So you're calling industryNameExists("Architecture, Engineering, and Drafting") and trying to match a JDO with industryName exactly equal "Architecture, Engineering, and Drafting"?
Assuming you don't have any typo or space difference the only thing suspect is the getBytes(). Try the following:
Query q = pm.newQuery(Industry.class, "this.industryName == :industryNameParam");
List<Industry> industry = (List<Industry>) q.execute(industryName);
You can also try variation filters like "this.industryName.equalsIgnoreCase(:industryNameParam)" and "this.industryName.startWith(:industryNameParam)" to troubleshoot.
If it still does not work, try logging the SQL generated for review and compare with a hand-written query that works.