By Leslie Kilgore EBS STAFF
Born and raised in Montana, Matt Fettig has built his career close to home, overseeing NorthWestern Energy’s Bozeman division, which spans Bozeman, Big Sky, Livingston and the Yellowstone National Park area. Since joining the company, Fettig has held a variety of engineering and leadership roles, now overseeing a team of more than 75 to manage operations, construction, emergencies and daily customer needs while keeping southwest Montana connected. A South Dakota School of Mines and Technology graduate, he balances the challenges of serving remote terrain and a growing region with a love for Montana life, family and the outdoors.
Fettig shared what makes his work unique, how his team prepares for seasonal surges, and what he loves most about life in the Gallatin Valley in a recent interview with Explore Big Sky.
This series is part of a paid partnership with the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce. The following answers have been edited for brevity.
Explore Big Sky: So you grew up in southwest Montana. Have you lived anywhere else?
Matt Fettig: I’ve been here pretty much my entire life. I grew up in Billings, and then I’ve actually been in the Bozeman area since 2004, so over 20 years now.
EBS: Did you go to school in Billings?
MF: I did. I went to high school in Billings, and then I got an engineering degree at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City.
EBS: What brought you back to Montana from South Dakota?
MF: I would say a job. But, you know, I just love Montana and the lifestyle. It was always a goal to get back. But I did come back for work, too.
EBS: Have you worked for NorthWestern the entire time?
MF: I worked for a civil engineering firm in Bozeman for about 10 years when I first moved back, and then I came on with NorthWestern Energy as a construction engineer in 2011. I then took the district manager position in Livingston, and I was there for about 10 to 11 years. Then, I moved to the division manager position in Bozeman about two-and-a-half years ago. The Bozeman division also oversees Livingston, so my area is now a bit broader.
EBS: So it was a fairly big promotion?
MF: Yes, Livingston is a district that reports up to the Bozeman division. The Livingston district handles the Livingston area, Big Timber, Gardiner and Yellowstone National Park. And then the Bozeman Division covers that whole umbrella, plus Three Forks, Big Sky and the surrounding areas.
EBS: Wow, that’s a lot of Montana to oversee. Can you give us a brief overview of what the Bozeman division for NorthWestern Energy oversees and what your role is in all of that?
MF: I have responsibility for the day-to-day operations and construction. In the Bozeman area, we’re responsible for providing gas and electric service to all of our customers in Bozeman, Big Sky, Ennis and Three Forks. And then over to Livingston, Big Timber and Yellowstone National Park. We manage the day-to-day operations, electric and gas hookups for new customers and any power outages. We also respond to any customer-related issues.
EBS: What’s that like, having Yellowstone National Park in your division? Does it make your role more unique?
MF: It does. We always say that we’re very proud to provide the electric service to Yellowstone National Park. It’s a very challenging area to serve, and it’s a very remote area. Access is extremely challenging, but also very rewarding.
EBS: I bet! And one of the more unique places in the world to provide power. What would you say are the biggest challenges there?
MF: When we have power outages there, we have 90 miles of transmission line that run through fairly inaccessible areas. The majority of the transmission corridors are off-road right away. So, in the wintertime, access is pretty much only via snowmobile and snow coach. It’s really challenging to troubleshoot and serve those customers when we have outages.
EBS: So does your team have to use snowmobiles?
MF: We do, yes. We have a team and a small-town manager who is stationed up in Yellowstone. Depending on the time of year, we also have a team of three to four linemen who are stationed in Yellowstone at various areas. We have company housing that we provide. And then, dependent on the workload in the summertime, we’ll have two to three construction crews also doing work in the park.
EBS: Is that unique for the energy industry?
MF: Definitely. The other unique aspect in Yellowstone is that we have backup diesel generation at the large villages, so if we do have power outages, we can help those customers until we’re able to access the area and troubleshoot.
EBS: Do you service Big Sky Resort, and is that also a unique customer?
MF: It is. Also, the growth in the area is substantial, so it’s challenging to keep up. It’s a very short and tight seasonal construction window, so we need several crews up there. Usually, we try to get started in March and get the majority of our work plan and construction complete in those summer months before the snow comes. Also, the demands for our peak seasons in Big Sky are at unique times of year, like the holidays. Unlike the 90-degree days we have in Bozeman, which are also challenging.
EBS: How does your team prepare for that? Are you ready for the busy holidays and the influx of second-home owners?
MF: Yes, we have engineers here who look at those peak loadings, and our system is built to handle those peak times. It’s unique because we have to build the infrastructure and the substation, and all the lines out to handle the growth, but it’s pretty much just a couple of weeks a year for those big peaks. And then the rest of the year, it’s back to normal, so we have to really plan ahead.
EBS: Do you have a team that solely works in Big Sky?
MF: We do, and we also have a small-town manager who lives in Big Sky now, so that’s been a huge benefit. He’s a lineman and has day-to-day responsibilities in Big Sky. He helps manage all of our construction crews and responds to all of our customer requests there. It’s a huge benefit for us and also for the community. We’re able to respond super quick to any outages.
EBS: I’ve actually noticed that at my house, the power usually goes on much quicker and goes out less frequently; is that because you have someone based here now?
MF: Yes, absolutely. We are able to respond super quickly to any issues. And that’s great to hear because I know that was one of our big goals. Obviously, housing is challenging up there, so when our previous small town manager retired, it was tough to get people to live there. So, we were responding out of the Bozeman area when we had outages. We still had a small-town manager who was there during the day, but he had to respond out of Bozeman in off-hours. Now that we have employee housing there, it’s been a huge benefit.
EBS: Have you seen changes in your industry with all the growth in the region?
MF: Oh, for sure. I believe the Bozeman division is now responsible for about one-third of the new connects for our entire company in Montana and South Dakota. And the style of growth in the Bozeman area has really changed for us. And in Big Sky, too. It’s a lot more multi-family and high-density in residential construction. In the past, it was more spread out. Now, we can have upwards of 100-plus meters in one building. It’s more of an urban type of development rather than rural.
EBS: It sounds like you have a very busy job and oversee quite a lot. In your free time, as a native to the area, what’s a perfect Montana day for you?
MF: Probably a couple of them. My kids are very involved in sports, and I coach at the youth level; I love coaching my son’s football team or watching my daughters play volleyball. And then on a more personal level, spending the day out in the mountains hunting.
EBS: So, as a youth football coach in Bozeman, I take it you’re a Bobcat fan, not a Grizzly fan?
MF: Oh, definitely a Bobcat fan.
EBS: Thanks for your time and for keeping southwest Montana connected and plugged in.
MF: Absolutely.
