Robert Hughes is the president of Canyon State Electric, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. He has over 18 years of experience in the construction industry, working as an electrician in the field, project manager, estimator, director of construction, vice president of operations, and now president. Hughes oversees and leads all operations, including developing strategies across the organization and driving their execution. He provides oversight, direction, and support— as his team has completed dynamic and challenging multimillion-dollar projects throughout the Phoenix valley, such as the White Claw Brewing facility, Phoenix Children’s expansion, and various confidential data center projects.

Since his appointment as president in 2022, Hughes has overhauled training and recruitment across all company levels and launched CSE’s NCCER-accredited apprenticeship program—the third of its kind in Arizona. He has created strategic partnerships with local high school trade programs to supply the apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs with fresh talent that will serve as the future leaders in Arizona’s trades. As a board member and President of the American Subcontractor's Association of Arizona (ASA), Hughes is active in political advocacy for the construction field at the state and national levels.