Regional Economic Development

Economic development officials around the state are trying to get the word out that Idaho has a strong science- and technology-based economy.

Colleges and universities in major cities are becoming increasingly influential in urban development circles. The intellectual capital of universities, particularly in the sciences, has become a critical component in global economies driven by high-tech and biotechnology interests.

A key finding is that the firms studied generally initiated
exporting in reaction to customer inquiries, not as a planned strategy.

Most of their efforts are local, planning special events to sell wine on location, or peddling their wares at nearby farmer’s markets, state fairs and wine festivals. Others are branching out, banding together with neighboring wineries to create "wine trails," for example, and to share marketing costs.

"The Web is a critical marketing tool in our economic development efforts," Van Camp said. "Our new site features more maps, more demographic and statistical information, an improved 50-state comparison application and an updated South Dakota Profile," she said. "Additionally, visitors to our site will find the new information is easier to download."

"Most people don’t know we have a wine industry here. It’s finally starting to grow," said Ron Bitner, a veteran who has been growing grapes for a quarter century. "What we’d really like to get going here in the valley is tourism."

Only Nevada and Utah are outpacing Idaho in terms of annual percentage growth in nonagricultural employment.

Half of a new 48-acre business park at State Line has been spoken for and marketing efforts haven’t even started.

Is Seattle destined to become the nation’s hub for biotechnology, the place where cures for cancer, AIDS, arthritis and Alzheimer’s could be discovered?

Microsoft Corp. billionaire Paul Allen and his company Vulcan Inc. say it is, and that South Lake Union, a long-overlooked commercial and industrial area north of downtown, will be where it happens.

"The mountain states region is well known as one of the country’s most dynamic and growing homebuilding markets," James H. McGraw IV, group publisher for McGraw-Hill Construction, said in a statement issued by the company. "With its range of urban, suburban and mountain residences, it is the perfect location for launching the My House concept."