GFDA Top Ten for 1-12-25

Ted Mitchell of Great Falls based Mitchell Development & Investments announced a major 100-acre mixed use retail, dining, hospitality, office and residential development to be constructed on 57th Street on the east side of Great Falls. The Falls is designed to become the premier destination shopping, entertainment, living, and business center in Montana with an estimated multi-year investment of $500-700 million. Plans include 630,000 square feet of retail and office space, two hotels, 831 residential units, over a dozen restaurants, and two miles of trails plus 20 acres of beautifully landscaped public spaces. The first hotel is scheduled to open by Fall 2026. See details on KRTV and TheElectric. What a fantastic addition to our community and region!

1) Montana Renewables, a subsidiary of Calumet, closed on a $1.44 million U.S. Department of Energy loan facility that will enable the expansion of the company’s Great Falls production plant. The expansion of will make Montana Renewables one of the largest Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) producers in the world, enabling an increase in annual production capacity to 300 million gallons of SAF and 330 million gallons of combined SAF and renewable diesel. Montana Renewables will double its purchases of seed oils and tallow to 3 billion pounds a year. The expansion will create 450 construction jobs and 40 operations jobs. The project will be the largest agricultural processing investment in Montana history. Congratulations to the Calumet Montana Renewables Team!!! See Press Release and CleanTechnica article.

2) Our Ignite 2025 at The Newberry was a resounding success, with our largest attendance ever—approximately 350 participants—and 27 dynamic presentations. These showcased the breadth of innovation in North Central Montana, from rural businesses and non-profits to agri-food ventures and the announcement of a new 100 acre mixed-use development project on the East end of Great Falls. Thank you to everyone who made this milestone event unforgettable! A Zoom recording of the event and the mixed use announcement video will be available soon on our website and YouTube channel, so stay tuned for updates. Check out KRTV and The Electric on some details about projects featured at the event.