PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - Jun 24, 2015) - Northwest Natural Gas Company, NW Natural (NYSE: NWN), has hired Gregory C. Hazelton to serve as the company's new Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective June 30. He replaces Stephen P. Feltz, who is retiring after 33 years with NW Natural.

Hazelton comes to NW Natural from Hawaiian Electric Industries, where he has been the vice president of finance, and treasurer and controller. Prior, he held various positions in investment banking at Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and, most recently, UBS Investment Bank, where he was a managing director in the Global Power and Utilities Group. Hazelton also held various accounting, finance and business development positions with Portland General Electric.

Hazelton will be responsible for overseeing the company's treasury, accounting, financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, financial analysis, investor relations, and supply chain activities.

Hazelton obtained a master's of business administration degree from the University of Chicago and a bachelor of science in business administration from Warner Pacific College. He also received a Certified Public Accountant certificate from the State of Washington in 1996.

About NW Natural
NW Natural (NYSE: NWN) is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and provides natural gas service to about 707,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Oregon and Southwest Washington. It is the largest independent natural gas utility in the Pacific Northwest. Additional information is available at nwnatural.com.