Aera Energy may not be a household name for the Central Valley business community, but it has a sizable Fresno County footprint, and it recently received some national acclaim.

The Bakersfield-based oil production company earned a spot on Forbes America’s 2019 Best Midsize Employers list, ranking No. 13 on the list of 500 best midsize companies in the U.S., putting it among the ranks of TripAdvisor (No. 1), AirBnB (No. 7) and Nintendo (No. 20).

Accounting for about 25% of the state’s oil production, Aera Energy has about 1,100 employees and nearly 2,800 contractors in Kern, Fresno, Monterey and Ventura counties. Its Coalinga production site employs about 35 full-time workers with an additional 100 contractors, said Feleena Sutton, who handles public affairs for Aera in the Coalinga region.

Aside from offering competitive compensation and benefit programs, Aera also supports employees with a variety of professional development and learning opportunities, flexible scheduling, and wellness and leave programs.

Forbes formulates its annual list with a series of independent and anonymous surveys conducted with 50,000 employees who work part of full time for a company with 1,000 to 5,000 employees in the U.S.

“We are truly humbled and honored Aera was named to Forbes America’s 2019 Best Midsize Employers List,” said Christina Sistrunk, president and CEO of Aera Energy. “Landing so high on the list tells me that we as a company are making a difference. Having the external validation from Forbes feels good, but what makes Aera great is our people who show up and work hard every day to safely and responsibly produce the oil that powers prosperity for California.”