Developers continue to woo new companies to Great Falls

A new, secure, high-quality building. Nice landscaping and plentiful parking. Location near Benefis Healthcare, the Great Falls Clinic and higher education facilities. Ready to lease by the end of 2004.

By: James E. Larcombe

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/news/stories/20040509/localnews/383621.html

Those are some of the parameters given to local leaders by the large Midwest company eyeing Great Falls for a 300-job information processing center, said John Kramer, president of the Great Falls Development Authority. Top officials from the unnamed company visited Great Falls a few weeks back.

"We’ve got three or four different sites we are talking about, all of which would require substantial development," Kramer said.

The plan is to firm up a proposal and present it to the company early this week. Kramer said he and Mayor Randy Gray and many others, including area construction and architectural firms, are working on the proposal.

Workers in the center would process Medicaid claims using proprietary software. Pay for the jobs would start at $10 per hour and the company offers a strong benefit package, Kramer and Gray have said.

While the company said it is considering another city as well for the center, Kramer said he’s optimistic. A decision could come within a few weeks.

"I think our chances are better than 75 percent, if we can get the right things done," he said.

A quiet business

The little square sign 20 feet or so above the sidewalk simply says "Citi."

"It’s subtle, very small," admits Joe Luttrell, site manager for the Citi Mortgage operation at 400 Central Ave.

But the mortgage service center is a topic of conversation with local economic development types. What would it take to get Citigroup, the giant financial services concern, to expand the center, which pays decent wages and has been a stable employer, they wonder.

"I’m not in a position to know that," noted Luttrell. A call to a Citigroup spokeswoman inquiring about growth possibilities was not returned.

The center employs about 105 workers. Luttrell said there may be some small-scale hiring this summer to fill some vacancies and prepare for the peak season which runs September through April.

"Our call volume goes way down in the summer," Luttrell said. "When people vacation, they don’t call their mortgage company."