The Department of Defense is by far and away from the federal government’s biggest spender — but few of those dollars flow into Oregon. Some trade groups are looking to bump up those numbers.

Shane Steinke moved to Bend last year with a mission: to get more Department of Defense dollars to Oregon companies.

Last year the Oregon Manufacturing and Engineering Partnership — a not-for-profit funded with a combination of federal, state and private dollars — hired Steinke as a principal consultant to get more Oregon manufacturers into the defense supply chain.

Less than 1% of Oregon’s gross domestic product comes from DOD contracts, according to an analysis by the federal Office of Economic Adjustment breaking down military spending by state. By that measure, Oregon is dead last among U.S. states and 40th in terms of the amount of DOD spending in the state.

PUBLISHED NOV 1 2021 in Oregon Business Magazine – read the full article >