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Eye On Great Falls (August 31, 2021)

Five Guys in Great Falls
New businesses opening soon in Great Falls
Posted at 5:47 PM, Aug 31, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-01 12:08:36-04

GREAT FALLS — When you drive around Great Falls, you’ll likely see several construction sites for new businesses.

Tom Micuda, the deputy director of the city Planning & Community Development department, says the city is seeing an increase in construction and business partly because Great Falls is growing, and that it is more affordable compared to other Montana cities.

“A big factor of it is lower interest rates on construction, and we’re also above 60,000 people which we haven’t been for many years. The commercial side of it looks positive and we expect continued momentum going forward,” Micuda said.

Great Falls Mayor Bob Kelly says more people are starting to see Great Falls as an opportunity and that word is getting out about opportunities here: “I think Great Falls is coming into its own. All this construction is an indication that a lot of people see a lot of opportunity here. It really is people risking their capital because they see opportunity and for a while we may not have seen that.”

Among the businesses/organizations slated to open in the coming months:

Great Falls unemployment peaked in April of last year at nearly 13% - largely due to the pandemic - and that number is now down to about 4%. City officials expect that number to stay steady, or even go down a bit in the coming months.

“I think the story is out that Great Falls is a great place to get your business in,” Kelly said.

Great Falls is growing, and the opening dates for some of the businesses aren’t set in stone, but Kelly expects new business to continue to find their way to town as more people start to realize what might await them in the Electric City.