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Great Falls Clinic’s executive team and Healthgrades representatives celebrate the grand opening of the Great Falls Hospital.

1) We hosted 2 site visits from companies interested in new projects in Great Falls. Site selection is a complex process for multimillion dollar projects. Selecting the perfect property is important, but key relationships are critical to project success. Thank you to our partners, investors, and community for providing timely information, staying late to accommodate travel delays, and for sharing your positive outlook on the Great Falls market. Great Falls is really sparkling lately, reach out to Jake for next steps on your exciting new project in Great Falls 1-406-403-4937 or [email protected] 

2) We made a $200,000 bridge loan to Baatz Block Apartments LLLP for the construction of a 25-unit permanent supporting housing development. The project is located in Downtown Great Falls and will provide much needed low-income housing units that focus on addressing the needs of individuals facing homelessness. Special thanks to NeighborWorks Great Falls, Homeward, Inc. and the many other community leaders who helped with this project. Contact Jill Kohles to learn about the different options available to help your business or project move closer to the finish line, [email protected] or 1-406-590-1056.

3) The cost of living in the Great Falls MSA dropped from 85.6% in 2023Q2 to 85.5% in 2023Q3 according to the highly respected C2ER Cost of Living Index. Housing in Great Falls came in at 65.2% of the national average. In comparison, Bozeman came in at 120.6% cost of living, with housing rating at 147.4% of the national average. The composite index is based on six categories: housing, utilities, grocery items, transportation, health care and miscellaneous goods and services. 

4) Networked with real estate developers and investors at the Urban Land Institute's Fall Meeting in Los Angeles. Discussed housing, riverfront, downtown, commercial, and industrial development opportunities in Great Falls and the surrounding trade area. Worked with a logistics company that has decided to move forward with a project in Great Falls. Worked with an investment group considering acquisition and expansion of a Great Falls primary sector company.

5) Play It Again Sports opened in Great Falls; see KRTV. Old Chicago plans to open in Great Falls. THRIVEcycle is opening in downtown Great Falls this month and kosher kitchen opens at Touro College. See TheElectric's Business Bites.

6) JobsEQ labor market data for 2023Q2 was released. The average annual wage for the Great Falls MSA (Cascade County) increased by 7.8% in the four quarters ending June 30th reaching $52,731, a one year increase of $3,807. The average annual wage in the Great Falls metro continued to grow faster than the state average of 6.4% and the national average of 4.4%. Total wages earned in Cascade County in 2023Q2 was $39 million higher than 2022Q2, an increase of 8.2%. For the four quarters ending June 30th, total earned wages in Cascade County grew by $188 million or 10.1% compared to the previous four quarters. The number of businesses in Cascade County with covered employees (payroll employees) grew 10.3% from 2022Q1 to 2023Q1 compared to national growth of 5.3%. We added 339 net businesses with employees in one year!

7) The Great Falls Public Safety Levy & Bond election is critically important to the future of our city. Watch this video to learn the facts about the public safety bond and levy, and why the passage of this levy and bond is critical to providing adequate public safety for the citizens of Great Falls. Vote YES on the Great Falls Public Safety Levy & Bond on your November ballot. The GFDA Board urges you to support the Great Falls Public Safety Levy and Bond. Public safety, emergency service response time, and better insurance rating that benefits both commercial and residential properties were all reasons the GFDA Board vote was unanimous. Visit SafetyintheFalls.com to learn more.

8) Last week, the Great Falls Hospital celebrated the open house & grand opening of their new three-story tower; see KRTV and The Electric. This completes the first two phases of their $58 million expansion. The new tower will house a cardiac diagnostic and intervention suite, a 10-bed Intensive Care Unit, procedural space, and 18 new inpatient medical and surgical unit beds. The new beds double inpatient capacity from 18 to 36. Great Falls Hospital is nationally recognized with five clinical achievements from Healthgrades including; America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement, Joint Replacement Excellence Award, Top 10% of the nation for Joint Replacement, and two five-star ratings for services such as Knee Replacement and Hip Replacement. These achievements position Great Falls Hospital among the nation's top hospitals for specialty care.

9) Congratulations to owner, Tracy Balen, for the grand opening of QDOBA in Great Falls. This location is now open in West Bank Landing at 405 3rd Street NW and is a locally owned and operated fast-casual Mexican restaurant. For more information check out GFDA’s Announcement of the Week and see KRTV Restaurant Roundup.

10) CreativeLeigh Digital is spreading hometown pride with her GFMT merch line. Several Great Falls retailers, including Public Drug Co., Farmer's Daughter Fibers and Life in Bloom carry Leigh's products. Please support our local retailers and show off your Great Falls pride. If you are a business that is interested in selling Leigh's GFMT merchandise, contact her at 1-406-403-4062. 

11) Are you a rural small business or restaurant looking to increase the energy efficiency of your business by replacing your coolers, doors and windows, HVAC system, or more? There are many financing options to help you reduce your energy bill. Reach out to Anna to learn more at [email protected] or 1-406-590-1301. 

12) We've released an RFP/RFQ for Brownfields Professional Services in conjunction with our FY2023 Assessment Grant. If you wish to access the RFP/RFQ details, they are available on our website.

13) We love it when new businesses jump into our community! Touro had a hands on CPR demonstration for high school students at the World of Work. See our new Touro success story.

