Rising to Meet the Great Falls MSA Workforce Challenge

GFDA Investors and Friends,

Yesterday, the U.S. Census released population estimates for the year ending July 1, 2016. From July, 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016, the Census Bureau estimated that the Great Falls MSA (Cascade County) population shrunk by 0.4%. Today, the Montana Department of Labor released employment estimates for February which showed our MSA at a 4.0% unemployment rate, the second lowest rate in February on record.

Low unemployment is good. Shrinking population and workforce is not. Of the 7 major Montana urban areas, only one other had population shrinkage last year, Butte with 0.1% loss. Billings grew by 0.9%, Bozeman by 3.7%, Helena by 1.3%, Kalispell by 2.1% and Missoula by 1.9%.

The most recent year was unfortunately not an aberration. Over the 6 year period July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016, the U.S. Census estimates that the Great Falls MSA grew by only 0.5%. In the same period, Billings grew by 6.8%, Bozeman by 16.7%, Butte by 1.0%, Helena by 5.8%, Kalispell by 7.9%, and Missoula by 6.2%.

With 70% of the American economy driven by consumer spending, it will be difficult to continue to grow our local economy if we don’t also grow our population. And, local companies cannot expand if we don’t have the workforce.

Today at a lunch with Sen. Daines, we kicked off our strategic planning process: Great Falls 2022: What’s Next? I believe the single most important thing to consider in our new strategic plan is the workforce/population challenge.

First, can we succeed in attracting people/talent to grow our population. I say absolutely yes! We have a great product to sell. We just have to be hungry enough to put together the resources to sell it.

Second, can we continue to improve our community product to make it more competitive to retain and attract talent. I say absolutely yes! We have made many improvements, have more underway, and tremendous underutilized assets that we can build on.

Third, are we going to do this? I say absolutely yes! Because if we don’t, everything we have invested in this wonderful community will be for nought.

Last June, GFDA hosted a mini-summit looking at what other communities have done to retain and attract talent. We’ve learned from other communities what has worked and what hasn’t. Last month we commissioned a report to demonstrate the positive impact population growth would have on each sector of our economy so that we can show our investors how they would earn a return on investment. Tuesday night, the City Commission allocated $30,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds so we can commission a household labor survey to delve into why our labor participation rate is running 2% below the state and national average, and learn more about underutilized workforce skills. Similar studies we commissioned in 2003 and 2009 proved to be effective in helping us land Centene and Blue Cross Blue Shield claims processing centers.

We will be working with our current investors to put together our new priorities and the resources to implement them.

We cannot afford to sit by while other communities steal our talent. We need to step up efforts to continue to make our city more competitive in retaining and attracting people. We need to mount a professional, multi-year relocation marketing effort to effectively pitch our great community. And, we need to step up efforts to create higher wage career opportunities.

Our investors, coupled with smart priorities and aggressive work, have helped increase total annual wages by 12.5% or $161 million over the past 3 years. We’ve grown manufacturing jobs by an average of 7% a year for 4 years. We have a new rail industrial park, riverfront redevelopment, over 350 new apartments, a new 325+ seat call center, numerous entrepreneurial startups, two new hotels, the new East End Retail center, and more underway. Momentum is on our side.

Brett

Brett Doney
[email protected]
http://www.GFDevelopment.org
1-406-750-2119

Economic Growth, Diversification and High Wage Jobs

GFDA and High Plains Financial are Equal Opportunity Lenders.