Great Falls is proud to be a Great American Defense Community, an honor the community earned from the Association of Defense Communities in 2021. National Security Starts at Home.
| 1) GFDA closed a loan for $195,000 to Big Sandy Organics for the purchase and installation of new equipment in their co-packing facility. Big Sandy Organics is currently undertaking a major expansion that will increase production and strengthen value-added food processing in our region. If your business is looking to expand and is experiencing a funding gap, please reach out to Shandi Gebhardt Jones at 1-406-590-9037 or Shandi@GrowGreatFalls.org to begin a conversation about available financing options. 2) You are not going to want to miss this! Join GFDA Board & Council members, partners, clients, and investors at our Annual Meeting Tuesday June 2nd, 8:00-10:00 AM at The Newberry. We will share updates across the region, highlight key projects, and celebrate the Ally Award recipients who helped move this work forward. See familiar faces, add new connections and strengthen your network. Walk out with a clear picture of where things are headed and how you can be part of it. No cost to attend. Bring a guest! Register here. Contact Jenn at 1-406-781-9499 or Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org for more information. 3) Brett networked with real estate developers, retailers, restaurant and hotel brands, commercial brokers, and owners of several major commercial properties in Great Falls at ICSC Vegas, the world’s largest annual commercial real estate event. Dave’s Hot Chicken opened in Great Falls; see KRTV and TheElectric. 4) Benefis Health System presented preliminary plans for its exciting village development that will “provide residents with an alternative to traditional residential facilities for those diagnosed with dementia and dementia related diseases by replacing the institutional setting with a secure, simulated village campus.” See TheElectric. 5) Kristen met with a utility scale solar and wind developer interested in discussing long term energy investment in Montana. The conversation focused on the tremendous opportunity to leverage Montana’s world class wind resource capacity to support growth throughout Montana and the greater West. As electricity demand accelerates nationwide, North Central Montana continues emerging as a highly competitive location for energy investment. To discuss opportunities and industry trends, reach out to Kristen Blue at Kristen@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-788-4989. 6) The Great Falls City Commission unanimously adopted a resolution to move forward to support the next phase of infrastructure in the Great Falls AgriTech Park that will open up four new industrial lots, one of which we have under agreement and two under option. One lot remains available — contact Christian Leinhauser at 1-406-836-0136 or CLeinhauser@GrowGreatFalls.org. 7) The Great Falls City Commission also approved $4.8 million for the third phase of the important Downtown Great Falls storm water management project; see The Electric. 8) Jake and Jenn participated in the Montana Housing Partnership Conference, networking with housing developers, funders, and partners in our work to increase housing production in Great Falls. Jake came away with a few good leads and a noticeable increase in interest in the Great Falls housing market. Time to get your project moving in Great Falls, reach out to Jake 1-406-403-4937 or Jake@GrowGreatFalls.org. 9) This week the GFDA Small Business Development Center hosted another session in our Boost Your Business training series, this time focused on understanding and using financial ratios to make better business decisions. Join us next month as the Boost Your Business series continues on June 18th with a session exploring how artificial intelligence can be leveraged for marketing in your business, for more information and registration, click here. 10) Sara visited Eden Feeds, a Great Falls animal feed producer, to learn about their future business plans and identify GFDA services that could support the growing ag manufacturer. Their story of rapid growth underscores the importance of relationships in building stable networks of customers and wholesale partners. With their expansion into e-commerce through Chewy, Eden Feeds is serving customers nationwide. Learn more about the business’s growth featured on GFDA’s Food and Ag Development Center Tuesday Training series. 11) Let’s talk about housing in Fort Benton, Montana! Jake will be in Fort Benton Thursday, May 28th to meet with employers, landowners, builders, and those seeking to increase housing production in Fort Benton to meet workforce housing needs. If you would like to book time with Jake on May 28th in Fort Benton, please reach out, 1-406-403-4937. 12) Thank you to the engaged community members and Cushing Terrell for an informative third installation of our Data Center Task Force. Cushing Terrell presented engineering and architectural perspectives on how data center design has evolved and current best practices. Notes from the meeting and details on the next meeting will be available soon, stay tuned! For questions regarding the task force, reach out to Jolene at JSchalper@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-750-4481. 