Gregoire introduces 10-year plan to push biotech, other sectors

OLYMPIA – Washington's economy has pumped out 155,000 new jobs over the past two years and companies such as Boeing, Microsoft and Starbucks are household names the world over. But what's the next big thing?

Gov. Chris Gregoire today outlined a 10-year "business plan" that calls for the state to forge into new frontiers of medicine and high-tech invention, biofuels and tourism.

Gregoire, a Democrat who has made economic development one of her signature issues, said the state will meet her campaign goal of 250,000 new jobs before her four-year term ends in January 2009. She said she wants many of those jobs to be high-wage, full-time employment.

Exports are up 40 percent over the past two years and Washington has some of the busiest ports in the country, she said. Like Queensland in Australia, the state is successfully expanding beyond a resource-based economy and is on the cusp of being a major player on the global stage, she said.

"The question for all of us as we celebrate our growing economy is how can we stay ahead of the global transformation of the economy so we all benefit from the potential?" she said.

Her 10-year plan calls for expansion of the current state economy, which has boomed through strong manufacturing, agribusiness and high-tech sectors. Gregoire did not offer pricetags for specific initiatives, but said advances under the program she has dubbed "Next Washington" will include:

•Health care and biomedical advances. Universities, non-profit research institutes and foundations, and the private sector will work together for global health advances through research and development of cutting-edge products and treatment, she said.

•It's our turn to lead again," she said.

•Biofuels. Grays Harbor County soon will have a large biodiesel plant, hopefully using some Washington crops, she said. The alternative energy field can help the environment and create jobs, the governor said.

•Agriculture. Gregoire said new research can make Washington farms even more productive and that better marketing can expand this sector. She mentioned wines and biofuel as industries poised to take off.

•Tourism. Gregoire wants to quadruple the state's tourism promotion budget, after ditching the "Say WA?" slogan that drew mostly snickers. She proposes $12 million in public and private financing, plus $875,000 on early advertising aimed at getting a slice of the attendance at the Olympics' 2010 Winter Games in British Columbia.

Gregoire said the Western states and the province are viewing the region as one destination zone. Tribes also are exploring ways to welcome visitors to their reservations, she said.

•Film. Gregoire said she has changed her mind and now supports efforts to land more films and TV shows to the state. She noted that there have been "McDreamy" sightings in Seattle, where some of TV's "Grey's Anatomy" exterior shots are filmed.

Gregoire said her proposed state budget, which has major increases for education, higher education, workforce training and economic development, will help set the stage for the "Next Washington" effort.

The House and Senate economic development chairmen, Rep. Phyllis Kenney, D-Seattle, and Sen. Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup, endorsed the governor's plan.

"Unless we change, we can't compete" in the fierce new global marketplace, Kastama said. "Everyone must perform at their maximum."

Kenney said the new expansion will benefit both "mega-businesses" and smaller companies. The House will fast-track bills that will help Gregoire's effort, she said.