A wonderful mix of rural and urban communities, Butte County welcomes new businesses. We pride ourselves on maintaining our parents' quality of life, while providing a business economy with all the advantages of today's technology. Our resources include recreation, culture and business.
Butte County has a highly trained labor pool, with well developed educational resources including California State University, Chico; Butte Community College; Northern California School of Law; and Western University of Health Sciences. The quality of life remains high in part due to cultural and recreational resources, housing affordability, and natural resources which include Lake Oroville, the second largest man made lake in California; Feather Falls, the sixth tallest waterfall in the USA; and one of the last wild and scenic rivers, the Feather River.
Butte County provides a convenient and logical hub for a vast transportation and communication network. The area's moderate climate contributes to the county's dependable transportation allowing industry to operate efficiently and commuters to spend less time en route to work.
Labor Costs
| Sample Butte County Wages for 1Q 2007 |
|
Occupation
|
SOC
|
Median Hourly Wage (50th percentile)
|
| Sales Managers |
11-2022
|
$41.95
|
| Computer & Information Systems Managers |
11-3021
|
$34.21
|
| Human Resources Managers, all other |
11-3043
|
$36.81
|
| Computer Software Engineers, Applications |
15-1031
|
$35.36
|
| Computer Support Specialists |
15-1041
|
$17.49
|
| Retail Salespersons |
41-2031
|
$9.18
|
| Telemarketers |
41-9041
|
$12.06
|
| Data Entry Keyers |
43-9021
|
$9.18
|
| Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators, Metal and Plastic |
51-4011
|
$13.41
|
| Source: http://www.labormarketinfo.edd.ca.gov Updated 7/07 |
Notable Companies in Butte County
|
Company
|
About
|
|
Aero Union
|
Aero Union, located at the Chico Municipal Airport, is a successful aerospace business that is the largest, most innovative and respected air tanker company in the United States. Flight operations include aerial firefighting, ferry flights, and crew training. Other divisions include MRO products and services, product manufacturing, and engineering services. Source: Aerounion.com
|
|
Continental Athletic Supply
|
Specializing in the manufacturing and reconditioning of football, lacrosse, track and field, and baseball/softball equipment, Continental Athletic has been in business in Gridley since 1946. Source: ContinentalAthletic.com |
|
Lundberg Family Farms
|
The pioneers of organically grown rice in California, Lundberg Family Farms is the direct employer of approximately 140 people. Located in the farming community of Richvale, the farm produces a wide selection of rice products including gourmet wild rice, rice cakes, risotto mixes, and rice milk that are nationally distributed. Source: Lundberg.com |
| Nurstech |
NursTech, Inc. is the California branch of the multinational firm Agromillora. Located in Gridley, Nurstech specializes in olive cultivar research and development. Source: Nurstech.com |
| Roplast Industries |
Founded in 1990, Roplast Industries manufactures custom polyethylene-based films and bags for retail, grocery, food packaging, and industrial markets. The fully integrated 130,000 square foot manufacturing and corporate office facility is located in Oroville. Source: Roplast.com |
| Sierra Nevada Brewing Company |
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is the brewer of what is widely considered to be the premier craft lagers and ales in the United States. Located in Chico, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company distributes their products nationwide. Source: SierraNevada.com |
| Ventana Group |
Ventana Software is a premier systems integrator for the IT market specializing in Asset Management, Configuration Management and Service Desk solutions. Combining best practices along with leading products and technology in the marketplace, Ventana Software designs, deploys, and supports complete solutions for the management of IT resources and services. Ventana Group is currently looking forward to moving into their new location in the Gridley Industrial Park. Source: VentanaGroup.com |
| Sources as noted. Updated 7/07 |
Higher Education and Training
1 California State University Chico website
2http://www.stateuniversity.com/universities/CA/Butte_College.html
Transportation
|
Distance From Major Cities
|
|
City
|
Distance/Direction*
|
|
Sacramento, CA
|
60 miles south
|
|
Los Angeles, CA
|
445 miles south
|
|
Portland, OR
|
521 miles north
|
|
Las Vegas, NV
|
634 miles southeast
|
|
Phoenix, AZ
|
816 miles southeast
|
|
Seattle, WA
|
692 miles north
|
| Source: Mapquest.com |
*from Gridley |
| Air Transportation |
|
Airport
|
Distance
|
|
Chico Municipal Airport (CIC)
|
34 miles
|
|
Sacramento International Airport (SMF)
|
58.5 miles
|
|
Redding Municipal Airport (RDD)
|
93 miles
|
|
Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO)
|
139 miles
|
|
Rail Services
|
|
Provider
|
Information
|
|
Union Pacific
|
24-50 freight trains countywide per day (in 2004)1
|
1 Butte County Association of Governments
Quality of Life
| Major Events/ Festivals in Butte County |
|
Event
|
Approximate Date
|
|
Oroville Salmon Festival
|
Late September
|
|
Festival of Trees (Oroville)
|
Late November
|
|
Winter Migratory Waterfowl Tour (Gridley)
|
Early-Late Winter
|
|
Spring Blossom Tour (Rural Butte County)
|
Mid-February to mid-March
|
|
Red Suspenders Day (Gridley)
|
3rd Saturday in May
|
|
Nor Cal Cluster Dog Show (Gridley)
|
June
|
|
Butte County Fair (Gridley)
|
Late August
|
| Healthcare Services |
|
Facility
|
Information
|
| Enloe Medical Center (Chico) |
Enloe Medical Center is a 369 bed facility offering the North Valley a full continuum of health services ranging from preventative education and outpatient services to acute care, behavioral health, inpatient rehabilitation and home health and hospice services. Source: Enloe Medical Center website |
| Feather River Hospital (Paradise) |
Feather River Hospital is one of 20 Adventist Health hospitals located in the western United States. It stands as a highly regarded hospital in northern California and beyond. Source; Feather River hospital website |
| Biggs- Gridley Memorial Hospital (Gridley) |
The 49 bed facility offers inpatient and outpatient services, ambulance service, helicopter airlift, a critical care unit, surgical floor, a home health agency, skilled nursing facility and rehabilitation services. Source: Gridley Area Chamber of Commerce |
| Oroville Hospital |
Specializing in a broad range of inpatient and outpatient services, Oroville Hospital is a 153 bed acute care facility, with a medical staff of more than 130 physicians. Source: Oroville Hospital website
|
For further information on a Butte County business location, please explore the following websites or contact
Alison O'Sullivan at Upstate California, 866-726-4332.
City of Gridley
City of Oroville
Chico Chamber of Commerce
Gridley Area Chamber of Commerce
Oroville Area Chamber of Commerce
Paradise Ridge Chamber of Commerce
