Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership: An Economic Impact Analysis

The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), founded in 1988, is a network of non-profit agencies staffed by industry professionals and consultants. Historically, MEP has sought to increase the competitiveness of small to mid-size enterprises (which as a group comprise 99% of all U.S. manufacturing firms) by providing expert guidance and access to resources. In recent years, the severe economic recession sparked increased interest in the strength of the manufacturing sector, due to its longtime status as one of the major drivers of the domestic economy. Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership (OMEP), the Oregon branch of MEP, works to provide data-driven analysis and consulting services within the state, improving productivity and competitiveness on both a local and international scale. The Northwest Economic Research Center has provided two previous analyses of OMEP’s contribution to regional manufacturing, using data collected from participating firms to estimate OMEP’s impact on output, employment, and tax revenues. This third report carries the analysis forward into 2014. The survey data consists of firm-level estimates of OMEP contributions to sales, employment, investment, and new product development (relative to expected production levels without OMEP). NERC used the industry-standard modelling software package IMPLAN, which produces estimates of the total impact of OMEP across multiple sectors, considering both direct and indirect effects