Ep. 09: Building America's Biggest Shipyard - A $1B Bet on California Forever
Podcast: Rebuilding the FleetPublished On: Thu Jan 29 2026
Description: About the CompanyCalifornia Forever is an ambitious venture founded nearly 10 years ago to build a new city in Solano County, California just east of San Francisco. The company has quietly assembled almost 70,000 acres (100+ square miles) through 700 separate land transactions over 8 years, and has raised over $1 billion in funding. The project consists of three main pillars: the Solano Foundry (America’s largest proposed advanced manufacturing park), the Solano Shipyard (~7,500 acres of maritime industrial space), and Solano Living (a walkable downtown and neighborhoods with 175,000 homes for approximately 400,000 residents).About our GuestJan Sramek is the founder and CEO of California Forever. Originally from the Czech Republic, Jan grew up in a blue-collar manufacturing community where his uncles were CNC machinists and his father was a car mechanic. After stints in finance and technology in the UK and Switzerland, he moved to California in 2013 with a vision of a state that could build anything. Disillusioned by the regulatory obstacles preventing construction, he spent a year researching solutions before concluding that California needed an entirely new city. In 2016, he bet his personal fortune on the vision, borrowing what he describes as “an irresponsible amount of money,” and has since built California Forever into one of the most ambitious development projects in American history.Key Topics of Conversation* Why America needs new shipyards, not just new ships* The challenge of site selection* The Korean shipyard model* California’s regulatory environment and how California Forever is navigating permitting* The workforce advantage: 750,000 skilled workers within 50 miles and the recruiting advantage of short commutes* The “inland bay” construction approach: excavating in the dry at 1/20th the cost* Why all seven cities in Solano County have passed resolutions supporting shipbuildingLearn more: https://californiaforever.com/About Rebuilding the Fleet: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rebuilding-the-fleetFollow Jan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansramek/Follow Austin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinelliottgray/Follow Tim: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tglinatsis/Subscribe to Rebuilding the Fleet:* YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RebuildingTheFleet This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit austinegray.substack.com
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