|
Join GFDA and Instructor Claude Smith from the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center in August for the Preventive Controls Qualified Individual for Human Food training, August 16-18 here in Great Falls. Learn to develop and implement a FDA-compliant Food Safety Plan and receive a certificate of completion directly from the Food Safety and Preventive Controls Alliance. Click here for more information and to register, or contact Katesha at 1-406-788-0860 or Katesha@GrowGreatFalls.org.
The Montana Child Care Business Connect Fall Summit will be held September 13-14 at the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort. The summit will be the first of its kind annual gathering of child care providers, entrepreneurs, community leaders and industry professionals in Montana, offering a unique opportunity to share best business practices, learn new skills and resources, and network with like-minded partners. Register today.
Have you created or updated your Dynamic Small Business Search DSBS profile? A strong profile can significantly boost your contracting success by increasing your visibility to local, state, and federal agencies seeking goods and services. If you would like more information on how to create or update your DSBS profile, contact Shannon Clancy at SClancy@GrowGreatFalls.org.
The 12th Annual Montana Clean Energy Fair will be in Billings this year. The Fair will be held on the MSUB campus on August 12 from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM. The Fair is free and open to the public. No tickets or registration are required. There will be workshops, exhibits and clean energy experts. For more information call 1-406-214-9405 or see montanarenewables.org.
The Great Falls Housing Market Assessment shows a need for over 450 new housing units per year in the immediate Great Falls area. For assistance with housing development, contact Jake Clark at Jake@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-403-4937.
USDA has launched a new online tool to assist small businesses in identifying procurement opportunities; see USDA's Procurement Forecast.
Zero to 5 has launched the Montana Child Care Business Connect website to help support the startup and expansion of early childcare businesses. The Great Falls Childcare Demand Assessment shows a need for additional childcare facilities to serve 580 children in Great Falls. For assistance with childcare facility business planning, contact Rich Gannon at RGannon@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-836-2078.
One of the many tools we have for renovating your building in Downtown Great Falls is the City's Downtown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Grant. This 50% match grant can help with Façade, Building Code Compliance, and Safety & Security. One of the biggest uses of this grant is Fire Suppression and updating the face of your building. To find out more about this grant, call Christian at 406.836.0136 or email CLeinhauser@GrowGreatFalls.org and let's discuss how TIF and other tools can help you change the face of Downtown Great Falls.
Employers are you looking for timely data on our local workforce? JobsEQ for Workforce is a software tool that provides timely data on our local workforce and employers—including demographics, occupations, wages, certifications, and more. Contact Lyndsay Bruno at Lyndsay@GrowGreatFalls.org or at 1-406-590 – 1539 to be connected with a JobsEQ-trained Business Advisor today. To learn more about our talent attraction tools visit our website.
We launched the new Livability Great Falls Magazine. Find and share Livability Great Falls online or contact Lyndsay Bruno at Lyndsay@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-590-1539 for hard copies of the magazine.
Recruiters are you hiring for a job position that is a:
- High level position
- High salary position
- Out-of-the-box/unique/creative position?
Help us attract workforce to move to Great Falls - send us a one sentence description of the job, 3-5 of your company's top employee benefits, salary (if listed), and link to apply for your job to Lyndsay@GrowGreatFalls.org to be included in the Hot Jobs in Great Falls blog post.
The 2023 Montana Food and Beverage Show, hosted by the Montana Department of Agriculture, is scheduled for October 16 in Missoula. The show allows Montana businesses to showcase their food and beverage products to professional buyers from restaurants, hotels, bars, retailers, and more.
The Montana Department of Commerce has extended the application deadline to December 31st for the Montana Cybersecurity Program will provide up to $8,000 reimbursement for your cybersecurity expenses. And don't forget about funds available for your workforce through the Incumbent Worker Training Program and the Primary Workforce Training Grant. We can help you access these programs if you run into snags.
Navy Week - Doing Business with the Department of Navy & GovMatch Event (Billings Depot on Montana Avenue) - Join the Montana APEX Accelerator (formerly known as Procurement Technical Assistance Center - PTAC) August 9th from 9 AM – 5 PM as they welcome Mr. David E. Walz to Billings. Mr. Walz is the Deputy Small Business Program, Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport. He serves as the principal advisor and advocate to the commander, senior management, contracts, and the technical department on all matters pertaining to small business program. During this event, businesses will receive information on the following topics: 1. Department of the Navy (DON) Office of Small Business Programs' Achievements and Goals 2. The DON OSBP Mentor-Protégé Program 3. Preparing for the DON procurement process 4. Resources and assistance to help businesses 5. GovMatch event in the afternoon. You will be able to meet with various other federal agencies in the afternoon. To register, click here. If you have any questions, contact Shannon Clancy at 1-406-590-1184 or SClancy@GrowGreatFalls.org.
