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1) We acquired 224.31 acres of land in the Great Falls AgriTech Park to strengthen our ability to attract business investment to the region. This is the first time that we have owned land in the park. Thank you to Cascade County and First Interstate Bank for making the purchase possible!
2) The Montana Department of Commerce announced a new agricultural business partnership between Big Idea Ventures and Montana State University. The collaboration will enhance research innovation in food and agricultural technologies, help create new companies, and increase jobs for Montanans. We're excited that the MDOC business attraction team was able to bring the global Big Ideas Ventures venture capital group to Montana and look forward to connecting entrepreneurs and businesses in our region with this new resource. See full press release.
3) Invest Downtown Great Falls 2022, presented by Northwestern Energy, is just around the corner! On October 20th from 10 AM-Noon at The Newberry, come hear about recent successes, current opportunities and major project updates centered around Downtown Great Falls. If you have any questions about the event, contact Christian at 1-406-836-0136 or [email protected]. Register here!
4) NeighborWorks Great Falls celebrated it's Dreamstreet 2022 with the ten families who are finishing their sweat-equity new homes. Congratulations! See KRTV.
5) Thank you to Sweet Grass Development and the Valier Public Library for co-hosting our Website Bootcamp class this week. Our next Website Bootcamp class is full, but you can be added to the wait list here. If there’s enough demand for another class we’ll add one this fall.
6) The Montana Premium Processing Co-op (MPPC) is opening a year-round processing facility in Havre this Fall. MPPC will provide USDA certified live-to-package processing for cattle, hog, sheep, bison. Learn more in our Announcement of the Week.
7) We received the signed paperwork back from USDA so we're ready to launch our new regional meat processing loan fund. If you need capital to expand or start a meat processing operation, contact Justin at 1-406-590-1301 or [email protected].
8) Important cutting-edge Alzheimer's research being done at the McLaughlin Research Institute for Biomedical Studies was featured in a great article in the Great Falls Tribune.
9) Our next Business Pitch is on Monday, October 10th from 5:30-7:30 PM at MT Pints in Great Falls. If you have a new business idea or business expansion idea this a great place to pitch that idea and to network with many business professionals. All of our Business Pitch events are open to the public. If you are interested or have questions please reach out to our Small Business Navigator, Tony Peres at 406-750-2099 or [email protected].
10) Thank you to the partners who joined us for a health/bioscience economic development strategy retreat with our consultants, TrippUmbach. We expect to publish their findings and proposed strategy by the end of the month.
11) Small business owners are often faced with the challenge of finding ways to make their businesses more successful. One way to do that is through government contracting. But how do small businesses compete in this complicated marketplace? You can get an edge by seeing if you qualify for a small business certifications. For more information and upcoming opportunities with the Sentinel Project & Northrop Grumman, contact Lillian Sunwall at [email protected] or (406) 750-1253.
12) Register today for the Montana Economic Development Conference at The Newberry in downtown Great Falls November 14-16; see Montana Economic Developers Association. The Building a Winning Montana Team conference will feature exciting panels discussing key Montana economic development issues such as housing, business attraction, talent attraction, tourism and economic development, tribal economic development, and value added agriculture. Keynotes will bring perspectives from other states and provinces, and from leading Montana industry associations and state leaders. Workshops include economic development ethics, new financing collaborations, and business attraction.
13) We met in Lewistown with the eight other Food and Ag Development Centers across Montana and the Montana Department of Agriculture for the centers' annual meeting. USDA and the MT Dept. of Ag gave updates on programs, including Growth Through Agriculture and Specialty Crop Block grants. Planning for the upcoming year was discussed so we can better serve producers and processing companies and entrepreneurs. For more information on Food and Ag Development Centers across Montana and how they can serve you, contact Justin at 406-590-1301.
14) Local food production in Montana supports 1,110 Montanan held jobs and supports $31.9 million in Montana labor income, according to a new study, Economic Value and Impact of Local Food in Montana, released by Grow Montana.
15) Volunteer to help with the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce's inaugural Worlds of Work! (WOW). WOW is a career expo pioneered by West Alabama Works. Though NOT a typical job fair, this event opens new avenues of opportunity for middle school students they never knew were possible. The Chamber's goal this first year is to have sixteen Worlds, each representing one of Montana’s sixteen recognized career pathways. On October 18th, WOW will be held at Great Falls College – MSU and the University of Providence (inside and outside) from 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM. Area 8th graders will be divided into groups and will have a navigator who will guide them to each of the worlds, where they will explore for approximately 20-25 minutes before traveling to the next world. WOW Varsity, the block for high school students, will be in the late afternoon, and will include sophomores only for this first year. Check out the West Alabama WOW. Contact Scott Wolff for more info at [email protected].
16) We are already planning for IGNITE 2023! This event is our annual kickoff where we announce projects and major investments in the Great Falls area that are starting or finishing in 2023. If your project, or one you know of, meets these criteria please reach out to Jake Clark at [email protected]
17) USDA is accepting applications for the new Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. $500 million in grants is available to help existing fertilizer producers to expand.
18) Spoke to the Rotary Club of Great Falls this week focusing on the strategies we use to grow the economy, results we are seeing, and what’s next. If your club is looking for a speaker, call Jolene 406.750.4481.
19) Our entire GFDA staff team took part in an Economic Development Ethics workshop using the International Economic Development Council's ethics program.
20) Development is key to building our capacity, so we sent our Resource Team to network with statewide agencies and funders at the Montana Nonprofit Association’s annual conference. MNA is the organization who keeps the pulse on the nonprofit sector both statewide and nationally.
21) GFDA relies on the support from our INVESTORS and public partners. Because of them, we are currently working with more companies than ever before. Recent investments include: Advance Division—North 40 Outfitters and Wells Fargo; Leadership Division—Great Falls Montana Tourism; Community Division—Buchanan Enterprises, Inc. They truly believe in our mission and are helping to fuel growth in the region. If you are interested in helping the region grow, contact Investment Director Jenn Gallmeier at 406-781-9499 [email protected].
Today's quote (see below) is a reminder to me and all of us working to get more investments happen!
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.
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"Patience is a virtue, and I'm learning patience. It's a tough lesson."
Elon Musk
Edition 552
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