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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2005)
Bend becomes active hotbed for technology BY CHRISTIAN TREJBAL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BEND — When Chris Reese came to Bend a dozen years ago, the city was just getting over the economic downturn of the 1980s. Back then, a computer programmer working for a video-game company in Bend was unusual, a far cry from the log gers of previous years. Today, Reese, co-director of Sony Computer Entertainment America’s Bend studio, is one of many high tech workers making their homes here. The Sony studio alone has about 60 employees, and other tech nology-oriented companies such as IdaTech, Bend Research and Chemi ca Technologies to name a few are growing rapidly. The conventional wisdom is that Bend is a great place to retire, but increasingly it is a great place for young, technically savvy people to live and work. Bend officials envision an indus trial park and university campus at the north end of town. The so-called Juniper Ridge project could become the cornerstone of an invigorated re gional economy based on science, engineering and innovation. If those companies materialize as planned, they will bring even more skilled workers to the region, work ers like Marshall Simmonds, Mor gan O’Neal and Reese. All three pointed to the character of Bend and outdoor recreation as drawing and keeping them here. That foundation, they said, makes the region ripe for new technology companies that will need to attract talented young workers. For Simmonds, the best things about Bend are the lifestyle and the recreational activities. Simmonds, 33, telecommutes from Bend in his new position as vice president of Enterprise Search Marketing for The New York Times Co. Simmonds first came to Bend in 1990 from Boise on a scholarship to run for the Central Oregon Commu nity College track team. Two years later, he headed to Portland State University to complete his degree in psychology. After a stint selling computers in the Willamette Valley, he landed a job with a marketing company as a search-engine optimizer, and that job brought him to Bend. A search engine optimizer helps companies set up their Web pages so they will appear high on the list of results in Web searches. In 1999, he went to work for About.com, an online information portal. He stayed in Bend, though, telecommuting and traveling as needed. The New York Times Co. pur chased About.com for $410 million from Primedia Inc. in February, and now Simmonds works for the media giant. Technology will allow Simmonds to remain in Bend. He will continue working with Web developers at About.com, but also with The Times’ many oth er Internet portals, traveling as needed. “When you come back from New York City,” he said, “it’s a big collec tive sigh as you get back to this lifestyle, this pace.” O’Neal, a 2001 Redmond High School graduate, was born and raised in Central Oregon. For the last two-and-a-half years, the 22-year-old has been working as a software developer at Alpine In ternet Solutions, a Web hosting and content management company. There, he has worked on several lo cal Web sites including Brooks Re sources, Bend neighborhood associ ations and the Bend Visitor and Convention Bureau. O’Neal is a throwback to some of the early entrepreneurs of comput ing and the Internet. He has little formal training in technology. “All the knowledge I use at Alpine is self-taught,” he said. Self-taught or not, O’Neal could easily land a job outside of Central Oregon if he wanted. Instead, he chooses to remain here. “I have been offered jobs in other places for more money,” he said. “But there’s a lot to do here. Plus it’s home. I’ve got everything that I need.” O’Neal spends a lot of his spare time mountain biking and playing video games. While the biking com munity gets a lot more attention, he said, both have passionate followings in the region. “The gaming community here is cool,” he said. “There’s a hard-core group in Central Oregon.” O’Neal sees the technology com munity growing if Bend can keep the cost of living under control. “You’d probably get more young technology workers if the rent were cheaper,” he said. “If it’s inexpen sive and there’s jobs, a lot of people will move here. Bend has so much to offer. ” Still, even if the rent seems a little high, O’Neal said it beats the cost of living in other technology centers such as Silicon Valley or San Francisco. Reese, 35, is the technical director for Sony Computers Entertainment of America’s Bend Studio. In the company’s offices in the Old Mill District, he oversees programming, design elements and game engines for video games that the studio de velops for Sony. The studio’s most recent game, “Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain,” came out about a year ago for the PlayStation 2. Reese came to Bend about 12 years ago. “I was looking at jobs all over the place at the time,” he said. “I’d nev er stayed in Bend before that, only passed through.” When he and his wife, Josie, first visited Bend, he liked it immediate ly, though it took his wife a little longer to adjust. “I like the small-town aspect of it,” he said. “Even though we’ve seen a lot of growth, Bend still has the small-town feel.” He said that Bend’s environment helps him attract new talent to the studio. “Typically 1 look for people straight out of college for our entry level positions,” he said. “The ma jority of people who have come here are looking for the community feel that Bend has. Most of our peo ple are really into outdoor activities. It’s a good family environment and the cost of living is good. We’ve brought people from all over.” Trends so far paint a rosy future for the city. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, in 2002 there were 1,705 people working in infor mation industries in Deschutes County. Together, they had $76 mil lion in personal income. During the 1990s, young people, age 18 to 34, did not come to De schutes County as quickly as people of other ages did, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The county’s population grew 54 percent, but 18- to 34-year-olds only grew 40 percent. That has changed in the new century. From 2000 to 2003, the younger population grew slightly faster than the population as a whole, 15 per cent to 13 percent. Eighteen to 34 year olds now account for about one-fifth of all people living here. Residence: Halls offer perks such as dining and dean bathrooms Continued from page 11B said he is planning to live in the residence halls again. “I am most excited about living in the residence halls again because it is easy and all the perks you get from liv ing in halls, like having some one else clean the bathrooms and having someone else make your food. Also, it is on campus,” Cerveny said. Cerveny has already registered online for the room and will be the 81st person to get a room assignment. He said the main thing he is look ing forward to is getting a big ger room with more space. With incentives and easy registration for returning residency, living in the resi dence halls for a second year might make a smooth transition into another year on campus. Rentals: Commons and Duck's provide extra benefits Continued from page 13B major Brie Fetherolf said. Duck’s Village has one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments with a 12 or 10 month lease. If a potential resident needs a roommate, Duck’s has a roommate search list. Residents have individual leases. University Commons, at 90 Commons Dr., is another student complex that exudes the student vibe. “The Commons are kind of like living in a larger dorm. There are always people around and there are always people in my house,” freshman Alicia Bradshaw said. “I like living in the Commons. It puts stu dents of the same age around each other, and it is a really good experience even if COMPARISON Duck’s Village 12-month lease IDmonth lease 1 bedroom $665 per month $675 per month 2 bedroom $390 per person $400 per person 3 bedroom $355 per person $365 per person 4 bedroom $370 per person $380 per person University Commons Full-term lease Academic-term lease 1 bedroom $625 per month N/A 2 bedroom $410 per person $460 per person 4 bedroom $355 per person $395 per person you are a freshman living off campus.” The complex offers an assortment of amenities including a resort-like swimming pool, lit basketball court, sand volleyball court, multi-station weight ma chine and a clubhouse with pool tables, Ping-Pong and foosball. The furnished apartments also have a full-size washer and dryer, private bedrooms, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and an electronic alarm system. Like Duck’s, University Commons has individual leases and a student-match ing system to pair roommates with similar interests. University Commons offers specials on four bedroom apartments for stu dents who have already selected their roommates. University Commons has one, two and four bedroom apartments with a 12 or 10-month lease. c° fC\<3 co-operate this summer and Pall! with COMMUNITY • COOPERATION • CONSENSUS The Students' Cooperative Association has three houses across from the university, including one for grad students. Housing rates: $650 for the entire summer and starting at $295 a month next academic year. Next year's rate includes meals, utilities, and toiletries. Phone: 541-683-1112 Email: asuosch@gladstone.uoregon.edu http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~asuosch Advertise in the ODE classifieds. 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