USDA opened a new round of Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants and loans. Rural small businesses and agricultural producers can use the funds to make energy-efficiency improvements to lower operating costs or to install renewable energy systems. Quarterly competitions will be held through September 30th. See MATR.net for more info. Contact Katesha Campbell if you would like help with applying; Katesha@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-788-0860.
The Montana Manufacturing Extension Center has launched an apprenticeship program. The Certified Manufacturing Associate Apprenticeship is a one-year program that combines on-the-job training with online technical classes on safety, math and measurements, manufacturing processes, and quality control.
Are you in the planning and development phase of expanding your agricultural product or adding value to Montana agriculture by expanding your product into new markets? Montana’s Growth Through Agriculture (GTA) Business Acceleration Program (BAP) and Market Development Program (MDP) grants could help! Funds are available; click here for more information or contact Katesha at 1-406-788-0860 or Katesha@GrowGreatFalls.org.
The 341st Contracting Squadron, Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB), is contemplating a solicitation for a multiple award contract (MAC) and is looking for responses to this Sources Sought Notification. Awarded MAC indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts would be for the construction of structures and facilities, repair, maintenance, and alteration of real property assets within the confines of Malmstrom AFB, Weapons Storage Area (WSA), and Missile Alert Facility (MAF) and Launch Facility (LF) sites located within the Missile Complex throughout Montana. This is a great opportunity to Introduce your company to the Contracting Wing at Malmstrom AFB. Do you have a Capability Statement prepared that you can provide with your Sources Sought reply? If not, contact us at 1-406-750-1253 or LSunwall@GrowGreatFalls.org. For more information on the Notice, click here.
ArtsFest Montana will return to downtown Great Falls August 11-18. The Business Improvement District is looking for property owners who would like to have a professionally painted mural installed on their building. Contact Kellie at kellie@downtowngreatfalls.net or 1-406-727-5430. See TheElectric for more details.
If you are trying to redevelop a property that involves an environmental cleanup (including lead paint and asbestos) and you have a gap in your financing, your project may qualify for our low-interest brownfield redevelopment loan funds. We can make loans anywhere in Cascade County or within 100 miles from the borders of Cascade County which covers much of the region. We're eager to help make your project move forward. Contact Tony Peres at 1-406-750-2099 or Tony@GrowGreatFalls.org. We also have some small business or nonprofit startup or expansion loan funds available for Glacier and Blaine counties.
Cybersecurity challenges for businesses continue to grow. The Montana Manufacturing Extension Center (MMEC) is offering an array of useful resources to help Montana businesses to protect themselves.
Do you have open government contracts? Is your SAM.gov registered due to renew in the next few months? SAM.gov continues to have issues with the transition of the new validation process. It is recommended that businesses start early to renew their registration to keep from going inactive. If you are having trouble getting through the process, contact Shannon Clancy at 1-406-590-1184 or SClancy@GrowGreatFalls.org for assistance.
The Montana Innovation Partnership is offering a number of trainings and an accelerator program for companies interested in pursuing Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants.
Montana STEP grants can pay for 75% of your international export marketing efforts up to $10,000. The Montana TechLink Center at MSU is offering a new round of workshops on how to win Small Business Innovation Research funding.
We have migrated our pre-business workshop for early stage and pre-venture startups to a self-paced, video-facilitated, online format, Business Basics for Startups. If you’d like to check out the content and provide feedback, we’d appreciate it. Click here to check out the new modules and resources. All of our recorded monthly business strategy webinars are available online for viewing anytime, check them out here. Please direct feedback to Rich at 1-406-836-2078 or RGannon@GrowGreatFalls.org.
The best resource we scan daily to stay abreast of business and community innovation is MATR.net (Montana Associated Technology Roundtables) which we are proud to help sponsor. Sign up for their free newsletter.
Join our Trailing Partner Email Group specifically for local employers to share resumes of trailing spouses/partners across the Great Falls region with other employers looking to hire. “Your (Live in Great Falls) website is very impressive and helpful! Great Falls looks amazing, and we love what we've seen real estate-wise, and business-wise.” This quote was from an email sent to us from a couple considering relocation to Great Falls. We will be sharing their resumes (with their permission) on the Trailing Partner Email Group.
Visit our relocation website LiveInGreatFalls.com. This website was the #1 request we got from local recruiters and HR professionals for aiding in attracting talented workers to Great Falls. The Great Falls At-A-Glance two-pager is a great complementary resource that highlights Great Falls for people unfamiliar with our community.
Of our online business planning tool, LivePlan, one said: "LivePlan is Awesome!" The LivePlan tool is helping her streamline her strategy in preparation for presenting to bank partners. We offer LivePlan licenses for free to active clients. Learn more about LivePlan on our website.
| 
