Summer 2010
Innovation and Impact: New Technology Alliance Report Measures the Vital Contributions of Technology-based Industries to the Washington Economy
Just how important are Washington’s innovative industries to our statewide economy?
Very, judging by the results of the Technology Alliance’s latest study. With 381,546 direct employees, wages and other compensation totaling more than $42 billion, and $133 billion in sales, innovation’s impact is felt throughout The Evergreen State.
Technology-based industries generate new knowledge, products and services based on innovation, and tend to have a significant portion of their workforce (15.6%, or twice the state average for all industries) devoted to research and development. Industries that meet this definition include aerospace, software publishing, architecture and engineering, electrical equipment manufacturing, and telecommunications.
The 381,546 jobs in technology-based industries represent 13.2% of total employment in the state. While the most significant concentrations are found in King, Benton, Clark, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane, nine other counties boast more than 1,000 technology-based jobs. All counties benefit from not only direct technology-based employment, but also its multiplier effects.
With an average salary and benefits package of $110,145 – compared to an all-industry average of $57,654 – and 75% of products and services exported out-of-state, the innovation sector produces significant multiplier effects that ripple throughout our economy, in industries ranging from retail and construction to recreation and personal services. All told, technology-based industries support more than 1.2 million jobs, equivalent to 42% of total employment in Washington.
“It is clear that our high-impact, high-growth industries are the ones that will lead our state out of the downturn,” observed Technology Alliance Chair Jeremy Jaech.
“We need to better appreciate what an essential jobs engine the tech sector is for our state, and we must let this be our guide when it comes to formulating state policy.”
The study, which is based on data from the second half of 2008 and first half of 2009, was conducted by William B. Beyers of the University of Washington’s Department of Geography. It is the sixth study produced by the Technology Alliance measuring the vital contributions of Washington’s technology-based industries to the state economy since 1996. Download the complete report
The New Industrial Revolution: Alliance of Angels Recognizes Modumetal as 2010 Company of the Year
Imagine if you could grow metal that is stronger but lighter than steel. Imagine creating new materials and coatings that are more durable than conventional metals, using a cost-effective, green manufacturing process. Imagine what you could build – and build better – from armor and airplanes, to bridges and pipelines.
The team at Modumetal dared not only to dream it, but to do it. Welcome to the new industrial revolution.
New AoA Fellow Swoops in to Work with Investors and Entrepreneurs
Our signature program to support entrepreneurial investment, Alliance of Angels, recently welcomed a new face to the team who counts among her various skills “the ability to maneuver potholed roads carrying live chickens on a motorcycle.”
Intrigued? So were we.
Meet second-year MBA student Alissa Johnson, our 2010-2011 William H. Gates Sr. Fellow in Innovation & Entrepreneurship.
Tomorrow’s Companies Today: July 13th Innovation Showcase to Highlight New Crop of Medical and Green Technologies Ready for Commercialization
A disposable card that enables physicians to perform common screening tests in a single patient visit. A material used to build low cost, virtually maintenance-free “green” roadways. A new kind of glass that will reduce the energy consumed to heat and cool buildings.
These are just a few of the exciting innovations that will be featured at the next Innovation Showcase on July 13th.
Technology Alliance Elects Five Outstanding Business Leaders to Board
The Technology Alliance was pleased to welcome new board members Ewan Duncan, Doug Francisco, Sean McLeod, Susan Sigl, and Scott Silver during the first half of 2010. They are the latest in a long line of forward-thinking business and community leaders to devote their considerable talents to advance our organization’s vision of a vibrant innovation economy for Washington and its citizens.
Aquatic Oil Spill Expert Usha Varanasi to Open the 2010-2011 Season of the Science & Technology Discovery Series
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska left a lasting impression in our minds, and a lasting impact on the environment and livelihood of our neighbors to the north. The memory of that fateful day in Prince William Sound is recalled, two decades later, by distressing images of oil gushing unchecked from an undersea well in the Gulf of Mexico; of pristine sandy beaches marred by pools of sludge, of floating fish carcasses and slick-coated birds, and of entire communities wondering how they will recover, so soon after rebuilding in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
What did we learn 20 years ago that can help us respond to the devastation wreaked today?
On September 10th, Dr. Usha Varanasi, director of the Northwest Fisheries Science Center, will examine the legacy of Exxon Valdez and the effects of oil spills on aquatic ecosystems to kick off the new season of our Science & Technology Discovery Series.
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
It has been a busy Spring for the TA. In case you missed out, here is a selection of media coverage of our recent events and activities:
- High-tech Employment Growing in Whatcom County
- Bellingham Herald, 7/4/10
- Tech Alliance's Susannah Malarkey on Four Things Seattle Could Learn from Boston, and One Big Northwest Advantage
- Xconomy, 6/29/10
- Clay Christensen Speaks at Technology Alliance on Disruptive Innovations in Education, Health, VC
- Xconomy, 5/18/10
- Why the Seattle Tech Community Gets the Mt. Rainier Treatment
- TechFlash, 5/17/10
- Harvard's Clayton Christensen on the Economics of Disruption
- TechFlash, 5/17/10
- Tech Alliance: Tech Companies Provide 13% of State Jobs
- Seattle Times, 5/17/10
- Technology Alliance Showcases Five Companies in Sensors, Mobile Displays, and Drug Therapies: Investors Take Notice
- Xconomy, 4/22/10
New on the Web
Check out our State of Technology Luncheon photo gallery, featuring keynote speaker Clay Christensen, TA Chair Jeremy Jaech, AoA Company of the Year honoree Christina Lomasney, and more.
Our complete economic impact report, which provides a detailed analysis of Washington's increasingly innovation-driven economy, is available for download from our Publications & Policy page.
Important Dates
- July 13
- Innovation Showcase
- 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
- Rainier Square Conference Center, Seattle
- July 30
- Alliance of Angels 10 Minute Pitch Clinic
- 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
- 1301 5th Avenue #2500, Seattle
- September 10
- Science & Technology Discovery Series
- Featuring: Usha Varanasi, Northwest Fisheries Science Center
- 7:30 am - 9:00 am
- Rainier Club, Seattle
- September 16
- Technology Alliance Board Meeting
- 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
- Location TBA
- September 23
- Community Leadership: Advocate, Resource & Partner in Advancing STEM Education
- Co-presented by Institute for Systems Biology and the Technology Alliance
- 3:30 pm - 6:30 pm
- Town Hall, Seattle
- October 8
- Science & Technology Discovery Series
- Featuring: Andy McShea, Theo Chocolate
- 7:30 am - 9:00 am
- Rainier Club, Seattle
