Great Falls, Montana Set for Economic Boom with Major Investments and GFDA Leadership

Great Falls is poised for a major economic shift with an $800 million manufacturing investment and a $140 billion defense upgrade.

Local leaders and businesses are catalyzing a turnaround after decades of stagnation, signaling a structural change in Great Falls’ development trajectory. This shift marks a departure from the city’s prolonged population and economic decline relative to other Montana cities.

Janicki Industries will soon break ground on a manufacturing campus employing over 1,000 people on the city’s east side. Concurrently, the Department of Defense’s Sentinel missile upgrade at Malmstrom Air Force Base represents a massive federal investment. The city has eased development policies and established a fund to support infrastructure, while multiple projects—including housing, healthcare, education expansions, and airport improvements—are underway. Officials like Cascade County Commissioner Joe Briggs and Enbar President Scott Reasoner express guarded optimism about this moment.

Janicki Industries plans to break ground next month, complementing ongoing projects like the Meadowview Village housing development and expansions at Touro University.

“We just didn’t see a replacement for that economic growth through the ’80s and ’90s,” said Jolene Schalper, executive vice president of the Great Falls Development Alliance. “But we reformulated how we approached our community growth then. We took time in the early 2000s to say, as a community, ‘We need to hone in on the key elements here.’”

If these developments proceed as planned, Montana businesses might observe how coordinated infrastructure investment, regulatory adjustments, and strategic federal projects can revitalize a long-dormant regional economy. Great Falls’ experience could offer lessons for similarly sized communities seeking to leverage public and private partnerships for growth.

Great Falls finally getting its turn at economic boom, city leaders say
By Matt Hudson, Montana Free Press