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Tech company could take over old Aerojet land in Rancho Cordova

RANCHO CORDOVA — A tech company is hoping to take over the old Aerojet land in Rancho Cordova to bring more than 1,000 jobs to the area, and local businesses are behind it.

Sparkz Incorporated, an electric vehicle battery manufacturer, is hoping to take over the old space in on Aerojet Road.

"I think it could be huge," Tallie Miller said. "I'm looking forward to it. Post-pandemic, things have had to build, instead of, you know, there no steady state at work, so people are coming back."

Miller has worked in the area since 1984 and has seen the change since Aerojet left in 2016.

"It's changed quite a bit even since Mather closed," Miller said. "There were a lot of people here, including military, so a lot of differences."

Claudia Barrientos at nearby Mr. Tequila would welcome some new faces in the area.

"We have the happy hour, we have specials every day, so it will be a big impact on our business," she said.

Barrientos and her co-owner, Jorge Gama, see themselves as a family-friendly establishment.

"People are excited," Gama said. "People want to come out and see what we've got. We've got the pool tables."

However, bringing more technology jobs and young professionals could help inject more life into the area.

"I think it depends on the time," Barrientos said. "There's a lot of people that come with their children earlier."

The company hopes to bring over 1,000 long-term jobs and hopes to build 1.5 million square feet of office space. While it is a risk, scale production could begin by 2025, helping build Sacramento's reputation as a zero-emission vehicle hub.

Sparkz Interactive CEO Sanjiv Malhotra told the Sacramento Business Journal that this would be the first U.S. factory to make EV battery components. 

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