Area’s biotech strength touted at show

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, June 9, 2004

Snohomish County representatives are part of a Washington state delegation at the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s annual convention in San Francisco this week.

Expanding the county’s biotech industry is a priority for the Snohomish County Economic Development Council, an official said.

“Absolutely,” said Debbie Emge, the vice president of business development for the council. “It’s one of the leading growth industries in the Untied States, and Snohomish County has 25 percent of the Washington biotech industry.”

The state’s delegation is pitching advantages of locating in Washington to companies at the convention. EDC president Deborah Knutson has arranged meetings with some companies that could be interested in moving here, Emge said.

The council also continues to lobby on issues important to the industry, particularly higher education, she said.

Washington’s biotech industry is the fifth-largest in the nation, according to a one national survey. Many of the companies are located in an area in south county that was marketed for many years as the biotech corridor.

A 2003 state survey found there were 30 biotech companies employing close to 3,500 people in Snohomish County, said Donna Thompson, a state labor market analyst who wrote the report.

The average annual salary was $83,656 a year, she said.

“Biotech wages are well above the average wages, while the size of the companies is relatively modest,” Thompson said. “It’s a few people making big bucks.”