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1) Congratulations to The Union restaurant in Helena, created and owned by Old Salt Coop, one of our meat processing clients, on being named a James Beard Award finalist! See KRTV.
2) We responded to two RFIs from the Montana Department of Commerce this week—one for an international manufacturing company exploring expansion into the U.S. and establishing a U.S. Headquarters, and another from a firearms industry company considering relocation. A big thank you to all the partners who responded quickly with site details and support—your collaboration is key to making North Central Montana a competitive destination for business growth. If you know of companies exploring new locations, contact Christian Leinhauser at CLeinhauser@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-836-0136.
3) Congratulations to Ash Creek Renewables for securing the exclusive licensing rights to a high yield variety of Camelina from MSU. They will be expanding their partnership with Great Falls based Ag Processing Solutions, Inc to continue developing strategies to grow and crush Camelina in the region. To learn more, click here.
4) USAF Global Strike Command stood up its Sentinel ICBM detachment at Malmstrom AFB. The Site Activation Task Force Detachment 11 will coordinate subject matter experts from across military and civilian agencies for the ICBM modernization effort. See TheElectric.
5) Montana is the best start for business startups, according to a report by Booking.com for Business. See Entrepreneur.com story. We agree!
6) The Montana Defense Alliance sent a team to participate in the Defense Communities National Summit in DC hosted by the Association of Defense Communities. We met with DOD and Congressional leaders. We collaborated with community leaders of the other ICBM bases and of other communities hosting Global Strike Command missions. Thank you to Sen. Tim Sheehy for being a keynote speaker! I spoke on a special session, "Strategic Forces Modernization: Opportunities and Challenges at the Local Level." Thank you to Cascade County Commissioner Joe Briggs, City of Great Falls Police Captain Doug Otto, and Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce President Ed Brown for participating on the team!
7) The SBA 504 loan program provides long-term, fixed-rate financing for fixed assets, such as real estate and equipment. This week, the SBA approved two loans for two separate businesses planning to purchase real estate for their operations. For more detailed guidance on the SBA approval process, please contact Jill Kohles at 1-406-590-1056 or via email at JKohles@GrowGreatFalls.org.
8) The Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is organizing a Job Fair on Wednesday, April 23rd from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM in partnership with the Great Falls Job Service and Cascade County United Way. Register for an Employer Booth.
9) Kristen and Brett had a productive meeting regarding a potential large-scale wind development in our region. The Great Falls area has excellent resources for wind power generation. To get your wind project spinning, reach out to Kristen Blue at 1-406-788-4989 or Kristen@GrowGreatFalls.org.
10) Congratulations to the new owners of the Mint Bar in Sunburst! This one-of-a-kind watering hole—housed in a former church—was nearly lost for good. But thanks to new ownership, it’s getting a fresh start! A grand reopening is set for April 12th.
11) Every business starts with an idea. One of the next steps is taking that idea and building a business plan. After this, it is essential to put together financial projections to look at the business viability and potential. This past week, our GFDA Small Business Development Center Business Advisors assisted many entrepreneurs with these foundational and necessary components for owning a successful business. Some of the businesses from this week were revisiting the business plan and making adjustments as needed. Our Business Advisors are equipped and ready to help you. You are not alone in the process. We have many resources and tools available. Our services are provided at no cost to you. Please reach out to Christian Nichols, CNichols@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-788-9385; Rich Gannon, RGannon@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-836-2078; and Deb McGregor, Deb@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-750-0314. If you prefer to learn in a training/workshop setting, we also have our Idea to Income training taking place on Monday, April 7th, 5:30 PM at our GFDA Offices. For additional information or to register, click here.
12) Our Great Falls Regional APEX helped a meat producer within our region work towards building a solid foundation that will help them become contract-ready and prepare for the government market. The government buys everything! If you're ready to grow your business through local, state, and federal contracts and want to know how you can prepare for the government market, contact Mariah Liebing at Mariah@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-217-2174.
13) From tavern thin and classic thick crust pizzas to calzones and Sicilian Pepperoni Rolls, or your favorite pasta! Since 1976, Old Chicago has been serving the best lineup of cold beers and handmade pizza. Stop in and get a taste of the Craft Beer Authority during their Great Falls grand opening on April 14th.
14) Food labeling is one of the quickest ways to differentiate your product on the shelf, but many businesses don't know the specific requirements for their labels. GFDA's Food and Ag Development Center partnered with Mercedes Overlie from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services for a webinar on the labeling regulations for Montana as part of our Tuesday Training series. You can watch the training here. If you'd like to check out the other great trainings in our Food and Ag Development Center Tuesday Training series, check out the playlist.
