Staff Reports | Business & Commerce
Former Scottsdale City Manager Jim Thompson is returning to Arizona to join Sustainability Engineering Group as president and chief growth officer, bringing four decades of local government experience to the Phoenix-based engineering, planning and artificial intelligence firm.
Mr. Thompson began his new role July 1, 2026, after a career in public service that included serving as city manager of Scottsdale from 2017 to 2024 and previously as city manager of Casa Grande. Sustainability Engineering Group, known as SEG, combines engineering and planning services with AI-powered due diligence tools that help municipalities, developers and businesses evaluate sites, gather project information and identify potential issues earlier in the development process, according to a press release.
“I called Arizona home for much of my career, and I’m excited to return to familiar territory,” Mr. Thompson said. “After decades helping communities manage growth, infrastructure and economic development, what attracted me to SEG was its combination of engineering expertise and AI-driven technology. Communities and developers are having to make increasingly complex decisions, and SEG is creating tools and resources that help them make more informed decisions and evaluate opportunities more quickly.”
The move places Mr. Thompson at a company that works with municipalities, developers and businesses, many of the same groups he partnered with throughout his years in public service.
Headquartered in Phoenix with an office in Dallas, SEG provides planning, design and engineering services alongside AI-powered tools that support site selection, development planning and project evaluation. While the company serves clients in multiple regions, Arizona remains a primary focus.
In his new role, Mr. Thompson will help oversee day-to-day operations, support business development efforts and work with clients across the company’s engineering, design and AI-related service lines.
“Arizona’s steady growth is creating plenty of new opportunities, but it’s also making projects more complex than ever,” Mr. Thompson said. “I look forward to helping clients navigate these challenges and find practical, manageable solutions that keep communities and projects moving forward.”
