Chris Kuknyo
Board Chair, District 4
Chris Kuknyo was born in Chicago and moved with his family to Prescott in 1978 due to his mothers health concerns. He is a graduate of PHS class of "84". He and his wife May married in 1990 and they have two children. His daughter works for the state and his son serves in the US Coast Guard.
He claims to have worked just about every job in Prescott trying to earn a living. Shoeshine boy on whiskey row, clerk at J.C. Penney, hamburger flipper at Wendy's, Television master control operator, radio DJ, underground miner, construction laborer, and factory worker.
It wasn’t until the summer of 2000 that he found his true calling in trash. He co-founded Patriot Disposal with a friend and they put a mortgage on his house to buy a truck and a load of cans. Over the next 18 years they used innovation and community involvement to become the leader in trash hauling and recycling. They were the first to offer a real curb side recycling service to Prescott Valley. The first to run environmentally friendly natural gas trucks. They developed Smart Stream recycling which reduces the amount of trucks needed by 50% and a processing facility that increased the diversion rate 400%. In 2018 Chris sold his interest to his partner in order to pursue other interest.
His service to the community has taken a variety of roles.
Chairman of the board for the Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce. Board Member Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation Mayor Pro-Tem Prescott City Council Board Member Prescott Downtown Partnership Chairman of the Board Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization Secretary Yavapai County Industrial Development Authority President Citizens Tax Committee President and co-founder Prescott AZ- Zeitz Germany sister city group.
Chris sees Yavapai College as a great asset to the county. Recently he told a friend that his son would like to move back here after his service to the Coast Guard is over. He friend replied "Why? There is nothing here" referring to the lack of good paying jobs.This issue has plagued our community forever and is something YC could and has helped with.
Developing a welcoming environment and obtaining the tools for economic development is a must if we hope to keep our young people in the community. Continuing education is also needed for the working population to keep up with the rapidly changing requirements in todays tech work place. The Olli program is a great benefit to those that see education as a journey. We took the word community out of our title and feel it may have changed our focus. This is the core of who we serve, and tax, for our very existence. Chris hopes to work with the board and President to continue to improve our service to the community and the taxpayers of Yavapai County.
District 4: Antelope, Ashfork, Big Chino, Camp Wood, Chino Valley 1 and 2, Country Park, Cougar, Coyote Springs, Deep Well, Drake, Granite, Perkinsville, Pinon Oaks, Sandretto, Seligman, Shadow Valley, Spruce, Williamson Valley, West Chino, and Willow
Term Expires: December 31, 2026