When a data center project breaks ground in Iowa, the impact is felt long before the first servers spin up and process data. It all started with the arrival of hundreds of skilled tradesmen. It continues at crowded local hotels and busy midday stalls at nearby restaurants. For Iowa State, these projects are more than just buildings. They are the economic engine that will improve our nation’s future.
A recent economic impact study from the Iowa Technology Association confirms what we see every day: Data center growth is transforming Iowa’s construction industry. A factory typically employs more than 500 well-paid construction workers from start to finish. According to the Technology Association, current operations support more than 9,000 jobs annually and drive total output of $3 billion. Data processing and hosting is now the second-fastest growing industry in Iowa by wages. Iowa families are benefiting from these investments.
At The Weitz Co., we see this benefit in the lives of our employees. Our business has grown with this investment, allowing us to create new teams, new roles and entirely new lines of business. Our engineers, masons, carpenters and electricians are the backbone of our work, building state-of-the-art facilities for some of the world’s most influential companies, bringing skill and precision to every project. Directing these efforts are our builders—many of whom are homegrown talent from Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa—who have become world-class experts in high-tech construction.
The construction and operation of data centers requires a high level of attention to detail and precision. The data center has a zero-tolerance policy for discrepancies; every system must perform exactly as specified. Because of this, electrical and mechanical designs are among the most complex in the world. We don’t just build warehouses; we build warehouses. We are installing advanced thermal management and closed-loop cooling systems designed to minimize environmental impact and maximize efficiency. On a square foot basis, this is one of the most efficient buildings available today.
The potential in our state is enormous. The Iowa Technology Association found that if Iowa’s full development pipeline came to fruition, we could see more than 18,000 data center-related jobs. This is especially important for Iowa’s construction community, which provides stable, good wages to support our families. The expertise gained by these workers does not disappear when the project ends; it continues. It becomes a permanent part of Iowa’s “human capital,” raising the ceiling on what our workforce can achieve on future projects.
