Great Falls development agency hopes to land three companies by end of year.

The Great Falls Development Authority hopes to lure at least three new businesses to the city by the end of 2005, and leaders told investors that work on several other projects is progressing smoothly.

"You will see that a lot of things are happening," GFDA board chairman Owen Robinson told a gathering of about 75 investors and others Tuesday afternoon at the Great Falls Civic Center. "We’ve got a lot of balls in the air."

Investors in the development authority are those who contributed money to the agency’s "Founding the Future" campaign several years ago. Several hundred individuals, businesses and government units ponied up $2.5 million to help pay for the GFDA’s job-creation efforts.

In outlining the nonprofit agency’s strategic plan, Cari Yturri, the board vice chairwoman, noted several specific goals, including the desire to land three new employers by year’s end.

By JAMES E. LARCOMBE Tribune Business Editor

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