Washington-based Janicki Industries is eyeing a Town Pump-owned parcel along Highway 12 in East Helena for a new facility that could bring hundreds of jobs to the area, according to local officials.
In mid-January, company representatives toured area sites, including the Lamping Field parcel purchased by Town Pump in 2018, and met with East Helena Mayor Kelly Harris, Helena Mayor Emily Dean and East Helena Schools Superintendent Dan Rispens.
“They have expressed specific interest here,” Harris said. “They were doing some due diligence of places that they think might fit the bill for what they’re looking for.”
Janicki specializes in aerospace and defense design and construction, with facilities ranging from a 120-employee plant in Utah to a 350-job factory in Washington state. The size and investment of a future East Helena facility could vary significantly depending on what Janicki decides to manufacture.
“It depends on what they decide to do,” said Brian Obert, executive director of the Montana Business Assistance Connection (MBAC). “They still don’t know whether they’re going to be doing hard part machining or composites layup, and the investment changes substantially depending on which way they would go.”
Janicki put out a request for information to Montana communities through the Montana Department of Commerce’s Business Attraction Group. Economic development organizations around Montana, including MBAC, responded with information about potential sites. Of the Montana communities whose sites were presented, Great Falls, Helena/East Helena and Butte were selected for tours.
“We have made it through the first selection round to get to this point,” Obert said.
Several factors make the Helena area competitive for this type of facility, according to Obert. The I-15 corridor is a boost for logistics, as Janicki often needs to move parts and products between plants and to clients.
Access to workforce and education is also critical, as today’s companies increasingly seek to develop a long-term local workforce.
“East Helena is a former smelter town,” Mayor Harris said. “The working men and women of this town care about the community. They care about the job they do. They’re people that go to work and work hard every day.”
During the tour, representatives visited East Helena High School to view career and technical education classes including welding and construction. Early STEM programs were also a draw. “Catching kids at a young age in all things STEM and STEAM [science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics] is very important,” Obert said.
Janicki representatives asked about available housing and learned of East Helena’s plan to build some 6,000 homes on former smelter lands by 2045.
“Many communities talk about addressing housing availability and affordability. Few are really doing much,” Obert said. “Obviously East Helena was exciting for the firm.”
Manufacturing facilities like those Janicki operates typically bring significant economic multiplier effects beyond direct employment. According to a 2018 study commissioned by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, manufacturing firms have an average job multiplier of two – meaning for each direct manufacturing job, approximately one additional local job is created through suppliers and increased retail activity.
Such growth also increases state and local tax revenue, boosts property values and raises wages across the community, the study found. For East Helena, a facility employing several hundred workers could mean substantial growth in housing demand, retail expansion and tax base.
As of Feb. 11, Janicki had announced no timeline for choosing a plant site. Obert thought it could take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of years. “This is a business that is very serious about their ability to grow with their work demands,” he said.
Harris said East Helena officials remain ready to provide additional information if requested. In a Jan. 29 statement, Janicki Marketing Manager Erin Hurley informed The Monitor that the company remained in the evaluation phase.
“At this time, we are not in a position to comment on specific locations, timelines or potential operational details,” Hurley said. “We are exploring expansion opportunities in multiple states, including Montana, and are in the process of reviewing Requests for Information responses and conducting feasibility studies. We will share more information publicly when that work is complete.”
