FAIRFIELD — The force capacity of Travis Air Force Base is not limited to its military and humanitarian missions.
It is also an economic engine that in 2016 produced an estimated $1.6 million to the regional economy, and among its 13,400 employees, about 1,850 are civilians who work for the Department of Defense and another 1,170 are civilian contractors.
According to a survey released in early 2017 by the Solano Economic Development Corp., Travis was the largest employer in the county with an additional 9,500-plus active-duty and reservist employees.
According to the economic study completed by Travis, another 4,839 jobs are created in the community because of the base.
According to the state Economic Development Department, citing information from the American Labor Market Information System, the largest employer in Solano County is the California Medical Facility, followed by Comcast Cable, Flatiron Construction, Gbg Corp and Genentech.
However, the ALMIS list only offers a range of employees. The California Medical Facility, for example, is listed as having between 1,000 and 4,999, according to the EDD reporting.
The California Medical Facility was fourth on the EDC list with 1,216 employees, while Genentech was 12th. None of the others were on the EDC list.
The second largest employer – Vallejo Kaiser Permanente – has 3,906 employees, according to the EDC. However, add the Vacaville Kaiser operation, the 11th largest employer, and that number climbs to 4,981.
Similarly, NorthBay Healthcare System in Fairfield is ninth on the list with 1,115 employees, while VacaValley Hospital has an additional 501 employees, the EDC reports.
Sutter Health, with its 690 employees at its Vallejo medical center (13th) and the 450 workers at the Sutter Fairfield campus (21st), employs a combined 1,140 people.
Moreover, healthcare remains one of the fastest growing industry sects in the county, creating more than 1,000 jobs from July 2017 to July 2018, the EDD reported.
Biotechnology, agriculture and ag-related industries – including winery-focused ag-toursim – as well as the food and beverage sector and recreational sectors are among the job-rich industries that are targeted for location to Solano County.
Among the Top 10 employers listed by the EDC, only Kaiser in Vallejo and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, also in Vallejo, are private sector companies.
Travis, Solano County (3rd), California Medical Facility (4th), Fairfield-Suisun School District (5th), Vallejo City School District (7th) and California State Prison Solano (8th) make up the rest.
TOP 28 EMPLOYERS IN SOLANO COUNTY
- Travis Air Force Base: 12,875
- Vallejo Kaiser Permanente: 3,906
- Solano County: 2,850
- California Medical Facility: 1,216
- Fairfield-Suisun School District: 2,000
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom: 1,932
- Vallejo City School District: 1,515
- California State Prison Solano: 1,098
- Fairfield NorthBay Healthcare System: 1,115
- Vacaville School District: 1,100
- Vacaville Kaiser Permanente: 1,075
- Genentech Inc.: 1,200
- Vallejo Sutter Health Medical Center: 690
- Solano Community College: 650
- ALZA Corporation: 535
- Westamerica Bank A-2M: 356
- Valero Refining Company California: 516
- VacaValley Hospital: 501
- City of Vallejo: 466
- Benicia School District: 465
- Sutter Fairfield Medical Campus: 450
- Jelly Belly Candy Company: 400
- Mariani Packing Company: 327
- Anheuser-Busch: 330
- Walmart, Vacaville: 301
- Meyer Corporation – Farberware: 300
- Travis Credit Union: 294
- Simpson Dura Vent: 250
Source: Solano Economic Development Corp. (Dec. 2016).
