FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2015
Contact:
Pat Walsh, Vox PRPA, 541-434-7021, pat@voxprpa.com
Oregon Delegation Announces Manufacturing Designation for Oregon
Communities
PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden were joined by
Oregon Congressmen Peter Defazio, Earl Blumenauer, Kurt Schrader and
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici today in announcing that Oregon and SW
Washington have received a manufacturing designation under the Investing in
Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative for the Pacific Northwest
Partnership Region. This designation means that the Pacific Northwest Partnership
Region will receive coordinated support for their manufacturing strategies from eleven
federal agencies with more than $1 billion available in federal economic development
assistance.
A 16-county bi-state region, the manufacturing designation announced today includes
130 urban, suburban, and rural communities stretching from southwest Washington to
south of Eugene, Oregon. The Pacific Northwest Manufacturing Partnership (PNMP) has
identified advanced materials sciences as its focus, with advanced wood products and
cross laminated timber as the catalytic project area, to introduce innovation into a longstanding industry.
“Manufacturing is crucial to the success of Oregon’s economy and this new designation
will help bring more federal dollars and put Oregonians to work in good paying
jobs,” said Senator Jeff Merkley. “This proposal will not only help the manufacturing
industry but it will build on the strength of our traditional timber industry and help create
new markets for cross laminated timber products. This is great news for the Pacific
Northwest.”
“A federal manufacturing designation puts an official title on what manufacturers and
consumers in the Pacific Northwest already know – that our region is a leader in
manufacturing and innovation,” said Senator Ron Wyden. “This designation will boost
Oregon’s productivity, attracting more investment and creating even greater opportunities
for local manufacturers to compete on a national and international scale.”
“This is well-deserved recognition of the strong leadership in our area and across the
state,” said Congressman Peter Defazio. “I am hopeful that the priority access to federal
funding that this designation provides will help bolster our efforts to strengthen the
economy and create more jobs in cities and rural communities across Oregon.”
“Oregon is a manufacturing powerhouse, with manufacturing accounting for nearly half
of its GDP. This designation will further the Pacific Northwest Manufacturing
Partnership’s efforts in workforce development, good paying jobs and continue to bolster
the economic competitiveness of Oregon’s manufacturing industries as we seek newer
and bigger markets at home and abroad,” said Representative Earl Blumenauer.
“With Oregon leading the nation in manufacturing output, this designation will enable the
Pacific Northwest Manufacturing Partnership to continue to grow and create more
economic opportunity and good-paying jobs for Oregonians,” said Congressman Kurt
Schrader. “I commend the Department of Commerce for recognizing that Oregon is a
fast-growing hub of innovation and high-tech production.”
“As the manufacturing sector evolves, it continues to be a major driver of job creation
and economic growth in Oregon,” Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici said. “This
designation will provide Oregon with additional resources to expand manufacturing
opportunities, including new, innovative technology in the timber industry that could lead
to more sustainable building projects.”
The vision for the PNMP is to build on a traditional industry – wood products – and
modernize it for the 21st century. As both technologies and demands in the wood
products industry evolve, the inherent strengths of the PNMP region put it in a strong
position to take advantage of emerging cross laminated timber markets. The region has
articulated an opportunity with cross laminated timber— green building construction is
driving the use of new types of wood products, but currently no production of structural
cross laminated timber is occurring in the US. The timber industry in Oregon and
Washington is well positioned to orient itself to meet this market demand, and compete
effectively with foreign manufacturers in these emerging markets.
In order to qualify for a manufacturing designation, leaders from the private sector, local
government, higher education, local economic development organizations, and other
nonprofits worked together to identify a sector of manufacturing where their community
has a comparative advantage and drafted a strategic plan that addresses: workforce and
supply chain challenges; infrastructure; research and innovation; trade and investment;
capital access; and operational improvement for manufacturing companies.
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