Infrastructure
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Located on the perimeter of Kalispell’s northeastern city limits, the Glacier Rail Park has immediate access to U.S. Highway 2 and is only 10 minutes from Glacier Park International Airport. Due to its location and a design specifically tailored for industrial companies with freight inventory, the park is a great match for expanding industrial businesses. Glacier Rail Park offers a valuable, established infrastructure for any activity requiring rail service. Every lot is equipped with on-site rail, wastewater management, municipal water and utilities. In addition, site pads are graded and ready for construction. Rail to the tenant's building can be designed to spec and built to suit. Costs for engineering and construction of rail are included in the lease or sale price. In addition, truck and highway access meets both the needs of industry and Montana Department of Transportation's requirements.
This infrastructure combination is not available in any other location in the Flathead; it’s also a rare find in other rail parks. Naturally, these amenities increase the cost of land in the Glacier Rail Park but for rail-served businesses this shovel-ready property provides an excellent value and easy transition. Call Kim Morisaki at 406-257-7711 x3 or kim@dobusinessinmontana.com to discuss your plans and learn what resources are available to grow your business in the Flathead Valley. |
Drone footage of the Glacier Rail Park on July 29, 2019.
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Availability
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For businesses interested in becoming a tenant of Glacier Rail Park, lots range in size from 3 to 10 acres and are zoned as “heavy industrial.” All sites are graded and ready for construction.
Utilities:
Roads:
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Tony Brockman Photo
Prices and lease rates include access to common area track and use of a private access road built to specification for industrial traffic and convenient, signalized access to U.S. Hwy 2. All utilities are available at the edge of each lot and storm water detention is available for all sites.
Options for financing packages, custom incentives, equipment grants and workforce training grants are all available. Call our team of economic development professionals for a customized package of both costs and incentives for your project. Kim Morisaki at 406-257-7711 x3 or kim@dobusinessinmontana.com |
Team Track & Transloading
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In addition to tenants, businesses that need regular access to the rail line can lease usage through Team Track. These businesses will share the line with other users, coordinating their usage with those businesses and the short line operator, Mission Mountain Rail, a subsidiary of Watco Railways. Team Track users provide their own insurance, labor, trucks and equipment for loading and unloading onto the rail cars. Typical team track users include companies that require consistent, but limited access to track a certain number of days each month and are able to provide their own trucks, equipment and employees for loading or unloading product.
Transload services are available for users of the rail that aren’t located in the rail park but still need products delivered to and loaded upon rail cars or taken from rail cars and delivered to their businesses around Northwest Montana. These businesses would contract with the short line operator, Mission Mountain Rail, on an as-needed basis and would typically be a business that only required occasional, sporadic or one-time only use of rail. |
Tony Brockman Photo
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Distance from BNSF
The rail park is located in BNSF’s Great Northern Corridor, with access to West Coast, Great Lakes and Canadian markets. BNSF and Mission Mountain Railroad, a subsidiary of Watco Railways, have communicated with potential tenants and worked closely on the design of the rail park to ensure that it meets rail needs. BNSF also has property neighboring the rail park that offers 39 additional rail-served, industrial-zoned acres available for development.
Public Private Partnership
The City of Kalispell and Flathead County Economic Development Authority are committed to ensuring development in the Glacier Rail Park is simple and straightforward. The industrial park was designed with hands-on engineering from BNSF, Watco Railways and Mission Mountain Railroad. The Glacier Rail Park’s development coordinator, Kim Morisaki, personally connects developers with the correct people, identifies necessary permits, and is available to assist if challenges surface. Kalispell wants your business and all entities are committed to ensure the planning and development of your facility is efficiently managed.
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Leadership
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Flathead County Economic Development Authority
As Flathead County’s economic development arm, the Flathead County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) responsibly invests public funds into local projects that produce a strong return in job retention and creation, and in infrastructure that attracts or retains business. The FCEDA board is comprised of individuals possessing years of combined business and real estate experience with a track record of success in entrepreneurial endeavors. Funding for investments made by the board are supported by a two mill levy, set in place by the Flathead County Commissioners. For more information, visit www.dobusinessinmontana.com or www.flatheadcountyeda.com. |
Photo by Brenda Ahearn, Daily Inter Lake
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City of Kalispell
Kalispell is a dynamic community located within a stone’s throw of Flathead Lake, Whitefish Mountain Resort, Glacier National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and several national and state forests. The city is the retail, professional, medical, and governmental center of the Flathead Valley, serving nearly 150,000 people in Northwest Montana. It is also the valley’s historical and cultural core. The city is governed by a mayor, eight-member council, city manager and departmental heads. To-date, city officials have been heavily involved in the Core & Rail Redevelopment and are pleased to see the project becoming a reality after decades of planning. For more information, visit www.kalispell.com. |
FCEDA Board Members
Turner Askew
Turner Askew has been a FCEDA board member since its inception and a resident of the Flathead Valley since 2004. Over the span of his fifty-year career in real estate, Turner has served on a multitude of boards with organizations such as North Valley Hospital and Whitefish City Council. He is also a Montana Ambassador and in 2003, the governor named him Ambassador of the Year for the State of Montana. Turner has a passion for Montana residents because of their strong work ethic and lack of pretense. He is dedicated to ensuring that the privileges Montanans enjoy, remain privileges in the midst of economic growth. He serves as chairman of the board.
Jeannie Luckey
Jeannie Luckey is a thirty-year resident of Flathead County and an original member of the founding FCEDA board. This longevity, combined with her expertise in business ownership and financial planning, have equipped Jeannie to approach economic and community development in the Flathead with confidence. Jeannie has served the Flathead County in numerous roles, including leadership positions such as president of the Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Kalispell Regional Medical Center Board, and president of Kalispell’s chapter of the Montana Ambassadors. Highly respected in the community, Jeannie has also received numerous honors including the Kalispell Chamber’s Business Woman of the Year and the Great Chief Award. Currently, Jeannie owns and operates a consulting branch of Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.
