A Roadmap for Oregon Bioscience Industry

Bioscience is the sleeping giant of Oregon business.Bioscience is the sleeping giant of Oregon business. This is not really good news for Oregon Bioscience Association Executive Director Dennis McNannay. Nor is it great for those in the industry, as they seek out funding and employees to meet the demands of this major growth area.

Bioscience in Oregon is recession-proof. It is the third largest growth industry, according to statistics from 2009, when the sector directly employed 14,221 people at 644 establishments. The industry grew 38.5 percent between 2001-2008, blasting through the recession at five times the 7 percent growth rate for Oregon’s private sector generally. Furthermore, this growth was double the national rate.

McNannay and his colleagues and members at Oregon Bio have decided that the lack of awareness plaguing the industry needs to be remedied. To help with this, a steering committee of members and others associated with the industry has been brought together to complete a “road map,” similar to one that was highly successful in Colorado. “We need to reach out to those in the industry, but also those outside,” McNannay says. 

He’s right. Bioscience and other affiliated industries are where all the new ideas begin; all the research that will enable people and animals to live long, high-quality lives begins here. That makes the industry not only exciting to become part of, but also of interest to anyone who lives, thinks, breathes and wants to continue doing this as long as possible.

Economically, the industry is important for Oregon. The average bioscience wage is $56,227 (2009 figures), or 41 percent higher than the average annual private sector wage in Oregon. To continue to recruit talent, the sector needs a known footprint. At present, very few realize just how important it is.

There are other partner industries that are not technically “bioscience,” but are also important to Oregon’s economic future. The medical device sector is growing here, and the City of Corvallis ranks fifth in the nation among small cities for its concentration of employment in that area. This same city is 11^th in research, testing and medical laboratories.

Another similar growth industry is agricultural feedstock and chemicals. This sector reported a more than 104 percent increase in employment and a 95 percent jump in the number of establishments from 2001-2008. This compared to national growth rates of 1.9 percent and 16 percent respectively.

In all, increased awareness translates into funding and more growth, something that every growing venture needs. The “road map” is but one of many steps the industry is taking to increase its awareness. Similar projects have been successful elsewhere. 

I remember working in the UK when the City of Cambridge and the surrounding area were undergoing growth awareness pains. This was in the early 1990s, and the bioscience sleeping giant had barely stirred. But people with a vision and an interest in waking up those who could help arouse the beast did just that. Today it remains a thriving industry, though challenged, certainly, by recessionary times.

From a human health and economic standpoint, we all stand to gain if this industry is given the awareness and funding it deserves.