Sandia/California Fact Sheet

April 2001

Sandia National Laboratories is one of the Department of Energy's (DOE) largest research and engineering organizations. Our 50-year history began in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1949 and expanded to Livermore, California, in 1956. Sandia also operates facilities in Nevada and Hawaii.

As a U.S. DOE national laboratory, Sandia's main mission is national security. In today's changing world, our role of providing exceptional service in the country's interest has expanded to include nonproliferation, assuring energy and critical infrastructures, and countering terrorism.

Sandia is a prime contractor to the DOE, operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. Our New Mexico facility employs about 6,600 people; the California site employs about 900.

Sandia's greatest strength is its employees. Our corporate values of integrity, quality, leadership, teamwork, and respect for the individual have been a principal force behind attracting a talented and diverse work force.

Sandia is committed to encourage a work environment in which every employee has the opportunity to achieve personal success. We provide in-house training courses and degree programs for qualified employees to help improve technical and managerial skills. We also have developed programs to help employees balance work and family.

Our professional staff includes more than 400 people with advanced degrees–split almost evenly between PhDs and Masters. The engineering disciplines dominate our technical staff–principally mechanical and electrical engineers. The remainder represent a variety of scientific disciplines, including chemistry, computer science, and physics. We also employ administrative professionals to support the required infrastructure.

Most of our employees live in the immediate area–more than half in Alameda County. Sandia is also a major contributor to the economic base in the Tri-Valley area. The yearly payroll for the California site is close to $67 million. Of the annual corporate purchases, more than $40 million is typically spent in California, and most of that with firms in the Bay Area. Sandia employees also voluntarily contribute approximately $215,000 yearly to charitable causes. Through our Sandia/Lockheed Martin Foundation, we donate about $40,000 annually to local cultural, educational and human services groups.

California Outreach

The Technology Transfer Program's mission is to enhance U.S. economic competitiveness in world markets and national security by applying laboratory strengths to solve problems of national importance. It promotes and facilitates partnerships with industry and universities involving Sandia-developed technologies, processes, and special technical know-how. These partnerships are proving to be an excellent approach to fulfilling our defense and energy missions.

Sandia is committed to collaborative research and development as a means of protecting national security interests and creating lasting value to the taxpayer. Our collaborations with industry and universities have resulted in new and enhanced technologies that have both commercial and national security benefits.

Sandia also conducts educational outreach programs, through which we share our scientific expertise with schools, colleges, and universities. We strive to make science and math more understandable and relevant to our nation's students. Sandia's goal is to foster interest in science and technology in order to ensure a skilled U.S. work force into the 21st century.

At Sandia, we recognize that the world is changing, and we must remain alert and agile. In so doing, we will continue to provide exceptional service in the national interest for many years to come.