles southeast of Benson. Houston moved back to the Benson area and started working as an hourly trader at ACES. He then moved into scheduling/day-ahead trading, became a real-time lead, then real-time manager, and was eventually promoted to his current position about one year ago.

Houston is married and has six kids between the ages of 8 months and 14 years. When he is not working, Houston loves hunting, fishing, and visiting national parks with his family. He has been to 16 national parks, including a 30-state, 8-park, 3-week road trip covering 8,000 miles that Houston and his family took, visiting friends and family along the way.

Houston has a deep connection to the cooperative industry. He lives in AEPCO’s territory and remembers receiving divided checks. It was a good feeling, and he is happy that he can help AEPCO be successful and continue to provide value to its members.

Houston serves on the St. David Irrigation Board and owns a pecan farm where he and his family harvests thousands of pounds of pecans each year. He bought the pecan farm to help teach his children the value of hard work, his main goal is raising good kids, not pecans.

For new employees, Houston advises, “Treat your employment like a career, and it will become a career. If you treat it like a job, that’s all it will ever be,” and added “I really do love ACES; it’s been a great opportunity. I love the relationships I’ve made with the Members and I feel fortunate to work for such a great company.”

Houston’s drive and strong commitment to his family and his career are invaluable.