15) DOD's Defense Innovation Unit on Thursday launched a new marketplace designed to connect technology firms with vetted advanced manufacturing companies whose production approaches could bring speed, scale and security to the U.S. defense industrial base. The Blue Manufacturing Marketplace is a way to overcome some of the barriers to leveraging advanced manufacturing capabilities like digital engineering, 3D printing and automation across the defense industrial base. DIU is accepting proposals from vendors who have specific expertise across six areas, including automated metal machining for parts production, composite or ceramic additive manufacturing and 3D-printed tooling. See Defense News.
16) We are currently working on six active business attraction projects, each in various stages of relocating or expanding into North Central Montana. These companies represent a range of industries and show strong interest in establishing operations in our region. We continue to move each project forward with the goal of welcoming them as established businesses contributing to our local economy. If you know of companies considering expansion, contact Christian Leinhauser at CLeinhauser@GrowGreatFalls.org or 1-406-836-0136.
17) Montana's Economic Developers gathered at the Capitol Rotunda to share the impact of our work across the state. Together this year we will aid thousands of businesses as they start, grow, and invest capital across Montana. Our team is proud to walk beside clients as they craft their business plans, develop their financial models, submit for government contracting, find sites, and work through city processes. To learn more about how we can help, reach out to Jolene at 1-406-750-4481 or JSchalper@GrowGreatFalls.org.
18) Mark you calendars, the Great Falls Association of Realtors is hosting a Housing Summit on Thursday, April 24 from 9:00-11:00 AM. Register here to join the solutions-focused conversation about housing production in Great Falls.
19) Jennifer Renaud, the driving force behind Thrive Cycle, joined us as the featured guest for this month’s GFDA Small Business Development Center/MSU Extension Small Business Webinar Series. We talked about how to take an idea and build it into a thriving business. Jennifer shared real-world insights on social media marketing, managing staff, and building a brand that customers love. A recording of the webinar will be posted here soon. Make sure you have your calendar marked for Thursday, May 1st at 11:00 AM for the next webinar topic in this partnership, Building an On-Line Business through Amazon. More details and registration information can be found here.
20) In June, we will host the first ever International Economic Development Council's Rural Retreat. This gathering of 400-500 professionals will focus on growing rural communities we are excited to feature immersive experiences in White Sulphur Springs, Choteau, Conrad, Fort Benton, and Cut Bank. If you're interested in being part of the retreat or want to learn more, reach out to Jolene at 1-406-750-4481 or JSchalper@GrowGreatFalls.org. For unique sponsorship opportunities, contact Jenn Gallmeier at 1-406-781-9499 or Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org.
21) This week we completed our year-long Equitable Lenders Cohort focused on increasing gap and bridge financing for Native owned businesses. Thank you to our fellow lending cohorts from across the country and our facilitator Ilana Preuss of Recast City for making this a valuable experience, and to the U.S. Economic Development Administration for funding it.
22) Marty Cappis started work this week as our newest GFDA staff member, joining our team as a Lending Associate. You can reach her at 1-406-788-3296 or MCappis@GrowGreatFalls.org. Welcome Marty!
23) We're growing our GFDA Staff Team with a new Accounting Assistant position and a new Business Development Officer - Defense position, and we have an opening for a Business Development Officer - Downtown Great Falls. Download our Career Opportunities and please forward it to great candidates.
24) Join GFDA’s investment committee! Help us secure the resources that power business expansion, job creation, and community transformation across North Central Montana. Contact Jenn at 1-406-781-9499 or Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org.
25) The International Economic Development Council's Research Partners, of which GFDA is an active partner, issued a literature review about Artificial Intelligence Impact on Labor Markets. Download here.
26) Economic development is a team effort, and we’re grateful to have a strong, committed network of investors and public partners who share our vision. Learn more about them by viewing this short video. Recent investments include: Community Division—Front Range Law, PLLC and Hi-Line Moving. Thank you for believing in our mission and investing in the future of our community. If you’d like to learn more about our economic development strategy and how you can support our initiatives, reach out to Vice President of Investment Jenn Gallmeier at 1-406-781-9499 or Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org.
Great to be back in Great Falls for a fantastic Spring weekend!
Brett
Brett Doney
Great Falls Development Alliance
BDoney@GrowGreatFalls.org
1-406-750-2119
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“Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.”
Dale Carnegie
Edition 679
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