Comstock's magazine 1217 - December 2017 | Page 86

HEALTH CARE
the Solano Economic Development Cor-
poration. “Medical technology is a very
cool, very high-paying industry,” Person
says. “It’s much higher than the norm. Its
economic output is very compelling.”
Person says that Solano County
alone is home to more than 30 biotech
and medtech companies, including big
industry names such as Johnson & John-
“Medical technology is a very cool, very
high-paying industry. It’s much higher
than the norm. Its economic output is
very compelling.”
-SANDY PERSON, PRESIDENT & CEO,
SOLANO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
son, Genentech and Novartis. She cites
the county’s location — roughly halfway
between Sacramento and the Bay Area
— as a major contributor, noting that bio-
tech companies in particular must make
massive investments and Solano’s lower
costs for everything from workforce to
infrastructure are enticing.
What also gives Solano County an
advantage over other areas is a glut of
nearby medical technology education
options that create qualified workers. UC
Davis, which is partially located in Sola-
no, and Sacramento State are two such
institutions. Solano Community College
also offers specific programs that train
students for the industry.
Donald Burrus, economic develop-
ment manager for the City of Vacaville,
says Solano Community College’s bio-
manufacturing baccalaureate degree
program is a vital asset for a medtech
86
comstocksmag.com | December 201 7
hub, as it is one of very few such pro-
grams in the country, letting graduates
walk out of school and directly into phar-
maceutical manufacturing jobs.
Burrus, who’s been in Vacaville for
about two years after previously living
in the Bay Area, says one key to attract-
ing medtech companies is making them
aware of what Solano and the rest of the
region has to offer. He compared the
area to flyover states, meaning that most
people go past or through it on their way
to Lake Tahoe without stopping.
“Everyone drives through it but has
no idea what’s in it,” Burrus says.
He paints Vacaville as a quaint and
charming city with many assets to entice
companies that are hesitant to make the
much larger investments required to do
business in the Bay Area. Burrus says
that Vacaville currently has 1,400 acres
of land available for large-scale business
development, either for new companies
or expansion projects.
Solano, however, is only part of the
Capital Region’s broader narrative as
a robust and growing hub for medical
technology. According to the City of Sac-
ramento’s website, there are more than
100 biotech and medical device compa-
nies in the region, a number poised to
grow significantly.
Chris Wood, vice president of neu-
roscience and orthopedics at Dignity
Health, volunteers his time as the board
chair for MedStart, a regional economic
development collaborative aimed at bol-
stering Sacramento medical technology.
MedStart spun out of the Sacramento
Area Regional Technology Alliance, a
nonprofit that folded in 2015.
Wood describes MedStart as a group
of local professionals who have experi-
ence in the three facets of the medical
technology industry: pharmaceutical de-
velopment, medical software and medi-
cal devices. They offer perspectives and
support to startup companies, and if they
can’t directly help, they make beneficial
introductions.