Derek Taylor Garcia

Derek Taylor Garcia is general counsel at Valley Electric in Everett, Washington, with a background in construction contracts and sports-related legal work. At Valley Electric, his responsibilities have included drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts, along with managing risk on large construction projects. He lists February 2020 as the start of his current employment with the company.

The pandemic brought a specific set of responsibilities to his work as legal counsel and risk manager. Garcia worked directly with the chief executive, chief operating officer and vice president of safety and labor to draft company procedures before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. His work also addressed the pandemic’s potential effects on construction projects.

Sports appear in several parts of Garcia’s experience, not just his legal work with Zuffa, LLC, the UFC organization. A former Division I student-athlete at Ohio State University, he also competed at the United States Olympic Training Center. In mixed martial arts, he has coached UFC fighters and worked in their corners. His coaching background includes Greg Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts Gym and Charlie’s Combat Club. He has also coached youth through high school athletes through USA wrestling and volunteered with Ascend Wrestling Academy.

Garcia’s education includes a law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law and an MBA from Louisiana State University.