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R egion does court companies With all the talk of the rich and poor gap here in Oregon, why hasn't Southern Oregon gone after the high-paying electronic jobs to replace the timber jobs lost because of the so-called "tree huggers?" -- Elmer F., Shady Cove Elmer, Rogue Valley economic development officials say they'd love to see high-paying electronics jobs here as much as you would. "We've gone after them," says Gordon Safley, executive director of Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development Inc. The valley has landed some high-technology manufacturing in recent years, most notably the BOC Edwards high-purity gas plant that opened last year. But it hasn't seen the massive plants that the Portland area has. Safley says efforts to bring those big plants here have faced two main challenges: a perceived lack of work force and a lack of secondary electronic services. He says companies looking at building large plants here have expressed concerns about having enough qualified people to fill those jobs. Safley says existing high-tech employers like Eastman Kodak report no major difficulties fillings openings, but the size of the valley's population remains too small for some companies. Safley says local officials are convinced that the work force is there for larger companies, though they want to be cautious about attracting one giant plant. The fear is that putting so many economic eggs in the basket of one company could prove a mistake if that company were to falter. Big companies generally want their employees to represent no more than 2 percent of the total workforce in an area, Safley says. December data from the Oregon Employment Department for Jackson and Josephine counties shows a work force of 120,750, which would limit the size of any one plant to about 2,400 workers. The other thing Safley says is an issue is the number of secondary businesses here that are able to provide service and parts to electronics manufacturers. Many companies prefer to cluster around larger areas where those parts and services are more readily available so repairs can be made quickly. Competition is fierce for electronic companies because of the higher pay. Still, Safley says the Rogue Valley has a lot to offer. "We have a good location," he says. "We have the land and we think we have the work force." (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA