City makes high-tech list

Believe it or not, Columbia might become a superstar among the nation’s metro areas.

The May issue of Expansion Management magazine published a study of “America’s Super Cities of the Future,” which identified cities that are viable for high-tech companies and entrepreneurs. Columbia made the list.

The city found a spot among the 76-member “2005 Five-Star Knowledge Worker Metros” and ranked 13th on the list of “Top Metros PhD Per Capita” in the business magazine’s third annual report.

The magazine suggests potential locations for companies seeking to expand or relocate.

The study evaluated cities on their college-educated work force. It considered employees’ advanced degrees, the percentage of residents working in science and engineering jobs, the number of colleges and universities in the area and the amount of spending on research and development.

“Having a well-educated work force in proximity to a major university … is a major drawing card for technology-driven companies in the knowledge economy,” the study said.

Local economic officials, however, are not getting carried away with the ranking.

“We haven’t arrived yet,” said Bernie Andrews, president of Regional Economic Development Inc.

Andrews said the recognition shows Columbia’s potential and will prompt companies looking to expand to consider the city, but he said “We don’t have the infrastructures to capture that.”

Columbia lacks some of the features of many college-centered metro areas, including companies that help businesses in their startup period, known as business incubators; research parks and buildings designed for research and development; and venture capital for business startup. That situation is about to change, however, as supporters of the Mid-Missouri Technology Business Incubator near the end of their $8.7 million fundraising campaign and start to recruit businesses.