via roanoke.com
Biomedical and biotechnical jobs led the region in growth last year, outpacing all other sectors.
The trend for growth is expected to continue, according to an analysis by the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission.
"The industry is fast becoming a strong and regionally significant engine for growth and prosperity," the report said.
Expanding on the region's growth in biosciences is partly tied to the maturation of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, which officially opened Wednesday with little fanfare.
The study showed that from 2006 to 2009, the region's overall rate of employment decreased 5 percent. However, employment in the biomedical and biotechnical sector increased nearly 8.9 percent during the same time.
"It's been quite dramatic in terms of the data," said John Hull, regional economic development manager for the commission and the person responsible for analyzing the trends for the report. "Things are happening here that aren't happening elsewhere."
Even as the sector has been identified as a significant area of economic growth potential nationally, the region's growth outpaced the nation's. Nationally, employment between 2006 and 2009 remained nearly stagnant, decreasing 0.29 percent, according to the report.
Building on the region's development in the biosciences means continuing to focus attention on things such as the new research institute, Hull said.
But for some in the community, the institute has seemingly taken a back seat to its partner the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, which began classes in August.
"We've heard a lot of talk about the medical school, but we hadn't heard a lot of people talking about the research institute," said Cory Donovan, executive director of the NewVa Corridor Technology Council. "A lot of people didn't know anything about it."
Donovan and other business leaders are looking to change the relative low profile of the institute, because they are convinced the institute is a key to the cultivating the region's economic growth in biomedicine, biotechnology and health care.
"People are just realizing that this is a huge opportunity and this is where a lot of the growth and job opportunities and economic development is going to come from," Donovan said.
In July, Donovan sought to galvanize the technology community about the potential by giving the podium to the research institute's executive director during the NCTC's monthly breakfast gathering.
It was a record crowd of nearly 150 people. After the presentation the hotel conference room was buzzing.
Michael Friedlander had been in his position as executive director of the institute for only six weeks and yet he had sparked an enthusiasm among the crowd that native business executives have long tried to elicit.
"We just got a glimpse of the future of Roanoke, and it's exciting," said Mary Miller, president of Blacksburg-based Interactive Design and Development Inc.
Friedlander ended his talk pleading for community support.
"We need community involvement," he said. "We can't do this in isolation."
An immediate response came in the form of a line as attendees with business cards in hand waited to speak to him.
Miller, who is also president of the NCTC board, said the institute allows the region to import an intelligence base that can help to stimulate more work force opportunities.
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