Oregon is a place where business grows. The state of Oregon and its localities have specific competitive advantages over both neighbouring states as well as international locations.

Oregon’s business climate is consistently recognised as one of the best in the US. In 2013, Ernst & Young ranked Oregon as having the lowest effective business tax rate of any US state at 3.3 per cent. Oregon was also identified by the American Institute for Economic Research as the top manufacturing location in the US and, notably, corporations that operate in Oregon, but sell goods in other states, pay corporate excise taxes based solely on company sales within the state of Oregon.

LOW ENERGY COSTS
Due to Oregon’s ability to harness hydropower, the state’s energy costs are among the lowest industrial rates in the US, averaging fewer than six cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). This is approximately half of the average industrial rate in California.

SKILLED WORKFORCE
Young, talented professionals are choosing Oregon as their home at an increasing rate. Fashion designers, green building architects, advertising creatives and others look to Oregon for jobs in their industries and quality of life. Oregon is particularly strong in semiconductor and other silicon-based manufacturing, with a highly skilled workforce of more than 50,000 working in the industry.

TAX INCENTIVES
Oregon’s property tax abatement programmes can eliminate property taxes on new facilities for the first few years to make investments a little easier on the bottom line. Additional incentives and financing programmes are available for new business expansions that create high-wage jobs in the state.

INNOVATION
Oregon connects companies with university labs that house the technical capacity, in both equipment and brainpower, to make innovation happen. The state has invested in the creation of three state-of-the-art Signature Research Centers that bring together the top research and cutting-edge laboratories at Oregon’s four research universities. University resources are connected directly to Oregon companies, so that private firms can access a renowned R&D facility without the high cost of building their own.

SUSTAINABILITY
Public policy, like renewable energy tax credits and renewable energy portfolio standards, have helped Oregon’s wind energy industry get off the ground in Eastern Oregon. Its wind farms put the state into the top five US producers of wind energy and Oregon now has one of the largest wind farms in the world, Shepherds Flat. Oregon is home to the North American headquarters of such renewable energy leaders as SolarWorld, Vestas Wind Systems and Ibedrola Renewables.

INTERNATIONAL TRADE
One in four Oregon manufacturing jobs is linked to international trade and Oregon consistently ranks among the
top 10 US states in exports per capita. The Port of Portland offers easy, multi-modal international access, with direct flights to Europe and Japan, as well as full marine and rail connections. Because of its Pacific Rim location, Oregon is an especially easy conduit for goods travelling to and from Asia.

HELPING HAND
The Business Oregon recruitment team helps companies looking to relocate or expand to Oregon. Recruitment officers work with interested companies to identify Oregon sites that meet size, utility, infrastructure and workforce requirements. The state also has certified industrial sites that are shovel-ready for new development.