Another cool mural created in Downtown Great Falls during the 2022 ArtsFest Montana. Thank you to the City of Great Falls for supporting this great event!

1) Congratulations to Bear Paw Development in Havre on winning a $10 million grant from USDA for construction of the Anaakyaaniiin Wellness Center on the Fort Belknap Reservation! See details in the Havre Daily News.

2) Networked with two dozen site selection consultants at Area Development’s annual Winter Site Selector Forum. Discussed real time labor intelligence companies want to assess in their site selection processes, concern amongst many companies about how sites affect their corporate ESG (Environment, Social Responsibility, and Corporate Governance) scores, opportunities for advanced manufacturing and energy companies created by the Inflation Reduction Act, high demand for warehouse and distribution facilities, rapidly changing supply chain strategies, changes in local and state incentives and how the incentive approval an reporting processes greatly affects the value and impact of incentives, new ways economic developers are tapping into sophisticated digital marketing to get on company radar screens, and much more.

3) The Great Falls City Commission approved actions to help three projects move forward, a redevelopment on the 10th Avenue South commercial corridor, a new youth residential facility, and the major apartment development being undertaken by Silver Stone Enterprises. The Commission also approved $2.88 million in community ARPA grants; see TheElectric and KRTV.

4) Congratulations to Billings on becoming the first LEED certified city in Montana, scoring Gold from the U.S. Green Building Council! Read more details here.

5) Economics research firm Woods & Poole projects that employment in the Great Falls MSA will increase by 3,580 by 2025 and continue to increase beyond that. Annual wage earnings are projected to grow by $212 million and annual personal income by $246 million. Annual total retail sales are projected to grow by $158 million.

6) Congratulations to Liz Eden on opening her second business in Shelby, Howdy Miss Rowdy Boutique. Two businesses launched by age 23 is pretty cool! Read more in the Shelby Promoter.

7) Alliance for Youth in Great Falls has expanded services with the addition of a community kitchen. Learn more about the project in our Announcement of the Week.

8) We submitted 2 additional loans for approval to the state for the State Small Business Credit Initiative 2.0 program totaling $225,000, which will leverage an additional $375,000. If you have a new or existing Montana businesses that wants to start, stabilized, pivot, expand or re-start please reach out to Jill Kohles at 406-590-1056 or JKohles@GrowGreatFalls.org to discuss your options. Funds are very limited and will be on a first come first served basis. 

9) Jake and Christian were on the road to Billings meeting with proven developers and Montana brands which we’d love to see expand to our market. We received great interest from several of the meetings and are already scheduling visits to Great Falls. If you have contacts who, or you would like to expand to the Great Falls market please reach out to Jake@GrowGreatFalls.org or CLeinhauser@GrowGreatFalls.org.

10) Learned about the State’s developing plan to meet the broadband requirements set by the federal government. To access this funding, we must be able to serve all households currently unserved and the state is also looking at ways to increase speeds for underserved populations. To learn more, click here.

11) Internet has become a necessary component for our workforce with a vast array of applications. Employees and potential employees having access to highspeed internet has many advantages. The FCC has a program to help make internet more affordable by offering $30 and $75 toward internet service for qualifying populations. Click here to learn more.

12) The 2023 Montana Economic Outlook Seminar is headed to Great Falls on January 24th. The theme is the Future of Montana and will highlight the latest economic trends for local economies and the state of Montana, with special focus on the new wave of in-migration and what it means for the state. To register, visit Economic Outlook Seminar's website here.

13) Quality healthcare in rural Montana is essential for a strong community and economy. Recently Cut Bank and surrounding communities have welcome new healthcare professionals.   Dr. Sarah Rayburn, DMD has joined Dr. Steve Lowery at his dental practice in Cut Bank; see Cut Bank Pioneer Press for more details. Logan Health has also announced that a new surgeon, Stephen Milheim MD, will be serving the hospitals in Conrad, Cut Bank and Shelby; see the Cut Bank Pioneer.

14) Registration is open for IGNITE 2023 attendees here! IGNITE 2023 is an energetic, fast-paced hybrid event where the Golden Triangle’s most exciting new business developments are announced. This year we already have three very significant projects to announce! The format is simple and quick: three-minute presentations on projects that will either start or open in 2023! If your business has an announcement and you’d like to present at the event contact Jake Clark; Jake@GrowGreatFalls.org.

15) The work that we do wouldn’t be possible without the continued support of our INVESTORS and public partners. They believe in our mission, and they understand that by supporting GFDA, they are supporting the economic stability, growth & vitality of the region. Recent investments include: Leadership Division—Scheels, Pacesetter Division—AE2S, Community Division—PowerGas Corporation. They are true champions of Great Falls and are making a positive impact. If you want to make a meaningful difference in our community, reach out to Investment Director Jenn Gallmeier at 406-781-9499 Jenn@GrowGreatFalls.org.

Sorry this was late. We've been busy!

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.

Subscribe to the Grow Great Falls Montana YouTube channel!

