Employee Spotlight: Meet Ryan Thompson

Ryan Thompson
Analyst I, Rates and Regulatory Affairs

Tell us a little bit about you.

I am from the Joplin/Carl Junction, MO area. I have been married to my wife Nikki for 13 years. We have 3 children. Owen 11, Graham 8, Lillian 5. I have a small farmette attached to additional family land (as well as leased land) where I have several registered shorthorn cattle intermixed with my Dad’s commercial cattle. The kids and I enjoy checking cows and naming the new babies. Usually Disney character names. Nikki and I keep busy running kids to extra-curricular activities, sports, dance, church, etc.

Fun Fact: I went to the University of Hawaii for my first semester of college (architecture major).

Favorite Hobby: Going to sporting events at the University of Arkansas. It doesn’t really matter what sport. My kids love to go and call the Hogs. Football on The Hill in Fayetteville is always a good time. Being in attendance when the Hogs beat Texas in 2021 was super crazy.

Education: I attended several schools and changed majors a couple of times from Architecture and Civil Engineering to settling on a Finance Degree with Real Estate Concentration and a Minor in Marketing from the University of Arkansas.

I’ve been with Liberty Utilities since June of 2020 or 10 months.

How did your journey start with Liberty & how did you learn about Liberty?

Due to stage of life changes, I was open to doing something else if the right opportunity presented itself. Jeremiah Brunner is a friend of mine that works at Liberty and has for several years. Jeremiah has always said very good things about Liberty and the people he works with. I reached out to Jeremiah to ask him about the hiring process and different jobs at Liberty. We talked about a couple of the jobs that were posted at the time and he set up a lunch with one of the CPs, Tyler Lipscomb, to just talk about the company and different positions. I did not get the initial job I applied for. After some time, I was turned down. Very soon after getting rejected for that job, Talent Acquisitions reached out to gauge my interest in a position in Regulatory. I again reached out to Jeremiah for his advice and input. After talking with him, Talent Acquisitions, and my wife Nikki I agreed to pursue the Regulatory position.

Where are you now with Liberty?

I am a Rates and Regulatory Affairs Analyst and have been for all 10 months I’ve been with the company.

What do you like most about your current position at Liberty?

My current position is unique in that every day is different. Some days that’s good, and some days that’s more of a challenge. I do enjoy a good challenge; I always have. I say those things to preface what I like most about my current position. What I like most about my current position is a boss that gives both guidance and space to develop and learn with each challenge. I’ve learned a tremendous amount since coming to Liberty and I appreciate the opportunity to do so in an informal structure.