Lyle Mitchell
Lyle Mitchell is a longtime resident of Montana and a third-term member of the FCEDA board. Years of experience with small business ownership and insurance have instilled in Lyle a strong understanding of risk-management and economic impact. A servant of the community, Lyle has held roles in organizations such as the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce, the Columbia Falls school board, and Kiwanis. He is a proud member of the FCEDA board, which he believes is leading initiatives important to the economic vitality of the entire Flathead County. As a grandparent with family in the area, Lyle has a vested interest in solving local issues and developing the area’s potential.
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Paul Johannsen
Paul Johannsen launched his second term on the FCEDA board in January 2016. A lifelong resident of Montana, he has been in the Flathead Valley since 2003. Paul possesses an extensive background in banking and real estate and leverages his business expertise to strengthen economic development efforts in Flathead County. He has served as a board member on the Whitefish Community Foundation and chair for Glacier Airport Enhancement and Retention Outreach. Currently, Paul is the owner of National Parks Realty and a managing member of Great Northern Ventures.
Rick Blake
Rick Blake has found success in both large and small businesses. Prior to moving to Whitefish in 1999, he was a senior executive in the automotive and heavy equipment industries. Today, Rick’s passion for business and job creation is matched by his willingness to make investments and take risks on behalf of entrepreneurs. His background in business has provided him a capacity to fully understand the needs of start-up companies from low to high-tech. Rick’s commitment to philanthropic efforts is evident through his family’s longstanding support in the arts, education, healthcare, and athletics throughout the Flathead Valley and beyond.
Tony Brockman
Tony Brockman is a lifelong resident of the Flathead and a graduate of the Leadership Montana program. He has worked on local, state, and national endeavors ranging from the state legislature and the Montana Meth Project, to the American Cancer Society. He currently serves on the board of directors for Humanities Montana, the state affiliate for the National Endowment for the Humanities, and MontanaPBS. He is proud to work with FCEDA to continue building upon their history of leveraging public and private resources benefiting the economic vitality of Flathead County.
Justin Ahmann
Justin Ahmann was appointed to the FCEDA board in 2016. A background in civil engineering and railroad inspired Justin to join the FCEDA board and partner to strengthen economic opportunity in Flathead County. Throughout his career, Justin has worked with a variety commercial and residential clients, helping him to develop a sharp eye for investment and return. He has also served on a number of local committees geared toward zoning and utility management, and brings personal experience in start-up management to the board. Justin is passionate about the outdoor opportunities available in Montana, and is proud to raise his family in the Flathead.
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City of Kalispell
Back Row, Left to Right: Rod Kuntz, Phil Guiffrida, Mayor Mark Johnson, Kyle Waterman, Sandy Carlson.
Front Row, Left to Right: Tim Kluesner, Kari Gabriel, Wayne Saverud, Chad Graham
Staff
Doug Russell
Manager
City of Kalispell Tom Jentz
Director
Kalispell Planning Department Tom Jentz has served as the Director of the Kalispell Planning, Building and Community Development Department since 2005. From 2001 – 2005 Tom served as the director of the former Tri-City Planning Office serving the cities of Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls. From 1983 to 2001 he served in various capacities including director of the former Flathead Regional Development Office which provided joint planning services to Flathead County and its three cities. Tom was also the City Planner for Lewiston, Idaho from 1979-1983 and served as the land use planner for a five-county planning office in southeastern North Dakota from 1977-1979. He received a Master's Degree in Community and Regional Planning from North Dakota State University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Katharine King
Community Development Manager
Community and Economic Development Department Katharine King is the Community and Economic Development Assistant Director at the City of Kalispell, where she has been employed since 2008. Katharine focuses on downtown revitalization, historic preservation, workforce housing, tourism, grant writing and administration, and more. During her time, Katharine has successfully helped develop and implement multiple EPA Brownfields grants. Prior to employment at the City, Katharine served as Executive Director of two Flathead Valley non-profits. In 2014, Katharine earned recognition as a Certified Economic Developer through the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). A former founding member of the Northwest Montana Community Land Trust Board of Directors, Katharine currently serves on the Conrad Mansion Museum Board of Directors. |
Jerry Meerkatz
President/CEO Flathead County Economic Development Authority & Montana West Economic Development Jerry assumed the role of Montana West’s President and CEO in August of 2016, bringing an extensive range of expertise. During his 35 year career in business management, his experience ranged from leadership roles in tech industry giants including Hewlett Packard and Compaq, to ushering a start-up company to success. His experience in that enterprise company fueled Jerry’s passion to help new and expanding local businesses thrive. With his roots in the Flathead Valley, Jerry is a natural fit to lead Montana West Economic Development. Kim Morisaki
Director, Business Development and Marketing
Flathead County Economic Development Authority & Montana West Economic Development Combining eleven years of exceptional management and entrepreneurship experience, Kim oversees business development and special projects for Montana West Economic Development and Flathead County Economic Development Authority, assisting new and expanding businesses in their pursuit of financial resources and expertise. Kim provides counseling and technical assistance for MWED clients as they work through their business plan needs. Additionally she acts as Project Manager for the development of the Glacier Rail Park, owned by Flathead County Economic Development Authority. In her spare time, Kim stays actively involved in the local Japanese community and Montana’s Kumamoto Club. Occasionally, she and her husband work as agents for a Japanese export company located in LA and specialize in finding American products that will suit Japanese tastes. |
