About Steve
As Montana’s Congressman, Steve Daines is committed to always putting Montana first as he works to bring real change to Washington and fights for common sense solutions to get our country back on track.
A fifth generation Montanan, Steve was elected to serve the people of Montana on November 6, 2012. He serves on the House Committees on Natural Resources, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Homeland Security and is leading efforts to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, working to balance the nation’s budget, and fighting to protect Montanans’ Second Amendment rights.
Steve’s Montana journey dates back to his great-great-grandmother Karine Dyrud, who immigrated from Norway in 1869. As a widow and mother of seven children, she moved westward from Minnesota and homesteaded on the northern plains of Montana 23 miles east of Conrad. She is buried in a small Montana country cemetery near the Golden West Lutheran Church, and her tombstone sums up her life in three short words — “Saved by Grace”. Six generations later, this legacy of faith, freedom, and opportunity still exists in Steve’s family.
Steve’s mom and dad grew up in Billings. His dad graduated from Billings Senior High School and enlisted in the Marines. He later graduated from The University of Montana with a degree in Business. In 1964, Steve’s parents moved to Bozeman. With three children at home under the age of ten and virtually no money in their pockets, Steve’s parents started a home construction business in Bozeman.
Steve attended public schools in Bozeman from kindergarten through high school and during his senior year at Bozeman High, Steve was elected Student Body President. Through scholarships and summer jobs working construction, Steve put himself through college in four years at Montana State University. He graduated with Highest Honors earning a B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering and, after graduation, left Montana to work for Procter & Gamble. Steve’s thirteen-year management career at P&G was split between work in the United States and international assignments. During his international assignments, Steve focused on selling American products to consumers overseas.
In 1997, Steve and his wife Cindy moved the family back to Montana. Steve left P&G and returned home to Bozeman, joining his mom and dad in the family construction business. In 2000, Steve joined RightNow Technologies, a start-up business founded and headquartered in Bozeman, which at that time had around 100 employees. His first assignment was VP of Customer Service. The company experienced rapid growth and in 2004, became a publicly traded software company. RightNow currently employs over 1000 people and is the largest commercial employer in Bozeman. Steve has served in many executive roles in the company including Vice President of North America Sales, and Vice President of Asia-Pacific.
Steve and Cindy have been married 27 years, and have four children: David, Annie, Michael and Caroline. They enjoy backpacking, hunting, skiing, and fishing. Steve has served in numerous community volunteer capacities as a Rotarian and in Prospera, a local economic development non-profit.