Foundation of the Touro Montana Medical School -- the foundation for future doctors! Touro University expects up to 500 students at a time to be learning at the Great Falls school.
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Here is our Top 10 for this week celebrating work and successes to grow and strengthen the Great Falls regional economy -- Montana's Golden Triangle. And, sharing business resources and skill-building opportunities to empower your success.
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1) Eden Feeds, a non GMO livestock feed company in Great Falls, is working on an expansion to include new equipment and storage for grains. This expansion will allow them to greatly increase production and efficiency as well as allow them to expand their markets across the region. Expansion is on track to be near completion in March 2022. See KRTV.
3) We’re leaning into talent attraction and retention topics this winter in our training courses. Our next webinar series presentation, “What is Corporate Culture” on Thursday, February 3rd at 11 AM, will define organizational culture and identify the factors that can make or break a company in the eyes of its employees. Register to join the live event or have the recording emailed to you here. GFDA and the Great Falls area Chamber of Commerce are also partnering on a full-day training titled, “Fast Tracking Your Human Resources” on Wednesday, February 9th. This workshop will be presented in collaboration with the Associated Employers and the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program. For more information or to register, click here. With questions about any of GFDA’s business education events, contact Jason at [email protected].
4) Sustainable Oils, a camelina grain company in Great Falls, is building a 600,000 bushel storage facility in Havre, MT. This facility will be next to BNSF rail and allow more efficient transport of the Camelina grain to processing plant in California. Sustainable oils uses Montana producers to grow its oilseed product.
5) Fourteen businesses and organizations in the Golden Triangle made the first cut for state American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) value-added ag grants and were invited to submit full applications.
6) The Montana Department of Ag announced the 2022 round of Specialty Crop Block Grant Applications. The purpose is to increase competitiveness of processing and cultivating specialty crops including lentils, peas, fruits, vegetables, horticulture, and floriculture among others. To learn more click here. For help, reach out to Justin Loch, our Food/Ag/Bio-processing Business Development Officer, 406-590-1301 or [email protected].
7) Is your company growing quickly and experiencing growing pains? We are recruiting “second stage companies” to join our first PeerSpectives cohort. This peer-to-peer mentoring group will provide just-in-time learning opportunities for companies with between 6 and 99 employees and generating between $1 million and $50 million in annual gross revenue. We are just now beginning to recruit participating businesses. To learn more about PeerSpectives CEO Roundtables click here, or connect with Jason at [email protected].
8) The Montana Board of Investments is rolling out a new loan program, funded from state American Rescue Plan Act funds, to help businesses acquire real estate or equipment. MBOI will make a low interest loan in second position to your bank or credit union. They're calling it the Downpayment Loan Program. Questions about financing options? Contact our VP of Lending, Jill Kohles, 406-590-1056 or [email protected].
9) It may be cold outside, but Downtown Development in Great Falls has been HOT! We have upcoming site visits from prospects located around Montana, new businesses looking to open in Downtown and current developments being finished and opening their doors. There’s still plenty of sites for sale, lease or infill. If you’re interested in Downtown Great Falls, call Christian at 406.836.0136 or email [email protected].
10) The Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting a meeting about attracting airline flights to GTF; Thursday, January 27 at 7:30 AM. And the Chamber is holding a Workforce Development Day on Wednesday, February 2, 11:00 AM at Great Falls College MSU. See KRTV.
11) Cascade County is making plans to participate in the new C-PACE energy savings retrofit financing program being launched by the Montana Facility Finance Authority. GFDA supported legislation bringing this program to Montana. Its one way of lowering your business operating costs by making energy retrofit improvements financed by a third party. More to come soon.
13) Our investors make what we do possible by continuously supporting our mission. They understand the importance of having a strong and diverse local economy. Recent investments include: Flagship Division-- North 40 Outfitters; Community Division-- Ferrin’s Furniture, and Liberty Electric. We are so thankful to be a part of a community that takes care of one another. If you are interested in joining our team of investors, contact Investment Director Jenn Gallmeier at 406-781-9499 or [email protected].
