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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Bill could gut GMO ordinance, group says ... Our View: We are not ready for The Really Big One ... Serious crime down in Medford ... Bill could gut GMO ordinance, group says ... Our View: We are not ready for The Really Big One ... Serious crime down in Medford ... BUSINESS Medford moving up in economic rankings 'Best-Performing Cities' report shows city is trending in the right direction Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 29, 2015 at 6:35 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 29, 2015 at 6:35 PM » Social News Medford's improving economy is masked in part by a delayed recovery that only began manifesting itself statistically in 2014. The Milken Institute's "Best-Performing Cities" report shows a stirring from the dismal days of the Great Recession that technically ended in July 2009, but the report released earlier this month is based on 2013 data. Minoli Ratnatunga, co-author of the "Best-Performing Cities" report, told attendees at the 12th annual Southern Oregon Business Conference Thursday that Medford had plenty of good news. She suggested data shared by University of Oregon economist Tim Duy will strengthen the local economy's position in relationship to its peers when the numbers are crunched for later reports. Medford moved up in the report to No. 91 from No. 114 out of 179 small markets, with populations of less than 300,000. "What was most surprising to me was the high-tech performance," Ratnatunga said. Milken looks at job growth, wage and salary growth, and high-tech concentration, diversity and growth. Medford dropped to No. 11 from No. 1 during the year in the high-tech diversity measure. She said the change had more to do with expansion elsewhere than weaker performance here. "Shifts in the national economy can make you look less concentrated even if you have a steady growth year," Ratnatunga said. Unlike major metropolitan areas with massive technological firepower or academic drivers, the Rogue Valley relies on start-ups.  You have organic growth here, not the result of a big research university and its spin-offs, or a major employer campus suddenly deciding to locate here," Ratnatunga said. "Rather it comes from local people's entrepreneurism and money from elsewhere." Prior to the housing bubble, credit crisis and recession, Medford was a front-runner in such reports. In an interview, Ratnatunga suggested Medford was once again trending in the right direction. "We don't see (in the 2013 numbers) the recent growth you've had here," she said. "I would expect you'll see Medford continue rising up the ranks." Of the small Oregon cities tracked by Milken, Bend shined brightest, at No. 45, propelled by one-year job growth and high-tech activity. Corvallis was No. 105.   "Across the board, Eugene being the exception, Oregon metros all have a pretty impressive high-tech performance," Ratnatunga said. "Portland is leading the pack, it has the most growth out of any of the large metros out of 200 in high-tech output during 2013." While economic data has shown that Oregon's rural areas have lagged in a variety of ways in job and wage growth, being closer to Portland doesn't necessarily ensure better performance. "Salem doesn't actually perform that well in tech measures, except for growth, and that's with a low base," she said. "Maybe if you're near a big metropolitan area known for tech, you may lose people who are migrating into the big cities to get those jobs." Oregon's overall tech performance may open other doors, Ratnatunga said. "Once you make it onto the site selector's list, they'll start looking at availability of space, the employability of the population for their particular needs and that kind of thing," she said. There are other factors necessary to attract employers and develop existing companies, said Ratnatunga, noting being far from major commercial centers isn't a deal killer. "I don't think being far away from a major metro is necessarily a disadvantage," she said. "You see a  lot of cities around a major metro like in the Bay Area where they become bedroom communities. Then it becomes very hard for people to spend on anything other than their houses and consumer goods; you don't have jobs created there." Areas with a highly educated population are attractive to companies, she said. Milken produced a study several years ago called "Matter of Degrees" that revealed the relationship between academic attainment and income. "We found for every extra year of schooling among the employed population, we saw a 10.5 percent increase in per capita GDP." Ratnatunga said attention to science, technology, engineering and mathematics course work is increasing nationally. "The importance of people being technology-able is important," she said. "It doesn't need to be a bachelor's degree, master's degree or Ph.D. Sometimes associate's degrees are the right thing to fill the position." Communities also have to be prepared for opportunities before they arrive, she said. "Every city has to work hard to continue to adapt to a changing economy. That involves making sure you invest in your infrastructure and have available sites for new companies and are developing a workforce. It's an ongoing struggle." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 , and read his blog at www.mailtribune.com/Economic Edge .             By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 29, 2015 at 6:35 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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