Cuts ribbon on new facility in Helena

HELENA, MT – Governor Greg Gianforte on July 29th, celebrated the expansion of a growing Montana business in Helena.

“It’s great to celebrate and thank business owners like Jack Clark for their investment in our state and communities,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Thanks to our pro-business, pro-job policies, businesses like 180 Water can grow and expand across Montana and create more good-paying jobs.”

Gov. Gianforte cutting the ribbon on the new 180 Water location in Helena

Originally founded in 2014 as Western Water Wells by owner and operator Jack Clark, 180 Water has recently expanded as a franchise operation to employ 60 Montanans across its locations in Helena, Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, Kalispell, and Sidney.

The company offers comprehensive water well drilling, pump installation, and maintenance for residential clients, commercial enterprises, and public service entities.

Attending a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new 180 Water location in Helena, the governor visited with Clark to hear more about his company’s statewide investment.

“I started in the water well industry 10 years ago, and before I began this business there wasn’t an avenue available for Montanans looking to get involved. Now, we have ten locations across Montana with anywhere from one to three trucks in each area servicing everything from residences to family farms and ranches,” Clark said.

Expanding water and sewer infrastructure to ultimately increase the supply of affordable housing is a top priority for the governor.

In July 2022, Gov. Gianforte stood up a diverse, bipartisan Housing Task Force to provide recommendations to make housing more affordable and attainable for Montanans. In line with one of the task force’s recommendations, the governor proposed the Home Ownership Means Economic Security (HOMES) Program in his Budget for Montana Families.

Signing into law House Bill 819, the governor invested over $175 million to increase the supply of affordable workforce housing, including a $105 million investment in the governor’s HOMES program to expand water and sewer infrastructure.