Team — KAMPFIRE

PARTNERS

Russell Skuse

Principal | Development & Growth

They start with someone willing to see what others don't.
A raw piece of land. An idea. A conversation. A community trying to figure out what's next.
My role has never been simply about development. It's about helping people navigate uncertainty, uncover opportunities, and find a path forward when the answers aren't always obvious.
Much of my work happens at the front end of that journey, helping clients and partners think through what a project can become and what it will take to get there. That means asking the right questions early, identifying obstacles before they become expensive problems, navigating entitlements and approvals, and sometimes challenging the assumptions everyone walked in with.
Inside Kampfire, I'm equally focused on what's next—where we should grow, which opportunities fit who we are, the relationships we want to build, and how we continue creating a company people genuinely want to work with and be part of.
After 34 years, I've learned that experience isn't about having seen everything before.
It's about knowing what to look for when you haven't.
Because while development may involve land, infrastructure, entitlements, economics, and a healthy amount of patience, it has always been a people business.
And people are infinitely more interesting.
The Inner Flame:
Challenge has been a recurring theme throughout my life. Every meaningful chapter seems to have started with a decision that felt a little bigger than I was ready for.
Maybe that's the Rebel in me. My years at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas taught me to embrace uncertainty, take calculated risks, and trust that growth often happens just beyond the edge of comfort. Once a Rebel, always a Rebel.
Whether it was taking on larger projects, stepping into leadership roles, pursuing new ventures, or saying yes to opportunities that carried more uncertainty than certainty, I've learned that growth rarely comes from standing still.
Over time, I've come to appreciate that the most rewarding experiences both professionally and personally often begin the same way: with equal parts excitement, curiosity, and just enough discomfort to know you're heading somewhere new.
I've learned that challenge and curiosity tend to travel together. The more I explore, the more interested I become in people, ideas, technology, and the forces that shape communities and businesses. I enjoy connecting dots others may not see, asking questions that lead to better conversations, and helping people recognize opportunities they may not have considered.
In recent years, that same curiosity has evolved into a genuine obsession with travel. Exploring new places, cultures, and perspectives reminds me how much there is still to learn. This October marks my third trip to Italy, and if I'm being honest, I'm already thinking about the one after that.
I enjoy building relationships, helping others navigate challenges, and spending time with people who are creating something meaningful. Some of the most rewarding moments in my career have come from watching others grow into opportunities they weren't quite sure they were ready for.
I believe optimism is practical, humor is essential, and most challenges become manageable when good people decide to tackle them together.
After more than three decades in this industry, I've learned that experience matters.
So does curiosity.
And while I've accumulated plenty of the first, I hope I never lose the second.

The Professional:

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Heather McDaniel

At Kampfire, my role reaches across the firm from vision and strategy to finances, culture, brand, and long-term growth. That's a lot of serious-sounding words for something I think about simply: build a great company, surround yourself with exceptional humans, take damn good care of your clients, and don't lose your soul while you're growing.
I've spent my career learning that the best ideas rarely come from the person with the loudest voice or the fanciest title. They come when people trust each other enough to talk honestly, challenge assumptions, laugh a little, and figure things out together.
That's a big part of why we created Kampfire and why Engineering with Warmth® means so much to me.
I'm also usually the person in the room asking:
“Okay…but what if we did something bigger?”
Fair warning: I generally mean it.
THE INNER FLAME:
I am powered almost entirely by curiosity, optimism, and the belief that people are generally capable of extraordinary things when someone believes in them.
I love mentoring emerging professionals, connecting people who should know each other, and helping others see opportunities they may not recognize in themselves yet. There is very little that makes me happier than watching someone gain confidence and realize they're capable of more than they thought.
Outside of work, you'll usually find me chasing adventures, planning the next trip, spending time with family and friends, or saying "yes" to something that seemed like a good idea five minutes earlier.
I firmly believe every person has a story worth hearing, every community has something worth protecting, and every project gets better when people are willing to bring their whole selves to the table.
Life has taught me that technical expertise matters.
So do kindness, humor, resilience, and grace.
And while engineering may be what I do, building relationships, creating opportunities, and helping people succeed is what I care about most.
Also, for the record, if a meeting can be improved with coffee, snacks, or a little laughter, I consider that a valid project management strategy.

In addition to financial leadership, Heather owns Kampfire’s brand and marketing strategy. She ensures that how the firm presents itself externally is consistent, credible, and aligned with its strategic goals—supporting business development while reinforcing trust with clients, partners, and employees.

The Professional:

Principal | Supreme Allied Commander

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Byron Colton

Principal | Operations & Engineering

Water is where that curiosity runs deepest. I grew up running the Green River, and rafting taught me more than I realized at the time about reading a situation, respecting forces bigger than yourself, and working with a team when it counts. Those experiences shaped my lasting passion for water and water resources.
Over 27 years in consulting, I've had the privilege of taking projects from rough ideas to constructed reality. My favorite part hasn't changed: driving past something that was once just lines on a page and knowing I helped make it real.
There's a particular satisfaction in taking a complicated idea and turning it into a clean, constructible solution.
Inside Kampfire, I bring that same mindset to how we operate and how we engineer making sure the pieces fit together, our teams have what they need to succeed, and the quality of our work reflects the kind of company we're building.
Because good engineering isn't just about solving what's in front of you.
It's about building something that works.
THE INNER FLAME:
Away from the office, my inner fire runs on horsepower. I'm drawn to just about anything fast and full of excitement, whether that's riding motorcycles, taking the Jeep somewhere it probably shouldn't go, or chasing the next thing with a throttle attached. If it moves quickly and gets the adrenaline going, count me in.
For all the high-speed pursuits, my favorite moments are the slower ones at home. I have three children, two daughters and a son, and watching them grow up is the accomplishment I'm proudest of. I also value the quiet time to reflect on the life I've built and how far the journey has come. Rounding out the household is a small menagerie, one dog, two cats, and a bird, who between them make sure things are never too quiet and that I'm never quite in charge.