| Biotech bonus
Portland Press Herald
February 8, 2003
A new University of Maine report says biotechnology is booming in the
state, with the industry generating nearly $432 million in sales and employing
3,690 people in 2002.
The researchers, assistant professor Todd Gabe and associate scientist
Tom Allen, reported the industry's secondary economic impact contributed
$685 million and supported 7,135 additional jobs.
A majority of the biotech jobs were concentrated in two main employers,
the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor and Idexx Laboratories in Westbrook,
which locally employ a bit more than 1,000 and a bit under 1,000, respectively.
The remainder of Maine's biotechnology workers are employed at smaller
companies with work forces of 100 or less, said Allen. Large companies
like Jackson and Idexx help attract scientists to the state, which in turn
helps develop smaller firms.
The study was funded
by the Maine Technology Institute and was conducted to "establish benchmarks for the size and vitality of this industry," said
Gabe.
"One of the more difficult aspects of working with biotechnology
is trying to define it," Allen said. "It's not an industry based
on the typical ways we define industry. We're talking about a technology
that appears across industries.
"Some studies
use a very narrow definition. Others use a very broad definition, from
farming to medical services. We tried to take a middle-of-the-road
definition."
In choosing which businesses
to include in the report, Gabe and Allen used a definition of biotechnology
that is "any technique that uses
living organisms or parts of organisms to make or modify products." There
were 80 companies and non-profit organizations counted in the study, and
about 60 percent of the jobs are located in York and Cumberland counties.
The report represents the first part of a broader study looking at questions
that include what challenges exist for growing the biotech sector in Maine,
what's happening in the rest of New England and what kinds of jobs are
provided by Maine biotech firms.
"This report gives us important and exciting information," said
Cheryl Timberlake, executive director of Maine Biotech, an industry trade
group. "Looking forward, we can expect considerable advancement in
the application of this technology, and the ability of this industry to
provide both educational and economic benefits for Maine people well into
the future."
Ricardo Munoz, marketing
manager at Idexx, said biotechnology has a "great
future" in Maine.
"If this state is dedicated to having more students and investment
in this kind of technology, I think it would be a really good base for
small businesses," Munoz said. "They may generate good income
for the state."
Idexx, a publicly traded veterinary pharmaceutical company, employs more
than 2,100 people in 32 locations worldwide.
Maine Biotech noted that many of Maine's traditional industries, including
forestry, farming and fishing, have faced tough economic times recently.
Advances in biotech can help those industries, Maine Biotech said, and
could improve their economic stability.
"The key is creating the right environment for bioscience industries
to come to Maine, create high-quality jobs and grow the economy," said
Timberlake. | 