14) GFDA participates in the Montana State Small Business Initiative (SSBCI 2.0) program that helped provide a lower interest rate on 50% of the funding. We've been partnering with local banks and credit unions to put together some creative financing packages for business startups and expansions, but this low-interest money is vrey limited and first come, first serve so contact us today if you have a business startup or expansion planned that could benefit from a SSBCI 2.0 loan participation. Contact Jill at [email protected] or 1-406-590-1056 or Brett at [email protected] or 1-406-750-2119.

15) Congratulations again to the Native American Community Development Corporation (NACDC) in Browning on winning a $100,000 award from the Native Community Development Finance Network. Read the full story in the Glacier Reporter. 

16) Investing in economic development means creating opportunities, fostering innovation, and establishing a foundation for sustainable success. Nobody understands this more than our committed team of investors and public partners. Learn more about our supporters and what drives them here. Recent investments include: Advance Division—First Interstate Bank; Community Division—Enbar Craft Cocktail Lounge. Together, we've achieved some incredible milestones, but we’re just getting started. To find out how you can be a part of the team that is driving the growth of our community, reach out to Investment Director Jenn Gallmeier at 1-406-781-9499 or [email protected].

My road days continue. On my way to the Association of Defense Communities' Installation Innovation annual meeting.

Have a great week!

Brett

Brett Doney

President & CEO

1-406-750-2119

[email protected]

Connect with me on  LinkedIn to network with the Great Falls Montana region. Forward the GFDA Top 10 to friends and colleagues. You can join our distribution list HERE or text GFDA to 22828.

Subscribe to the Grow Great Falls Montana YouTube channel!

"Sometimes life's going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith."

Steve Jobs

Edition 606

If your company needs a rail-served, BNSF-Certified, shovel-ready site with all municipal services at your door, we have lots available for immediate construction in the Great Falls AgriTech Park. Contact Jolene Schalper at 1-406-750-4481 or [email protected]

October SBA 504 Loan Rates

The 25-year loan effective rate (including all fees) is 7.129%; 20-year at 7.180%; 10-year equipment loan at 7.052%; and, 20-year refinance 7.210%; 25-year refinance 7.158%. These rates are FIXED for the life of the loan and are inclusive of all fees. If you would like to find out how to get financing for commercial real estate and equipment at potentially lower rates than you're paying for your home mortgage, please contact Jill Kohles at 1-406-590-1056 or [email protected].

The Montana Department of Commerce has reopened applications for the Montana Manufacturing Automation Loan Program offering 0.0% interest loans for up to 50% of the purchase price of automation equipment. If you are short of cash, we may be able to finance the other half as well as installation expenses. These are one-time funds so apply today. Let me know if you need help.



Are you planning any international marketing activities in 2024? The State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) run by the Export Montana team at the Montana Department of Commerce has a host of export support services and federal grants available for businesses up to $12,000. They're awesome to work with! Our Small Business Advisor, Rich Gannon, can help too and he is also awesome! [email protected] or 1-406-836-2078.

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 [email protected] or 1-406-590-1184.

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] 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 1-406-836-0136 or email [email protected]. 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 [email protected] or 1-406-590 – 1539 to be connected with a JobsEQ-trained Business Advisor today. To learn more about GFDA's other 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 for hard copies of the magazine: [email protected] or 1-406-590-1539. 

Recruiters, are you hiring for a job position that is:  

• High level 
• High salary 
• Out-of-the-box/unique/creative? 

Help us attract workforce to move to Great Falls - send a one-sentence description of the job, 3-5 of your company's top employee benefits, salary (if listed), and a link to apply for your job to [email protected] to be included in the Hot Jobs in Great Falls blog post.  

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.

The Montana Department of Commerce has extended the application deadline to December 31st for the Montana Cybersecurity Program, which 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.

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, lower operating costs, or install renewable energy systems. Quarterly competitions will be held through December 31st. See MATR.net for more info. Or for help applying, contact Anna Flies: [email protected] or 1-406-590-1301. 

The Montana Manufacturing Extension Center has launched the Certified Manufacturing Associate Apprenticeship program. This one-year program combines on-the-job training with online technical classes on safety, math and measurements, manufacturing processes, and quality control.

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), 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 to provide with your Sources Sought reply? If not, contact Lillian Sunwall at 1-406-750-1253 or [email protected]. For more information on the Notice, click here.



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 [email protected]. We also have some small business or nonprofit startup/expansion loan funds available for Glacier and Blaine counties.

Do you have open government contracts? Is your SAM.gov registration 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 [email protected] 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.

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 called Business Basics for Startups. If you’d like to check out the content and provide feedback, we’d appreciate it. We also provide monthly Business Strategy Webinars, which are recorded and available for viewing online at any time. Looking to start, innovate or grow your business? We offer a variety of training options to ensure your success. Click here to check out all of GFDA's training resources. For more information or to give feedback about these programs, please contact Rich at 1-406-836-2078 or [email protected].

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.

Of our online business planning tool, LivePlan, one said: "LivePlan is Awesome!" The LivePlan tool is helping 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.

Grow diverse economic opportunities that enhance quality of life.

GFDA is a certified Community Development Financial Institution and a 501(c)3 charitable organization. High Plains Financial is a certified Community Development Corporation that offers SBA 504 loans statewide. GFDA and High Plains Financial are Equal Opportunity Employers, Lenders and Providers.

GFDA is proud to host a Montana Small Business Development Center, a Montana Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and a Montana Food & Ag Development Center. We are also proud to provide office space for MSU's Montana Manufacturing Extension Center.

GFDA was the first economic development organization in the Rocky Mountain West to earn accreditation from the International Economic Development Council.

Great Falls Development Alliance | GrowGreatFallsMontana.org