Make it a prosperous week!
Brett
Brett Doney
President & CEO
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.
"Just dream big. Go for it. There's nothing holding you back. You can have ups and downs, but if you believe in something, keep the faith; keep fighting. And don't let people put you down."
Geraint Thomas
We are HUNGRY to Grow the Great Falls regional economy, create higher wage jobs, build our tax base, improve our market competitiveness, and enhance the quality of life and economic opportunity for residents of Great Falls, Cascade County, and the entire 13-county Great Falls trade area.
Edition 518
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GFDA Career Opportunities
We have three exciting career opportunities for Competitive Improvements Director, Content Marketing Director/Small Business Adviser, and Resource Director (grant writing). Download job postings and please help spread the word. GFDA has a year-round College Intern Program with five paid internship opportunities. Download application. Help us spread the word!
Cost-Effective Rail-Served Industrial Sites Available
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]
December SBA 504 Loan Rates
The 25-year loan effective rate came in at 3.023%; 20-year at 2.875%; 10-year equipment loan at 2.793%; and, 20-year refinance 2.889%; 25-year refinance 3.036%. 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 406-590-1056 or [email protected].
Invest in Great Falls Regional Economic Development
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Events, Business Training, and Opportunities
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The Montana Department of Commerce announced a $500,000 Recovery Destination Event Grant application cycle to assist Montana communities as they re-schedule and plan for new events that will increase non-resident visitor traffic and expenditures. Eligible events could receive grant funding from $5,000 to $25,000 and no match is required. Applications open January 5. Submissions will be reviewed, scored, and awarded until all available funds are awarded or June 1st, whichever occurs first. For information, eligibility criteria, or to view a workshop about the grant cycle, visit the Tourism Grant Program website at MARKETMT.COM.
Agritourism Webinar Series—Toole County Extension will host a virtual webinar series on the basics of starting an agritourism operation in Montana. The webinars will be held every Tuesday in January. Upcoming webinars:
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January 18: Business Management for Agritourism Operators—Starting an Agritourism business may seem difficult, but there are many resources available to help. Weston Merrill, Marketing Officer, will speak on behalf of the Montana Department of Agriculture; Hailey Vine, Director of a Food & Ag Development Center, will discuss economic development resources.
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January 25: Communications and Marketing for Agritourism—Once your business has started, how will you get the word out? What is the best way to communicate and market your business online and F2F? Karoline Rose, Owner of KRose Marketing and Consulting, will help you with developing a plan!
To register, click here. For more information, contact Kim Woodring, Toole County Extension at [email protected]
The biennial application cycle for the Montana Historic Preservation Grant (MHPG) is now open. Grants are available for public and private entities to support the preservation of historic sites, historical societies, or history museums; this includes “brick-and-mortar” improvements to address various infrastructure, maintenance, building code, security, climate control, or fire protection issues. Funding decisions will be made during the 2023 legislative session. Application and further information here. Application Workshop on January 12 from 3:00 - 4:30 PM. This webinar will provide an overview of the program, timeline, and environmental review process. Register for the webinar here. If applicants have questions, contact the Community Development Division at 406.841.2770 or [email protected].
A number of state special business programs using American Rescue Plan funds are rolling out. The Workforce Training Grant Program has been launched by the Montana Department of Commerce and has up to $3,000 per eligible employee available for training expenses by businesses. The Apprenticeship Training Grant Program will be able to reimburse construction-related apprenticeship expenses up to a limit of $3,000. Track all state ARPA economic programs on the state's ARPA website.
