Portland Area Tech Sector Vibrant and Growing
Published Mar 06, 2007
An Intel technician checks wafers that are processing in a vertical diffusion furnace, one of many manufacturing steps.
While California may boast about the universally recognized Silicon Valley, it’s getting a run for its money these days from Oregon’s aptly dubbed Silicon Forest.
High-technology companies with household names like Intel, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft thrive in the Portland region alongside scores of tech-based entrepreneurial ventures and higher-education research initiatives.
“I’m very, very bullish in terms of where we are at this moment,” says Donald L. Krahmer Jr., a Portland attorney who specializes in technology and business. Krahmer, who serves on the Portland Business Alliance Board of Directors, has championed the cause of a vibrant technology economy here for the past two decades.
HUB FOR RESEARCH
Intel’s success is proof that the Portland region has emerged as a high-tech haven. “This is our largest site in the world and our most comprehensive,” says Bill MacKenzie, communication manager for Intel Oregon Corporate Affairs. “We have our most advanced research and development facilities here. Just about everything Intel does, we do in Oregon. This is where it all starts.”
The semiconductor company began in 1974 with the purchase of Washington County acreage that’s now known as the Aloha Campus, and two years later it launched operations with 300 employees. Today, Intel is Oregon’s largest employer with about 16,000 employees – all of whom work in and around Hillsboro – and an annual payroll of $1.5 billion.
Hewlett-Packard established its Vancouver, Wash., operations in 1979, and that location now houses research and design for inkjet printers, digital imaging, e-services, marketing, customer support and supply-chain operations.
Marcy Eastham, HP’s Northwest regional government affairs manager, says the higher-education options here contribute to the company’s success. “HP chose to locate in the Northwest for many reasons but certainly due to the proximity of top research universities,” Eastham says. “Those universities … are strong partners in research and development programs and also provide excellent engineering education for future employees.”
SPINOFFS AND STARTUPS
Industry giants such as Intel and HP have been breeding grounds for business spinoffs and startups, while other high-tech ventures have sunk roots into the Silicon Forest soil on their own, taking advantage of a business climate that nurtures technology-related sectors. Notable examples include Lattice Semiconductor, TriQuint Semiconductor, Siltronics, Pixelworks, the nonprofit Linux Foundation and Mentor Graphics, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2006.
With 4,200 employees globally and about 1,200 at its Wilsonville headquarters, Mentor Graphics operates 28 engineering sites and 48 sales offices around the world. The company is a leader in electronic design automation, which means it designs hardware and software to improve electronic products and to help engineers overcome design challenges presented by today’s complex computer boards and chips.
“Our mission hasn’t changed much since 1981,” says Sonia Harrison, senior public relations manager. “This is a really important function for design engineers.” Mentor Graphics continues to thrive in the region, she adds, with the automotive industry as the company’s newest customer.
Technology champion Krahmer says he has high hopes for Portland’s overall high-tech future “in terms of what we’re going to see a generation out. We don’t just have physical infrastructure, which is always an important piece, but there’s a lot of intellectual infrastructure being put in place to make sure we’re successful down the road.”
Story by Sharon H. Fitzgerald
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