Great Falls residents have spent months wondering what the arrival of Janicki Industries could mean for the Electric City. Now that question has been answered.
Janicki Industries is officially moving forward with plans to build in Great Falls, bringing the promise of new jobs and economic growth to a community that hasn’t experienced a major population surge in decades.
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While excitement surrounding the announcement has been widespread, some residents have also voiced concerns about what the company’s arrival could mean for the local housing market and affordability.
The Great Falls Association of Realtors CEO Zac Griffin says those concerns are understandable, but he believes Great Falls is in a strong position to handle the growth.
Engineering and manufacturing giant Janicki Industries has chosen Great Falls for its new $800 million manufacturing campus—an announcement that’s prompted excitement, questions, and some concerns across the community. Janicki Industries, a privately owned engineering and manufacturing company, annnounced the project will include 2 million square feet of production space over the next decade. Janicki expects to create 1,000 jobs within the first five years, with total employment exceeding 2,000 jobs once the campus is complete.
“We’re very excited to have them in our community,” Griffin said.
He noted that Great Falls has historically seen very little population growth.
“We’ve never been in a growing community since Malmstrom Air Force Base announced they were coming here. And then we’ve stayed pretty flat since then.”
Because of that, Griffin said some people worry Great Falls could experience the same rapid expansion seen in other Montana communities.
“I think sometimes people get concerned that we might be like some of the other metro areas in Montana that have experienced huge upswing growth,” he said. “I actually think Great Falls is poised to have really steady growth rather than a big boom.”
According to Griffin, the local housing market is already demonstrating that kind of stability.
“When it comes to the housing market, year over year, we’re about 4.8% growth on pricing,” he said. “Since January, there’s been a 5.5% growth, which is a steady market for housing.”
He added that the dramatic increases experienced during the pandemic are unlikely to repeat themselves.
“The biggest blip we’ve had was during the pandemic where the growth was about 60% to 70% over the course of two years,” Griffin said. “I don’t see a crazy price increase happening like that any time soon.”
Growth can sometimes bring growing pains. But realtors say Great Falls isn’t starting from scratch. There are already several housing projects in the pipeline designed to help meet future demand.
For Griffin, the Janicki announcement represents an opportunity rather than a cause for alarm.
“Great Falls is ready for growth,” he said.
The announcement has prompted excitement, questions, and some concerns across the community.
Quentin Shores reports - watch the video here:
City Manager Greg Doyon acknowledges this is a turning point: “Great Falls is Montana's best kept secret, sort of. And now it's like, it's not—I mean, we're going to be put on the map because of Janicki.”
Janicki’s project is slated to add 2 million square feet of production space, with at least 1,000 new jobs in the first five years. Supporters say this investment will diversify the economy, attract more businesses, retain local talent, and create new paths for careers in fields like aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
But Doyon also cautions, “Be careful what you wish for, because if you want to grow and get your Olive Gardens and all the things that you've wanted before, it takes a certain socioeconomic shift. In order to accomplish that, we have to fit the book of business for these companies that are coming here.”
Others in the community are more skeptical.
Great Falls resident Kristen Gutowski shared her concerns: “I just want to know, how is this going to affect us where—we're in really unaffordable times right now. I think for a huge, multi-million-dollar company to put the burden on a fairly small community, with the only promise being jobs—and that's not super clear what that means for people of Great Falls who are currently in Great Falls. It's concerning to me.”
Beyond affordability, Gutowski says transparency is an issue. “I don't want to say I'm super negative. I think that this is a much better option than, say, an AI data center. However, I don't think that they're being very transparent about what this means for the community.”
City officials say they hear both the hopes and anxieties and are working closely on issues like housing and affordability as the city grows.
“People like the stability and predictability of Great Falls,” Doyon said. “But change is knocking at our door here. And so, we can get through it together.”
As the city works to balance progress with preserving its unique character, the coming months will shape how Great Falls adapts to one of the biggest economic developments in its history.
