| 1) Congratulations to Tara Beam, owner of the Roadhouse Diner, for being named Local Business Person of the year by Alignable! Tara and her team have poured their heart and soul into Great Falls and amazing burgers, support local ranchers, and have mentored several other entrepreneurs in our region. It is great to see her be recognized in 2023!
2) The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) reaccredited GFDA for another 3 years. Back in 2012, we became the first economic development organization in the Rocky Mountain West to earn IEDC accreditation. Today, only 73 economic development organizations hold accreditation, including our colleagues at Big Sky EDA in Billings. Congratulations to the GFDA staff, board, volunteers and investors for maintaining this prestigious level of excellence!
3) BeeHive Homes plans to open a new memory care home called the Huckleberry in Great Falls on March 3; see KRTV. NorthWestern Energy and the Missouri-Madison River Fund have awarded grants for nine public recreation improvement projects; see The Electric for project details. The Cascade County planning board voted unanimously to rezone a property in Black Eagle. The property is being considered as the new home of the Children’s Museum of Montana; see The Electric. The Great Falls Park & Recreation Department was awarded $200,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to restore Morony Park and the location of the now-closed Morony Natatorium; see KRTV.
4) Congratulations to Ag Processing Solutions on being awarded a $50,000 Growth Through Agriculture Grant. This will allow them to expand much needed ag processing in our region. If you are interested in ag processing, business expansion or are interested learning more about Growth Through Agriculture grants contact Katesha at 406-788-0860.
5) The Great Falls City Commission unanimously voted to approve utilizing up to $30,000 of downtown tax increment funds to help pay for a market demand assessment to determine what types of housing, businesses and real estate ventures are in demand in downtown Great Falls; see TheElectric. And, the Montana Department of Commerce this week awarded the City a $20,000 MainStreet Grant toward this effort. Thank you to the city for applying on behalf of the Downtown Development Partnership. GFDA and NeighborWorks Great Falls are each investing $5,000 in the project. The market assessment will be utilized to devise a market-driven Downtown Economic Vitality Transformation Strategy that we’ll use over the next few years to attract more private investment downtown from housing and commercial developers and businesses. Call Jolene to discuss, 406.750.4481.
6) Nominations for the Fire Within Inspire and Aspire Awards are open. We started the Fire Within Award program 12 years ago to inspire and celebrate female entrepreneurs in Great falls and the surrounding North Central Montana’s 13 county region. If you know a stellar female entrepreneur who excels in her industry, nominate her for a Fire Within Award! Thank you to Alluvion Health for sponsoring the 2023 Fire Within!
7) We hosted a Business Pitch this week at Annie’s Taphouse and heard from some intriguing entrepreneurs with some excellent ideas. Our small business advisor was identified as the correct resource to help layout their plans. Do you have a business idea you’d like help with? Reach out to Tony Peres at 406-750-2099 or Tony@GrowGreatFalls.org for assistance bringing that idea to reality.
8) Wellness 406 is open on the NW Bypass in Great Falls. The business is owned by Jessi and Logan Hough and focuses on self-care and natural remedies including massage therapy, halotherapy, a 24 hour fitness center and more. Learn more in our Announcement of the Week.
9) The support we receive from our INVESTORS and public partners is crucial to the success of our local economy. They understand that in order to succeed, we need everyone working together. Recent investments include: Leadership Division—LPW Architecture; Pacesetter Division—Marshall Orthodontics. They, along with our other investors, are enthusiastic about our future and we couldn’t do what we do without their support. Learn more about them HERE. If you’d like to see how you can support the team that is growing the region, contact Investment Director Jenn Gallmeier at 406-781-9499 or Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org.
10) I was back on Saipan this week helping economic development colleagues of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands with typhoon and pandemic economic recovery efforts, part of the International Economic Development Council’s Volunteer Disaster Recovery Program.
A Top 10 that’s actually 10!
Brett Doney
President & CEO |
