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Chamber Staff Shane Etzwiler President/CEO Katherine Archibald Business Development Director Lorene Jaynes Director of Operations Carrie Hayes Marking & Communications Janelle Wilberding Member Services & Events Coordinator Scott Wolff Central Montana Works! - Executive Director Alyssa Larkev Central Montana Works! - Program Coordinator Officers Scott Anderson, Opportunity Bank Chair Lynda Morin, D A Davidson Companies 1st Vice Chair Wayne Gillis, Great Falls Clinic 2nd Vice Chair Wade DeBoo, TD&H Engineering Treasurer Holly Kopeikin, Omni Marketing & Design Past Chair Board of Directors Josh Campbell, Jardine, Stephenson, Blewett & Weaver Mark Cappis, Cappis Consulting & Tax Marcus Collins, A.T. Worship Temple Melissa Dascoulias, Dascoulias Realty Group Mark Doll, Napa Auto Parts of Great Falls T.J. Ferrin, Ferrin's Furniture Max Grebe, LPW Architecture Kaci Husted, Benefis Health System Jason Madill, Madill Enterprises Erik Sletten, Sletten Construction Scott Wilson, Cascade Electric Ex-Officio Joe Briggs, Cascade County Commissioner Dr. Stephanie Erdmann, Great Falls College MSU John Faulkner, Great Falls International Airport Authority Tom Moore, Great Falls Public Schools Colonel Barry E. Little, Malmstrom Air Force Base Joe McKenney, City of Great Falls Commissioner Jolene Schalper, Great Falls Development Authority Greetings from the Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce 3 Great Falls Area Chamber of Commerce www.greatfallschamber.org Shane Etzwiler, President / CEO As we bring you the 2023 Community Guide, we also celebrate the history of the greatest city in Montana, OUR Great Falls! We are very proud to say we have been a part of that history for the last 135 years! As we celebrate the anniversary of our city, the Chamber, and the formation of the police department established in 1888, the Chamber strives to give support, advocacy, and opportunities to all businesses in our community to help them grow, thrive, and flourish! We know we have only reached this anniversary because of your support and for that, we truly and sincerely thank you! Our Community Guide celebrates Great Falls by highlighting various statistics of the last year in our key economic industries, featuring businesses who are making an impact in our community. We have included a "Newcomers" section to help our new residents experience a smooth transition into their new hometown. We are also looking into our history and remembering the founders and our predecessors, as they worked to prepare the city that we enjoy today. In this Community Guide, we are taking a walk down memory lane by sharing images of Great Falls dating back to the 1800s, kindly donated by the Cascade County Historical Society and The History Museum. We hope they will bring you the same joy they brought us as we reminisced about the rich history of our city. Our deepest desire for this publication is to show growth, success, and sustainability in the community we love so much. Saying we live in an incredible city, let alone an incredible State is an understatement. We have all heard people talk about places outside of Montana saying things like, "It would be great to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there." But Great Falls holds a different thought, because here we are, experiencing an influx of growth and new community members who have visited here and have decided to now call Great Falls home. We know this is simply because of the individuals in our community who continue to be genuinely welcoming, and we expect no less because that is our 'Montana Way". We are proud of our award-winning schools, our wide selection of healthcare options, and our recreational opportunities along the Missouri River. We have become the hub of tourism for visitors heading to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks and many national forests, all of which are perfect for camping and hiking. Great Falls has very special gifts! Our area has powerful economic drivers including agriculture, tourism, health care, energy, a thriving downtown, and much more on the horizon. The growth of affordable housing is exciting and a boon to our economy. Malmstrom Air Force Base and the Montana Air National Guard, combined with a replacement of our Minuteman III ICBMs being upgraded to the "Sentinel" program brings certainty of more economic growth. This military upgrade will add several jobs in several industry sectors, such as construction, scientists, engineers, technologists, and especially new military families entering Great Falls. We hope our newcomers find Great Falls as inspiring as we do. The opportunities to develop and plan for more growth are as vast as the Big Sky Country we call home. This Community Guide is the perfect way to tell your friends outside of our Great Falls Area, and Montana, what makes us special, and we hope you enjoy it to its fullest! It is a privilege to serve you.