[ 20 UNDER 40 ]
Danielle Scharf, Bozeman branch manager for Sanderson Stewart If you want to know about the various infrastructure projects going on around Bozeman, Danielle Scharf is a good place to start. A civil engineer by trade, Scharf is the Bozeman branch manager for Sanderson Stewart, and as such is responsible for notable projects around town, including the redesign of Oak Street and expansion of Kagy Boulevard. These types of projects, ones that are near and dear to community members, are Scharf’s bread and butter. “Something I enjoy being a part of is the community projects, the ones that you can see the benefit to the community,” she said. “It’s challenging and exciting and rewarding, too.”
A native of Helena, Scharf graduated with an engineering degree from Montana State University before spending six years in Billings working for Sanderson Stewart. The work there was more commercial, and so Scharf said she was happy to move to Bozeman in 2008, where she has a chance to focus her energy on city and residential issues. “There was a time when Bozeman development fell in the gaps, but now they’re taking the initiative,” the 39-year-old said of the city. Away from the office, Scharf spends her time with her two children, the oldest of whom, her 5-year-old daughter Madsen, she recently began teaching to ski. And as someone with an intimate knowledge of the streets and sidewalks
EJ Porth, communications and outreach manager at Gallatin Valley Land Trust
12
J A N U A R Y 31 , 2 017 • B U S I N E S S J O U R N A L
around Bozeman, Scharf feels fully enmeshed with the place she now calls home. “Growth will always be a challenge for Bozeman in terms of infrastructure,” she said, noting that
EJ Porth is about as connected as they come. As the communications and outreach manager for GVLT, it’s Porth’s job to know as many people as she can in the Gallatin Valley: from farmers, ranchers and landowners, to nonprofits, businesses and journalists. A Minneapolis native, Porth graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in sociology because, as she puts it, “I love people and connecting people and that’s what sociology is.” The 29-year-old moved to Bozeman in 2009, and soonafter got the job with GVLT. But the work she does connecting the nonprofit — which is known for its work with local trail systems and conservation easements — is just a small part of her wide-ranging involvement in the
the northwest side of town will be an area of particular focus. “There’s always going to be work to be done, but it’s exciting. I wouldn’t have it any other way and I’m glad to be a part of this community.”
Gallatin Valley community. Porth serves on several boards and has been involved in groups and nonprofits ranging from Haven to Eagle Mount to the HRDC. “Nonprofits are a big passion of mine,” she said. “I love the youth and service is a big part of my life. I have a deep appreciation for this place; it fills my bucket every day.” Much of this involvement puts Porth alongside other 20- and 30-somethings, who she said have been mischaracterized. It’s this group, she said, who represents the backbone of Bozeman’s future. “The millennials and young professionals in this community get a bad rap. They are driven, entrepreneurial, service-minded and want to be here,” she said. “We are committed to this community.”