And at the end of 2022, from 5,600 feet, in Bob Rowe’s office on the 5^th floor of the NorthWestern Energy building in Butte, it’s easy to see that Rowe, Montana and NorthWestern were a perfect fit.

But it wasn’t always so obvious.

Rowe, 67, is retiring Dec. 31 after a 14-year run as CEO of NorthWestern, during which he took the utility from the shadow of bankruptcy to stability, doubled its stock price, acquired the dams and hydroelectric assets that were at the heart of the old Montana Power, greatly expanded and upgraded the utility’s transmission and distribution infrastructure, fostered a safety-first, employee- and customer-focused culture, and built the copper-trimmed 5-story edifice in Uptown Butte that serves as its Montana headquarters.

Rowe’s Mining City forebears would be proud.