Jun. 3--LIVERMORE -- Rep. John Garamendi toured three Livermore companies Tuesday, part of his ongoing initiative to learn about small businesses that are thriving despite the struggling economy, officials said.
The companies -- UltraCell, which produces lightweight fuel cell batteries for the military and other uses; Aero Precision Industries, a military aviation parts and repair distributor; and Solar Universe, a solar installation franchise company -- are alike in that they all have managed to buck current economic trends.
Garamendi, D-Walnut Grove, congratulated business leaders on their continued financial growth -- a feat he said was linked to the companies' investments in skilled workers, adoption of new technology and "international" visions.
"If America is going to thrive, (businesses) have to think globally -- they're playing in an international arena," he said.
Garamendi has been a key backer of the Livermore Valley Open Campus concept, which would allow access to research and technology from the Lawrence Livermore and Sandia/California national laboratories. He said Tuesday that he was interested in learning about companies with military ties due to his recent appointment to the House Armed Services Committee.
The 17-year-old Aero Precision, which stocks and distributes original equipment manufacturers' military aircraft parts to more than 60 countries, is expected to meet a $75 million sales target this year -- up from $59 million in 2009. About 20 percent of its sales are to the U.S. military.
The company's 90-employee work force has more than doubled during the past two years, company leaders told Garamendi on Tuesday.
"The very unique aspect of our work force is that we're able to select from the local community and find people with the talents we need," Aero Precision program development manager Tony Schwarz said.
Similarly, the 2 1/2 -year-old Solar Universe, which operates 15 franchises in California, Arizona and Pennsylvania, is expected to hit a $30 million sales target this year -- up from $12.5 million last year.
The company has benefitted from government incentives that promote solar technology, said Mike Haynes, the company's training and development director.
"We stressed to (Garamendi) that we need to make sure both the state and federal rebates and incentives are there so people can go out and get solar," he said.
UltraCell opened in 2002 to commercialize an advanced reformed methanol micro fuel cell technology invented at the Livermore Lab, according to the company's website. The site touts the company as "the first to commercialize RMFC technology to provide clean renewable energy to power portable electronics."
