|
| 1) We made a $40,000 gap loan to Eva and Raymond Sholey to help finance the startup of R & L Trucking in Conrad. Thank you to our partner on the deal, the First Bank of Montana.
2) Congratulations to all involved in the 2023 Montana MultiCultural Fair held this week in downtown Great Falls! We are proud to continue to sponsor this great event. See KRTV. 3) The Cascade County Zoning Board approved a special use permit for Admiral Beverage to build a new facility on 57th Street; see TheElectric. 4) Congratulations to the AWARE team and CEO, Matt Bugni, on the ribbon cutting for their new building at 3360 10th Ave South in Great Falls. Lillian participated in the event to thank Aware for their important hard work helping individuals live independent lives. In 2021, AWARE purchased the former Blue Cross Blue Shield office building and after renovation, this space is now home to offices for staff, AWARE’s day treatment center, meeting and training rooms. In FY22, AWARE served 762 people in Cascade County. 5) This week the GFDA partnered with the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center to host a three day, in person Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) training course for several major food manufactures in our region. When a business reaches more than 1 million in food sales, they are required to have one person on staff trained in PCQI to continue to expand. If you would like to you or your employees to become certified in either PCQI or Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), please reach out to Anna at Anna@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-590-1301. 6) Ten amazing new murals were created on buildings in Downtown Great Falls during the 2023 ArtsFest Montana this week. Congratulations to the artists, the Business Improvement District, the City of Great Falls, and all the volunteers, property owners and businesses that helped make this possible. 7) Tony traveled to Bozeman this week meeting with lenders and talking SBA 504 loans. If your business is looking to expand or if you’re looking to purchase a business please reach out to Tony to see if this is an option for you. Tony@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-750-2099. 8) Congratulations to the Electric City Disc Golf Club on the opening of the new course at Wadsworth Pond! See KRTV. 9) Approximately 60 students from the first class from Touro University were able to spend an evening downtown and participate in activities that were donated in support of the new medical school. A big shout out to Littles Lanes, Brush Crazy, Chase Your Dreams VR, and Escape the Falls for donating and participating in this awesome night. 10) Web Panel: Montana Cybersecurity Grants and Tools to Protect Your Business; 2:00-3:00 PM, August 23rd hosted by Montana High Tech Business Alliance with Montana Department of Commerce. Register Here. Through the Montana Department of Commerce’s Cybersecurity Reimbursement Program, businesses can apply for up to $8,000 in reimbursement for newly implemented cybersecurity measures paid to an accredited Montana cybersecurity company. Visit the Montana Grants Application Portal at covidreliefmt.org/submit for details and to apply. Questions? Contact Vena Dagnall. 11) The Montana Outdoor Recreation Summit will be held October 11-13 in Butte. 12) The Montana Indian Equity Fund will begin accepting applications for their small business grant starting September 1st, the deadline for applications is October 31st. The grant can be utilized to assist start up or existing Native American owned businesses in Montana. If you need help with the process, contact small business advisor Rich Gannon at 1-406-836-2078 or via email at RGannon@GrowGreatFalls.org. 13) Registration is open for the Montana Main Street Downtown Conference that will be held in Great Falls, October 18-20. 14) The State Small Business Credit Initiative 2.0 (SSBCI 2.0) low interest rate program is still awaiting their third tranche of funding. This third tranche is on a first come first served basis, so start talking with GFDA now, if you have a project that could move forward with the benefit of low interest rate funding. These funds are limited and will be put to work very quickly to help our economy recover and come back stronger than ever. If you have a business startup or expansion planned that could benefit from a loan participation, contact Jill at JKohles@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-590-1056. 15) GFDA team member, Katesha Brandon-Campbell is moving on to other opportunities in Denver, CO. While we are sad to see her go, we will continue to serve our Food/Ag/Bio processing clients. If you are operating in that sector your primary contact at GFDA should be Anna Flies, Anna@GrowGreatFalls.org 1-406-590-1301. 16) GFDA relies on the continued support from our investors & public partners. Learn more about them here. It’s through partnerships like theirs that we are able to make a lasting impact on our community. Recent investments include: Pacesetter Division—Macek Companies, Inc. Their support is invaluable as we work towards driving economic growth and development in our region. If you’d like to be a part of the team that is growing our region, reach out to Investment Director Jenn Gallmeier at 1-406-781-9499 or Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org. An amazing week! Brett Doney President & CEO |
