From Struggling Startup To One-Of-A-Kind Microdevice Manufacturer

Jessica Gomez has come a long way in the microchip industry. She is the founder and CEO of Rogue Valley Microdevices based in Medford, Oregon, the first woman-owned and first minority-owned business to receive Biden-Harris CHIPS Act funding. The foundry specializes in microelectromechanical systems—or MEMS—tiny, intelligent sensors critical to automotive, biomedical and industrial markets.

From its founding as a small startup in 2003, Rogue Valley navigated numerous challenges—including surviving the 2008 financial crisis—to emerge as a key player in the MEMS manufacturing space. With the CHIPS funding, Gomez plans to triple the company’s manufacturing capability with a second fabrication facility in Florida, the only one of its kind in the U.S.

In an interview, Gomez shares the company’s journey to success, provides insight into their site selection process and the power of culture as a driving force behind growth.

Tell us about your manufacturing business and how it’s grown over the years.

Founded in 2003, the first few years of our startup journey were incredibly difficult. We struggled through every challenge you can imagine—both technical and financial. In fact, we didn’t even have air conditioning in the fab for the first two years because we ran out of money before we could buy a chiller. Five years later, we managed to survive the 2008 recession and emerged stronger than ever.

Facing that kind of adversity early on forced us to adopt a level of discipline and creativity that is now embedded in the company’s DNA. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of growing Rogue Valley Microdevices from a small startup into a key player in the MEMS manufacturing space. We’ve built our business by staying true to our values—precision, flexibility and partnership—and by investing in the kind of high-tech, high-mix fabrication capabilities our customers need.

As demand for MEMS and sensors has accelerated, so has our growth. That’s what led us to expand beyond Oregon. With support from the CHIPS and Science Act, we’re building a 300 millimeter-capable MEMS foundry that will triple our manufacturing capacity and position us become the first pure-play foundry in the U.S. to offer MEMS device manufacturing on 300mm wafers.  It’s been an incredible journey—and we’re just getting started.

You’re building a second manufacturing facility in Palm Bay, Florida. What were the factors that led you to locate there?

When we chose Palm Bay for our second facility, it wasn’t just about location, it was about opportunity, community and growth. We made the decision for a number of reasons.

The Space Coast offers access to a strong talent pool, supported by nearby universities and technical institutions. For a high-tech MEMS manufacturing facility like ours, that pipeline is essential. We’re already engaged with some academic and technological communities through various events, and we’ve received a lot of support from the community.

Palm Bay is right in the heart of Florida’s growing Space Coast tech hub. With its thriving ecosystem of aerospace, defense and semiconductor companies, it’s a natural fit for innovation and collaboration. This location also provides us with a logistical advantage, making it easier and less expensive to support our East Coast and European-based customers.

We’ve received strong support from the State of Florida and local leaders. The City of Palm Bay and groups like the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast really understand what it takes to support economic growth.  Together with Florida’s pro-manufacturing policies and economic development incentives, the area has created a truly welcoming environment for investment.

Florida’s Space Coast offers a high quality of life, which helps attract and retain employees—an important consideration for long-term growth. In addition, I believe that supporting our team outside of work is just as important as what happens inside the fab. We have developed a robust community and employee development strategy that includes a plan for on-site childcare and after-school programs at our new facility.

Together, these factors made Palm Bay the clear choice for expanding our operations—and for deepening our impact on U.S. semiconductor manufacturing.

Your company is a recipient of $6.7 million in CHIPS Act funding. Tell us how that will impact your growth?

Securing CHIPS and Science Act funding is a transformative milestone—not just for Rogue Valley Microdevices, but for U.S. semiconductor manufacturing as a whole. This $6.7 million investment will directly support the construction of our new facility in Palm Bay.

This expansion will nearly triple our manufacturing capacity and create 75 high-tech jobs on Florida’s Space Coast. It also enables us to offer wafer-level advanced packaging services and to scale production of the miniature, intelligent sensors that are critical to markets such as automotive, biomedical and industrial—where supply chain resilience is absolutely essential.

The funding we secured through the CHIPS Act has catalyzed our strategic investment in additional capacity and capability, positioning us at the forefront of next-generation production and preparing us to scale alongside our customers and partners.

You plan to support working families with onsite daycare in the new facility; tell us about that.

Supporting working families has always been important to me—not just as a CEO, but as a parent.I was lucky enough to be able to bring my babies to work with me and have them nearby as I grew the business. When we started planning our new facility in Palm Bay, I knew I wanted it to reflect the kind of workplace culture that truly supports people, not just productivity.

Offering onsite childcare is one way we can do that. It helps ease a major burden for parents and creates a more inclusive, supportive environment where talented individuals don’t have to choose between their careers and their families. We’re also looking at after-school programs to support school-age children, because we know flexibility doesn’t stop at preschool.

It’s not just good for families—it’s good for business. When you create a place where people feel supported, they bring their best to the job every day.