13) Are you ready to stop searching for opportunities and start finding the right ones? Great Falls Regional APEX can help you get connected through BidMatch, a free service that delivers government contracting opportunities directly to your inbox based on your capabilities. This tool helps you save time, stay informed, and focus on opportunities that fit your business. To start receiving matched opportunities and grow your government contracting pipeline, contact Shannon Clancy at SClancy@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-590-1184. 14) The Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program is now open for Phase 4 applications. This USDA program will fund beef primary processors who are operating under a federal, state, or cooperative grant of inspection. Additionally, this processors must meet the definitions of a “Very Small Processor, a Small Processor, or an Intermediate Processor.” More information and an application checklist are available on the Notice of Funding Opportunity. 15) Kristen networked with industry, academia, and policy makers at the Governor’s Energy Task Force meeting in Helena. The task force is working through recommendations on generation, markets, transmission, and growing demand issues in Montana. The next full task force meeting is July 8, the public is welcome to attend in person or online. For more information or to view past meetings, visit the task force website here. 16) The Montana Chamber of Commerce is hosting a series of webinars on data centers called Just the Facts – The Details on Data Centers. To view the previous webinar recordings or register for future events, visit the Chamber website here. 17) Brett participated in the Montana Infrastructure Coalition’s annual summit in Billings with road, bridge, water and sewer infrastructure leaders from across the state. TRIP presented its new assessment of Montana report, finding that 31% of our state’s major roads are in poor or mediocre condition. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce presented data from its Keep America Moving that documents the costs of deficient roads and bridges to American households and businesses. See KRTV. Jake participated in a Central Montana Transportation Study open house. Get involved and make your voice heard to improve our region’s infrastructure! 18) Early bird registration is now open for the 2026 Montana Department of Commerce Governor’s Conference on Tourism, taking place September 16-18 in Great Falls. This year’s event replaces traditional breakout sessions with rural immersive experiences that offer hands-on learning and firsthand insight into the opportunities and challenges facing Montana’s rural communities. Attendees will also hear from industry leaders on current tourism trends, gain practical tools to support destination development and expand their professional networks through strategic networking opportunities. The early bird registration rate of $400 is available through June 30. View the conference agenda and register here. 19) We created the Central Montana Defense Coalition because defense missions matter to the future of our region. The missions at Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Montana Air National Guard support jobs, local businesses, and economic activity across North Central Montana. Communities across the country compete for defense investment, and staying competitive takes ongoing advocacy and engagement. Thank you to the investors helping support this effort. If you want to help protect and strengthen one of the region’s biggest economic drivers, reach out to Jenn at 1-406-781-9499 or Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org. 20) Did you know that GFDA has workforce and wage data tools to help businesses, partners, and community leaders make informed decisions with up-to-date regional insights? Whether you’re planning hiring, evaluating compensation, exploring expansion, or preparing a grant or project proposal, our team can help connect you with reliable data and context for the Great Falls region. To explore our data tools, contact Christian Leinhauser at CLeinhauser@GrowGreatFalls.org or +1-406-836-0136. 21) MSU Extension is hosting a Montana Rural Summit on June 10th in Townsend. The event is a celebration of rural Montana and an opportunity to explore innovative and effective ways to support the success of our small towns. 22) GFDA has three great career opportunities — Downtown Great Falls Business Development Officer, Small Business Advisor and Government Contracting Advisor. Downland description and how to apply. Please forward to great candidates! 23) There is a growing sense of pride and energy across the Great Falls region right now. People are investing here because they believe in this community and where it is headed. Businesses are growing, partnerships are strengthening, and new opportunities are taking shape every day. Our investors and partners make that progress possible by supporting the work that drives growth across the region. Learn more about them by viewing this short video. Recent investments include: Advance Division—D.A. Davidson; Pacesetter Division—Northern Directory Publishing; Community Division—Cappis Consulting & Tax, LLC. To learn how you can be a part of the growth, contact Jenn at 1-406-781-9499 or Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org. “Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win.” Bobby Knight Edition 738 |
