Bright Spots

There’s so much to celebrate in our region! Here are some highlights from across our service territory.

Montana:

During NorthWestern’s Chautauqua event in September, we held a raffle and 50/50 to benefit the American Red Cross.

Butte:

We’re proud to support Montana Tech Highlands College’s pre-apprenticeship line program to help build the next generation of line workers. In October, we unveiled a billboard to promote the program.

We had a great time volunteering at Treat Street on Halloween in Butte, where we handed out glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth.

Butte:

“The Special Olympics Montana State Basketball Tournament is in the books, and NorthWestern Energy and its employees helped pull off this incredible event,” said Paul Babb, Community Relation Manager – Butte Division, who served as a co-director of the tournament.

More than 700 athletes and unified partners from 85 teams from across the state competed. Approximately half of the Special Olympics Montana competitors are youths, the other half adults, ranging in age from 8 to 79.

Gina Konen, BT Assets and Records Manager, put together an incredible Opening Ceremony and Dance Carnival that treated athletes to a celebratory evening filled with dancing, music and a high-energy carnival atmosphere.

The tournament heads to Helena for the next three years.

Great Falls:

This summer, an eaglet fell out of a bald eagle nest near Ryan Dam, outside Great Falls.

“It had some pretty serious broken bones,” said Grant Grisak, NorthWestern Fisheries Biologist, who responded after our hydro crew found the injured eagle.

Grant consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, who reached out to the Wild Skies Raptor Center in Missoula. Grant helped transport the young eagle to the center. Wild Skies worked to rehabilitate the animal, and when it was ready, they brought the bird to Ryan Dam where Hydro Superintendent Jerry Gray helped release it.

Grant is optimistic the eagle will thrive in the wild.

“It was old enough to fly and old enough to capture its own food,” he said. “They’re pretty resilient birds.”

To thank Wild Skies Raptor Center for its work, NorthWestern Energy made a donation to the organization.

Bozeman:

As part of the Gallatin Watershed Council’s annual Gallatin River Cleanup, 16 employees from the Bozeman Division, along with our CEO Bob Rowe, spent an afternoon removing garbage from Glen Lake Rotary Park waterway and the surrounding park land. Our volunteers removed tires, steel drums, car parts, shopping carts and more – enough to fill several dumpsters.

“Every team member put in an incredible amount of effort,” said Heather Priest, Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Gallatin Watershed Council. “The stewardship shown by your team is crucial in events such as the Lower Gallatin Watershed Cleanup.”

Bozeman:

When ESPN College GameDay rolled into Bozeman for the 2022 University of Montana vs. Montana State football game, NorthWestern Energy was there to welcome them. The GameDay bus came into town a block away from the NorthWestern office, so we decided to roll out two bucket trucks holding flags as they drove past.

Billings:

Every year we help Riverstone Health hang the lights on the Hospice Tree of Lights, which helps remember our loved ones and reconnect with those who cared for them.

Redfield:

We took part in the “Career Here” event to help show students various career opportunities. NorthWestern District Supervisor Todd Fenner was on site with a line truck to help field questions from students.

Huron:

Ten NorthWestern Energy employees participated in the Give Cancer the Boot Breast Cancer Walk. All proceeds from the walk go to the “We’ve Got You Covered” fund, which provides education and awareness to increase the number of women receiving regular mammograms and offers free mammograms to women in need.

Our Huron employees joined the Truck or Treat event in downtown Huron. They handed out candy from a “haunted” bucket truck.

Huron:

We had a blast volunteering at the 15th annual Day of Caring for United Way in Huron. Employees volunteered their time to scrape, prime and paint a house all in one day.

Huron:

Our Huron employees donated 125 non-perishable food items to United Way. The donations benefit the United Way’s backpack program, which provides food to school-aged children in need.

Vermillion:

We shared our story as an employer and information about our internship program with college students at the University of South Dakota’s Career Fair. We had a great time talking with them about careers in energy and the cool things we get to do here at NorthWestern!

Howard:

We provided grant funds to the Miner County Historical Society to help with an energy efficiency project at the Rural Life Museum.

NorthWestern Energy Community Relations Specialist Angie Christiansen also volunteered her time to design new signage for the museum.

Madison:

NorthWestern employee Sid Gulbranson volunteered his homemade barbecue grill and time to prepare pork loin for the vendor appreciation meal at Prairie Village Days in Madison.

Sioux Falls:

Twelve Sioux Falls employees dedicated their time to make a positive impact in their community during the Rake the Town event. This city-wide event serves individuals within the Sioux Falls city limits, Brandon, Harrisburg and Tea over the age of 60 who are not financially or physically able to do the yardwork themselves.

Sioux Falls:

Our Sioux Falls employees participated in Sioux Empire United Way’s Lunch and Learn event at the Sioux Falls Corporate office. In 2022, employees donated $55,000, making our total giving with our corporate donation $96,220. We are proud to be a part of this amazing organization!