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.
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.
