Janicki Industries officially broke ground Friday on what the company says will become its largest manufacturing campus, a 180-acre development at Great Falls' AgriTech Park representing an estimated $800 million investment. The project is expected to bring more than 2,000 jobs to Great Falls, making it one of the largest single economic development announcements in Montana in recent memory.
Excavators were already lined up at the site as the groundbreaking ceremony took place, suggesting the project is moving quickly from announcement to construction. Janicki Industries, a Washington state-based aerospace and defense manufacturer, specializes in large composite structures and tooling — work that requires significant floor space and specialized equipment, both of which the Great Falls campus is designed to accommodate at scale.
For Helena, the development is a reminder of the competition Montana cities face in landing major employers. Great Falls has aggressively marketed its industrial land and workforce for large manufacturing projects, and the Janicki campus is a significant win for a city that has worked to diversify beyond its traditional agricultural and energy base.
The 2,000-job figure, if realized, would represent a transformative addition to the Great Falls workforce. The timeline for full buildout and hiring was not immediately specified, but the groundbreaking marks the formal start of construction on what state and local officials are calling a generational project for north-central Montana.