While the future of High Speed Rail in Merced has been a topic of debate among leaders, supporters and critics in recent weeks, county officials and company executives are pointing to progress happening right now at an existing transportation hub for the region and beyond: the Castle Commerce Center.
Corporate leaders of three major firms making investments at the former Air Force base flew in to take part in a “year-in-review” presentation to the Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
They spoke in glowing terms of Castle as a “mobility center” that’s taking part in groundbreaking automotive and hybrid aircraft testing, growing strategic investments at the airport, and placing railroad tracks into the ground — with more on the way — to expand an inland port project that’s already moving locally grown produce to faraway destinations by way of intermodal freight transportation.
“Castle’s original mission was as a training field, and it supported national priorities,” said Brett Roubinek, president and CEO of Transportation Research Center. “Today, the legacy continues. It remains a training and proving ground, and it’s focused on the future of mobility. As advanced air mobility (AAM) and advanced ground mobility (AGM) converge, Castle has a unique advantage.”
AMM is a new concept of air transportation using electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to move people and cargo between places. AGM refers to smart cars with autonomous driving technology.
The TRC company is closing in on five years at Castle, and Roubinek said they have conducted nearly 78,000 hours of testing on a 225-acre, custom-built urban landscape site. He said the company has 124 employees and supported 198 jobs in Merced County, and created an economic impact of $43.9 million for the region. The effort was boosted by a $6.5 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), as well as another $6.1 million invested by TRC and its clients.
Next up, Rob Thrall, the senior vice president of business development for Patriot Rail, pointed to another CalSTA grant — this one to the tune of $49.6 million awarded to Merced County in 2023 to build out an “inland port” at Castle to support green energy initiatives and reduced truck traffic across the state.
Thrall called it a “game changer.”
“This is going to change transportation in Merced County,” he said, adding that his rail and freight operation at Castle is already partnering with the Port of Los Angeles and a growing number of Central Valley growers.
He said the funding will provide critical infrastructure as they develop 203 acres of railpark, including 700,000 square feet of wherehouse space, and 85 acres of transload and laydown space.
In 2024, Patriot Rail acquired Hydra Logistics for a 16-acre site at Castle for transloading and warehousing purposes. They’ve also constructed a dock facility with a portable ramp. Thrall said customers include agricultural companies such as Morningstar out of Los Banos, as well as the global firm Goodpack. He added that Patriot Rail has worked with the nearby BNSF Railroad to expand interchange service from two days to five days.
Regarding Castle Airport, and one of the longest runways in the West, the co-owner of KT Aero spoke about his company’s role as a Fixed-Base Operatior (FBO), which provides essential services, such as fueling and line maintenance, to general aviation, private and corporate aircraft.
“2025 has been a fantastic first year for KT Aero,” said co-owner Diego Duran. “We’ve had quite a bit of operational improvements, upgrades to our facilities, and we really took a look at our pricing strategy. We feel now that Castle is positioned as a professional asset to the community, and to the larger aviation community.”
The company has a staff of four employess who support daily airfield operations, including three full-time line servce technicians and one operations manager. Duran said they have made more than $250,000 of renovations and improvements, and even purchased a six-person golf cart for clients to drive throughout Castle and to the Air Museum that’s quite a walk from the airport terminal. He added that KT Aero has lowered fuel prices, improved customer service, and increased coordination between management, tenants, and visiting operators — all to attract to more air traffic to Castle, as well as bring positive attention to Merced County.
Merced County Fire Chief Chris Trinidade was also invited to speak on growing Cal Fire operations at Castle.
He talked about the onsite Cal Fire facility that is bringing in more than 1,200 trainees per year and making a significant local economic impact. The Cal Fire Mariposa-Madera-Merced Unit has also moved its administration to Castle, bringing with it some 30 to 40 onsite staff. The overall Cal Fire presence represents $50 million worth of investment and economic growth at Castle, he said.
Trinidade added that bringing a Cal Fire air program to Castle remains a goal. “If I was king for a day with Cal Fire, and I could move around aircraft in this state, I’d be moving our C-130 program to Castle.”
Mark Mimms, the county’s community and economic development director, rounded out the presentation by taking note of Castle as a growing cultural and entertainment center. He said individual events held at the Commerce Center brought in some 40,000 visitors in 2025, including 20,000 that attended the Luke Bryan concert on the airport tarmac last May.
He said 2026 will bring in the construction of a new administration office and warehouse for M-Mig construction, new testing grounds for autonomous planes, new investment from FFA for the airport, and the launching of a new Worknet site aimed at bringing employers and potential workers together through networking services, interview opportunities, and job fairs.
Board Supervisors Lloyd Pareira, Scott Silveira and Josh Pedrozo singled out their colleague Supervisor Daron McDaniel for his leadership in making Castle a priority for investment and development. McDaniel represents District 3, which includes the Castle Commerce Center. He is also running for re-election to a fourth term in office. His opponent, candidate Luis Lara, has been critical about the pace and direction of development at Castle, particulary for the airport, and has called for making job-creation a priority.
Supervisor Pareira recalled that when he first came to the board nine years ago, McDaniel was already “driving the converation” about Castle.
“I’m on the ad-hoc committee with him, and it’s just been fun to watch this all develop,” Pareira said. “10 short years. Quite a bit has happened.”
Supervisor Silveira said that he feels fortunate that investments made by the county over the past decade are now starting to pay off during his time on the board. However, the District 5 representative also said the county needs to take the momentum and create a renewed focus on economic development “for the rest of the county.”
“There are things out on the West Side. There’s things out in the Planada and Le Grand area. … Now that Castle’s kind of standing up on its own, growing up. It’s in its teenage years. It’s not a toddler anymore. We’re able to take that effort throughout our community, and the economic development department can focus on those areas.”
Supervisor McDaniel was the last to comment, and he gave a lengthy an upbeat description of the progress of Castle since he started on the board in 2015.
“I said, ‘Let’s be the best in the world at what we’re currently doing.’ And that was our goal from that point forward. And we saw opportunities grow from there.”
Including at the airport, he added.
“Let’s understand, the airfield had always been our focus. And we always wanted to grow the airfield. And it was a struggle because we had all these grand ideas to grow the airfield for everything else. But every study we did, and everybody we talked to, they kept putting up barriers. But we continue to work towards it. And I think we’re finding our niche.”
https://mercedcountytimes.com/executives-offer-upbeat-outlook-during-review-of-projects-at-castle/