[Vision2020] Boise's Dominance: Micron, HP

[Jeff Harkins]

Actually Ted, since Latah County derives about 
66% of its regional income from subsidies and 
transfer payments (yes, we are in effect a 
welfare county), if Boise were to suffer 
significant economic decline, we would feel the 
effect rather quickly (lower subsidies).

Since we don't have a robust export-based 
economy, we will never have economic power.  To 
have economic power, you first, have to pay your own way - we don't.

At 11:37 AM 6/3/2006, you wrote:
>All:
>
>One major reason Boise and Boise State have 
>gained advantages over North Idaho, Moscow and 
>the U of I can be summed up in one word:  computers.
>
>Micron is Idaho's largest private employer, 
>employing around 10,000 in the Boise area alone, 
>with HP adding another 4000 jobs to the Boise area.
>
>According to a 2005 economic analysis, Micron 
>alone accounts for 3.7 percent of Idaho's 
>economic activity, employs 24,000 statewide 
>(these are not low paying service sector 
>Wal-Mart/McDonalds jobs), and contributes one 
>billion (as in 1,000,000,000 $) dollars in personal income to Idaho.
>
>Read data here:
>
><http://download.micron.com/pdf/presentations/idahoimpact/micronimpact.pdf>http://download.micron.com/pdf/presentations/idahoimpact/micronimpact.pdf. 
>
>
>Many times around Moscow when I ask someone who 
>is Idaho's largest private employer I get an 
>answer that ignores Idaho's high tech economy.
>
>Take away just Micron and HP from Boise, and 
>this subtraction of economic power would shift 
>some of the influence of Boise/Boise State back to North Idaho and the U of I:
>
><http://www.boisechamber.org/ec_dev/employers.htm>http://www.boisechamber.org/ec_dev/employers.htm
>
>
>EMPLOYER NAME
>
>TOTAL JOBS (01/01/05)
>
>
>
>Micron Technology, Inc.
>
>
>
>9,500
>
>Mountain Home Air Force Base
>
>5,250**
>
>Saint Luke's Regional Medical Center
>
>4,300
>
>Boise School District
>
>4,000*
>
>Hewlett-Packard Company
>
>4,000
>-----------------
>
>This impacts the influence of Boise State:
>
><http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060505/NEWS0202/605050367/1029/NEWS02>http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060505/NEWS0202/605050367/1029/NEWS02
>
>
>Micron gives $5 million for BSU doctoral program
>
>The Micron Technology Foundation said Thursday 
>that it will donate $5 million to help Boise 
>State University develop its new Ph.D. program 
>in electrical and computer engineering.
>
>The doctoral program is a big step toward making 
>BSU a metropolitan research university with a 
>national reputation, university President Bob 
>Kustra said. Science and technology officials agreed.
>
>"We have lost our professors in the past to 
>other states because they had better grants for 
>research," said Jason Crawforth, president and 
>chief executive officer of Boise-based TreeTop 
>Technologies and a member of the Governor's 
>Science and Technology Advisory Council. "If you 
>think about it, money is what drives the best 
>professors to do the best research, and if you 
>have better professors, you have better students."
>Last year, BSU told the State Board of Education 
>it needed about $5 million over the next three 
>years to start the program, and then the school 
>could keep it funded through research grants. 
>Micron will spread $3 million of its gift over 
>the next four years and use the remaining $2 
>million to match other donations that BSU receives for the program.
>The engineering school plans to use the money to 
>add two or three new faculty positions, offer 
>competitive stipends to its doctoral students 
>and renovate its laboratories, said Cheryl 
>Schrader, dean of the College of Engineering.
>
>-------------
>
>And it looks like Micron is maintaining its 
>economic power on the global chip market, 
>despite the slowdowns and layoffs that happened 
>during the high tech collapse after the Clinton 
>years economic boom bubble burst:
>
><http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060518/NEWS0202/605180320/1029/NEWS02>http://www.idahostatesman.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060518/NEWS0202/605180320/1029/NEWS02
>
>
>Micron smiles for the camera
>Chip maker ready to unveil new technology that 
>will allow it to expand presence in digital camera market
>
>Micron Technology will unveil a new imaging chip 
>today that could help the company expand into the digital camera market.
>
>Micron, Idaho's largest private employer, 
>already dominates the mobile phone market. Its 
>CMOS — complementary metal-oxide semiconductor — 
>image sensors are used in one-third of the camera phones on the market.
>
>-------------
>
>Ted Moffett
>
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