Great Falls, Montana – Governor Greg Gianforte joined business leaders and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking of a major new Janicki Industries manufacturing campus in Great Falls, marking the start of an investment expected to bring thousands of new jobs and significantly expand Montana’s manufacturing sector.
The new campus represents an $800 million investment and will cover approximately 1.6 million square feet on a 180-acre site within Great Falls’ AgriTech Park. By the time construction is complete, the project is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs.
State leaders described the development as one of Montana’s largest recent economic investments and said it reflects the state’s efforts to attract new employers.
“Montana is open for business, and we were proud to work with our local partners to attract a job creator like Janicki Industries, which chose Montana among many other states for its next major expansion,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Through its $800 million investment, Janicki will unlock a brighter future for over 2,000 Montanans in a good-paying job, inspire innovation, strengthen our economy, and support the growing community of Great Falls for years to come.”
Manufacturing expansion driven by growing aerospace and defense demand
Janicki Industries is a privately owned engineering and manufacturing company founded in 1993. Over more than three decades, the company has built expertise in advanced composites, precision machining, and metal fabrication.
Janicki operates more than one million square feet of manufacturing facilities in Washington and Utah, employing over 2,000 workers.
The new Montana campus will expand the company’s production capacity in those same areas to support increasing demand from customers in the aerospace, defense, and space industries.
According to company officials, the first phase of the Great Falls campus is expected to open by the end of 2027.
The expansion follows continued growth in aerospace and defense programs, which prompted the company to seek additional manufacturing space outside Washington.
Last month, Governor Gianforte and Janicki Industries President John Janicki announced that Great Falls had been selected as the location for the company’s newest production facility.
John Janicki said the groundbreaking reflects strong cooperation between the company and the local community.
“Breaking ground on this facility is proof of what’s possible when a community, a workforce, and a company all want the same thing,” said John Janicki. “Montana gives our people the chance to build something lasting: a good job, an affordable home, a place to raise a family. That’s what we look for, and Great Falls has it. We look forward to a vibrant, lasting partnership with Great Falls.”
When the company previously announced its decision, Janicki also explained why it chose Montana over other possible locations.
He said the company’s operations in Washington state had continued to grow, but that expansion there “is slowing due to ever-increasing regulations and lack of business understanding at an executive and legislative level.”
He further stated that in Washington, “Decisions at the state level not only make it difficult for our employees to achieve the American Dream, but it is making it difficult for us to create new jobs for future employees by investing in local growth.”
Governor Gianforte pointed to several policies his administration has pursued since taking office that he believes have made Montana more attractive for businesses.
Those efforts include reducing the state’s income tax brackets from seven to two, approving income tax reductions across all income levels, securing both immediate and long-term property tax relief, and supporting additional affordable workforce housing.
State officials said they expect the Janicki Industries campus to strengthen Great Falls’ economy for years to come by creating well-paying jobs, expanding advanced manufacturing, encouraging innovation, and supporting continued growth throughout the region.
