GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Development Alliance (GFDA) is preparing to kick off 2025 with its annual Ignite Great Falls event, a celebration of growth, progress, and future development in the community. This highly anticipated event will showcase a variety of projects, announcements, and updates from local businesses, government, and the military.
“Every year, we like to kick off the New Year with a celebration,” said Jolene Schalper, Executive Vice President of GFDA. “We create some excitement about the development happening in our community over the next 12 months.”
A Preview of 2025 Developments
The Ignite event serves as a platform to preview the development projects planned for the coming year.
“This is a preview of development projects for 2025,” Schalper explained. “Some projects our guests will have known about, but they'll get a status update. Some projects are going to be brand new. We like to feature a variety—small businesses starting up, businesses expanding, updates from the military, and insights from the city and county.”
This year’s event will feature 29 speakers, each with a fast-paced three-minute window to present their projects, making it an engaging and informative session.
A Call for Businesses to Participate
Businesses with significant capital investments in 2025 are encouraged to participate. Those interested still have time to sign up to present their projects at the event.
Event Details
The Ignite Great Falls event is free and open to the public. It will be held on Friday, January 10th, at The Newberry in downtown Great Falls, from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early, as seating fills quickly.
- Lady Griz icon Malia Kipp has died
- New restaurants for Great Falls
- Memorial for Montana police officer
- Charges in the death of Selena Not Afraid
“Registration is encouraged, but not required,” Schalper added. “We typically run out of seating, so we encourage people to be there early.”
A Community United by Growth
Great Falls has experienced remarkable growth over the past five years, and Schalper attributes this success to a team effort.
“Especially over the last five years, Great Falls has grown quite a bit,” she said. “We’re very proud of the team effort that’s gone into making all of this success happen.”
The Ignite event promises to be an inspiring start to the New Year, celebrating the achievements of the Great Falls community and looking ahead to the opportunities of 2025.
For more information go to the GFDA website here or contact the coordinator here: CLeinhauser@GrowGreatFalls.org.