"A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events and outcomes. It is a catalyst and it sparks extraordinary results."

Wade Boggs

Edition 561

Download our GFDA Services and Staff Team handout or our GFDA 2022Q3 Quarter Index. View the We Are Great Falls video!

GFDA Staff Openings

We have two great career opportunities to join the GFDA staff team. Download info on Small Business Advisor -- Director Regional Small Business Development Center and Loan Originations & Closing Associate. GFDA is proud to be on Equal Opportunity Employer!

Cost of Living in the Great Falls metro set a record for competitiveness in 2022Q3 at 85.6% of the national average, according to the C2ER (the Council for Community and Economic Research). Compare our local rate to Seattle's 152.2%, Portland's 122.2%, Bozeman's 125.0%, Denver's 111.2%, Salt Lake City's 107.4%, Boise's 105.4%, or Spokane's 103.5%. Use our Cost of Living Calculator when trying to recruit new employees from our of town.

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; download AgriTech Park Flyer. Contact Jolene Schalper at 1.406.750.4481 or JSchalper@GrowGreatFalls.org

December SBA 504 Loan Rates

The 25-year loan effective rate (including all fees) came in at 6.110%; 20-year at 6.032%; 10-year equipment loan at 6.534%; and, 20-year refinance 6.050%; 25-year refinance 6.128%. 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 JKohles@GrowGreatFalls.org.

Get ready for the first annual Montana AgTech Innovation & Investment Summit set for January 24, 2023 in Great Falls Montana. The summit will bring together entrepreneurs and investors. Do you have an AgTech Innovation? Are you ready to pitch to investor? We can help! Get your pitch ready with coaching from one of our business advisors. Call Katesha to learn more, 406.788.0860. To register or learn more about the summit, click here. 

The Montana Bioscience Cluster Initiative is offering funding through its 4th "F" Fund (4FF) to provide direct assistance to Montana bioscience entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses in need of money for travel to key conferences, small equipment purchases, or temporary staff assistance in relation to proposal development, etc. This fund is designed for maximum flexibility in support of new and established businesses and entrepreneurs in the bioscience industry. The fund will provide grants of $250 to $5,000. In exceptional circumstances the fund may consider larger applications. Grants may be awarded in phases (e.g. $1,000 initially with additional $1,000 on achieving specific milestone). More info and application here.

The Veteran’s Administration (VA) stopped accepting new applications for Veteran-owned small business verification or reverification as of October 24th. This transition is part of a government-wide effort that streamlines and consolidates all certifications offered to VOSBs and SDVOSBs under the Small Business Administration (SBA). SBA will assume responsibility for the program as of January 1, 2023. For more information or questions, contact Lillian Sunwall at LSunwall@GrowGreatFalls.org.

We released the Bioscience Economic Development Strategy for the Great Falls Montana region. The report, prepared by Tripp Umbach with the input and assistance of key local industry partners, details four key findings and four strategic actions to grow and diversify bioscience-related industries in Great Falls. This report, along with other key findings from our strategic planning process will help guide the efforts of GFDA moving forward. Contact Jake Clark with questions regarding the report, Jake@GrowGreatFalls.org. 

Many businesses that obtained SBA COVID EIDL loans will have their 30-month payment deferral expire soon. Are you one of those businesses? If so, the SBA Montana District office is holding a webinar on how to start making your loan payments. There are five webinar sessions scheduled. For more info visit SBA Montana.



The Made in Montana Food & Gift Tradeshow will be held in Helena on March 10-11, 2023. Exhibitor applications open October 19th and spaces sell-out fast. TheMontana Manufacturing Extension Centeris offering a series of excellent workshops and trainings this fall.

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 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.

USDA is accepting applications for the new Fertilizer Production Expansion Program. $500 million in grants is available to help existing fertilizer producers to expand.

What’s it like to live in Great Falls Montana? Get a glimpse through the Great Falls 2022 Livability Magazine! Livability Great Falls is a tool for recruiting people from outside our community and is one of the tools for our Talent Attraction campaign. We also have a Email List to share resumes of trailing partners and others and we promote Hot Jobs – jobs that would entice people to move here. If you are recruiting people from outside Great Falls, click here to join our recruiter email list and learn more.

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 is now live and ready for beta testing. 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. Please direct feedback to Rich at RGannon@GrowGreatFalls.org.

Attention Veteran-Owned Businesses! In less than a year the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE) will transfer to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). As of January 1, 2023, all functions of VA’s CVE will be handled by the SBA. To help make this a seamless transition, we encourage all self-certified SDVOSBs to complete the verification process through the VA now before the transfer becomes effective. Please start the verification process at https://vetbiz.va.gov/vip/. For more information on starting the verification process, contact Lillian Sunwall at LSunwall@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.

We've released the Great Falls Childcare Demand Assessment that 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.

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. “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.

We've released the Great Falls Housing Market Assessment that 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.

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 LSunwall@GrowGreatFalls.org.

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.