Attention Small Business doing Government Contracting: There has been an update to the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC). The plans for the next iteration of CMMC which is being call CMMC 2.0 has been released. Like the initial CMMC (which was pilot tested but never implemented) this version has to go through the public comment and rulemaking process and nobody knows what changes will occur to the proposed CMMC 2.0 during those processes. A few proposed changes included in CMMC 2.0 include decreasing certification levels from 5 to 3 and increasing opportunities for (no-cost) self-assessments. While the rulemaking efforts are ongoing, the Department intends to suspend the current CMMC Piloting efforts and will not approve inclusion of a CMMC requirement in any DoD solicitation. The Department encourages contractors to continue to enhance their cybersecurity position during the interim period while the rulemaking is underway. Please visit the CMMC website and projectspectrum.io to learn more.
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.
The Montana Department of Commerce launched an investment matchmaking website for Montana business projects. The Opportunity Exchange’s - Montana Investment Portal is a website where investors can easily view and connect to projects in the state. Click here to view listed projects. Click here to get your investment project listed on the portal. For help posting your project or property on the Montana Investment Portal, contact Kristian Richardson at 406-841-2032 or [email protected].
We deliver print copies of the Great Falls Livability talent attraction magazine around town every Friday – if you would like copies of this great recruitment tool, email Soren at [email protected].
Montana DPHHS will be accepting one-time Child Care Stabilization grant applications from now until December 31! These funds are meant to stabilize your business coming out of the public health emergency. The process is not competitive and licensed centers are eligible for up to 80-100% of their operating expenses. Go to https://dphhs.mt.gov/arpa/childcare/ and click on “Grants for Licensed & Registered Child Care Programs (Stabilization).”
Join the Trailing Partner Email Group specifically for employers to share resumes of trailing spouses/partners across the Great Falls region with other employers looking to hire. Connect with Talent Attraction Director Soren to learn about more great talent attraction tools for employers. “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.
Looking to take control of your business’s financials, increase profit, and improve your bottom line? We have had interest from businesses in scheduling a Profit Mastery course. These courses are scheduled by demand. If you are interested in taking this two-day workshop, contact Jason Nitschke at [email protected] or call (406) 750-0314.
Pro-tip: Post positivity! When you’re using Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn and share something positive about Great Falls, tag @LiveinGreatFalls or @GrowGreatFallsMontana. We will like and share your posts. Follow our talent attraction effort, Live in Great Falls, on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and follow the Great Falls Development Authority to help us attract entrepreneurs and business investment on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
You are facing tough decisions right now. We’ve developed toolkits to help you decide what is best for your business. Toolkits include: Crisis Toolkit, Hibernation Toolkit, Business Resiliency Guide, Re-Opening Toolkit, and a Child Care Whitepaper. All of these can be found on our website.
A new access to capital option for businesses has launched. Crowdfund Montana is an investment crowdfunding platform, affiliated with the national platform Crowdfund Mainstreet, to bring people together to fund good business projects. Unlike traditional crowdfunding, investment crowdfunding allows funders to receive a financial return on their contribution, and in some cases own shares in the companies they are funding. NBC Montana has published this story about the platform's launch.
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.
We have Brownfield Clean-Up money that we want to put to work! Our low interest Brownfield Loans can be used to clean up hazardous materials including but not limited to lead paint, asbestos, etc. Are you working on a project that could use some clean up? Call Lillian today to discuss eligibility 406.750.1253 or [email protected].
Manufacturers, if you're not engaged with the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center hosted by MSU, you're missing out on powerful resources, services, and networking. MMEC clients report cost savings of $160.3 million, new investment of $328.4 million, $1.3 billion in new and retained sales, and 6,186 new and retained jobs since 2000. We're proud to host an MMEC business adviser who covers the Golden Triangle region. Contact Doug Roberts at [email protected] or (937) 489-3985.
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.
All of our recorded monthly business strategy webinars are available online for viewing anytime, click them out here.
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Vision
Hungry to Grow the Great Falls region
Mission
Grow and diversify the Great Falls regional economy.
Create higher wage career opportunities.
Improve market competitiveness.
The first economic development organization in the Rocky Mountain West to earn accreditation from the International Economic Development Council.
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 and Lenders.
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.
For more info, click to our website.
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See what's happening on our social sites:
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