Environmental services
The worldwide emphasis on sustainability puts the region’s environmental services firms in the spotlight. Greater Portland-Vancouver’s longstanding leadership on issues such as land use, water quality, transportation and energy has nurtured a growing cluster of companies committed to conscientious use of the planet’s resources.
The metro area’s more than 500 employers offer specialties in a range of fiends, from sustainable development to brownfields to wildlife migration. The cluster’s per capita employment is greater than that of Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose or Los Angeles.
Of the top five employers here, three are homegrown and headquartered in greater Portland: GeoDesign, David Evans and Associates and PBS Engineering and Environment. Global CH2M Hill employs 700 people in the region.
Greater Portland-Vancouver’s environmental focus is supported by public sector organizations including the Office of Sustainable Development, the first of its kind in the country, creating policy and programs to improve the region’s environmental, social and economic health. The office honors forward-thinking companies with the annual Business for Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow (BEST) awards.
Higher ed programs support the cluster as well, including the University of Oregon’s top-ranked environmental design program. Community colleges provide programs in recycling technology and environmental engineering technology.
Talent cluster
43% larger than national average for same-size metros
Growth
15% year over year since 2001
Firms
550 in 2006
Major employers
CH2M Hill, David Evans and Associates, URS Corp., PBS Engineering and Environmental, GeoDesign Inc.
Workforce
4,240
Average salary
$62,930
Outlook
The talent cluster is projected to grow 14% here and, with the global emphasis on preserving resources and living sustainably, greater Portland companies’ expertise is and will continue to be in demand.
