Meet the team

Built on experience. Driven by accountability.

Who runs Thunderbird, what each person is responsible for, and the experience they bring to it.

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

John W. Nyquist III

John started in the field as an elevator technician and built his career through operations and senior leadership roles before founding Thunderbird. He began in 2005 as a Schindler modernization apprentice, became a NEIEP-certified mechanic, and served as a resident mechanic in high-profile downtown Dallas buildings.

Over 21 years he led service, repair, and modernization operations at Schindler, Otis, Fujitec, and Southwest Elevator, most recently as Senior Vice President at Southwest, where he led operations in Texas, Florida, and Nevada, owned branch P&L, and built the company's safety program and KPI systems. His experience includes fixed-price repair and modernization bidding and execution, and building field teams.

John founded Thunderbird in August 2026. He leads elevator operations, serves as the company's TDLR responsible party, and is accountable for safety, quality, staffing, and resources on every Thunderbird project.

Responsible for: Elevator operations; the company's TDLR responsible party.
In the industry since: 2005
Previously: Senior Vice President, Southwest Elevator; earlier Fujitec, Otis, and Schindler.
Licenses, education, and memberships: TDLR Registration No. 20884
Responsible party, Texas Elevator Contractor License No. 20719
NEIEP Mechanic Certification
Thyssen/Dover T4 and TAC 50 adjuster training; Otis Elevonic troubleshooting

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Chief Financial Officer

Julian Potter

Julian leads Thunderbird's financial, technology, and operational strategy, from pricing and billing to the systems that keep service records and customer documents organized. He spends time in the field alongside the mechanics, so the business decisions he makes support the people doing the work.

Before Thunderbird he was Chief Financial Officer of Arcis Golf, where he helped take the company from a startup to the second-largest owner and operator of golf courses in the country. He designed its financial systems, led its technology rollouts, and raised the capital that made that growth possible.

Earlier in his career he held leadership roles at Accenture, GE Capital, and Perot Systems, and he founded his own consulting firm, helping fast-growing middle-market companies get their finances, technology, and operations in shape.

Responsible for: Financial, technology, and operational strategy, from pricing and billing to service records.
Previously: Chief Financial Officer of Arcis Golf; earlier Accenture, GE Capital, and Perot Systems.
Licenses, education, and memberships: MBA in finance, the Wharton School
BBA in finance, Southern Methodist University

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Director of Sales and Business Development

Sharon Arce

Sharon brings 13 years in the elevator industry at Otis and Schindler, including maintenance and modernization sales and six years project-managing modernizations. She has prepared and managed multimillion-dollar hydraulic and traction modernizations for higher education, healthcare, municipal, and commercial owners across Dallas-Fort Worth, West Texas, and Kansas City.

She is experienced in equipment surveys, ASME A17.1 code compliance, scopes of work, cost estimating, and capital planning, and in working alongside vertical transportation consultants.

At Thunderbird she leads modernization sales, estimating, and proposals. She is your first point of contact, from the first walk-through to a signed agreement and beyond.

Responsible for: Modernization sales, estimating, and proposals; your first point of contact.
In the industry since: 2013
Previously: Senior Modernization Sales Representative at Otis; Senior Account Manager at Schindler.
Licenses, education, and memberships: MBA, Baker University
B.S. in Marketing, Missouri Southern State University
Member: NAWIC, BOMA, IFMA, Hotel Association of Tarrant County

LinkedIn profile

Operations

Sohn Walton

Sohn leads operations at Thunderbird, from field work and technical supervision to repair. He brings 23 years in the elevator industry, including senior management roles at Schindler on top of more than 20 years in the field.

As Schindler's Dallas Metro Superintendent he managed 18 route and resident mechanics, the office's fixed-price repair and warranty projects, and its labor and material budgets, and he developed a new procedure for safely hoisting machines out of the hoistway and trained crews on it at live job sites. He went on to serve as Labor Relations Manager, advising every business line on IUEC labor matters, and served on the NEIEP Board of Trustees.

Before that he spent 17 years at Otis across construction, modernization, service, and repair, as a mechanic and as a modernization and construction adjuster and foreman. He installed complete elevator systems in buildings up to 39 stories and ran a service route of more than 200 units across the Dallas area.

Responsible for: Operations, from field work and technical supervision to repair.
In the industry since: 2003
Previously: Labor Relations Manager and Dallas Metro Superintendent at Schindler; mechanic, adjuster, and foreman at Otis.
Licenses, education, and memberships: Licensed elevator mechanic, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
NEIEP Mechanic Certification (2008)
IUEC member
Firefighter I, TEEX, Texas A&M (2014)

LinkedIn profile

Talk to the people who do the work.

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