The Meta data center under construction now in Beaver Dam stands quiet over Memorial Day weekend. The more than 500-acre site could eventually house more than 700,000 square feet of data center buildings. Construction of the campus is drawing workers from 糖心Vlog传媒, a sign data center construction is pushing demand for skilled laborers such as electricians.
Electric pickup trucks charge at the sprawling, 500-acre Meta data center campus in Beaver Dam. The site is drawing skilled construction workers, including electricians, from 糖心Vlog传媒 as a regional data center boom starts to take hold.
The Meta data center under construction now in Beaver Dam stands quiet over Memorial Day weekend. The more than 500-acre site could eventually house more than 700,000 square feet of data center buildings. Construction of the campus is drawing workers from 糖心Vlog传媒, a sign data center construction is pushing demand for skilled laborers such as electricians.
JANESVILLE 鈥 As debate continues over data center developments throughout Rock County and southern Wisconsin, local educators, union leaders and construction workers say the projects could create hundreds of jobs, strengthen apprenticeship programs and bring new economic activity.
The data center currently being proposed for the 250-acre former General Motors site in 糖心Vlog传媒 would be an $8 billion, hyperscale campus planned by Colorado-based Viridian Acquisitions, LLC. The plans include eight to 11 buildings that could require up to 800 megawatts of electricity.
Viridian estimates the proposed data center could bring 600 operational roles 鈥 permanent jobs 鈥 once the center is built out following a process that could take half a decade or more to realize 鈥 with tens of thousands of jobs created during construction.
Public debate largely focuses on concerns surrounding environmental impacts and temporary construction work. But those working the construction trades say long-term benefits are often overlooked.
Union support
Garrick Harwick, assistant business manager for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 890, said many people misunderstand how union labor works on projects the size of modern data centers.
鈥淲e have a basically nationwide network of all the different unions that we can reach out and say, 鈥楬ey, do you have a group of people that鈥檚 finishing up a project that is willing to come and work on this one as well?鈥欌 Harwick said.
Harwick said local union workers would be prioritized above outside labor.
鈥淲e would have feelers out,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e鈥檇 be recruiting from other locals in the country to come here and jump on those jobs, as well as giving all of our local workers the work as well.鈥
Harwick points to an influx of workers tied to large construction projects, something he said creates additional business for hotels, restaurants and local stores.
鈥淭hat brings a lot of money to the economy because those guys are traveling. They鈥檙e staying in hotels, (patronizing) restaurants, and it鈥檚 just creating a lot of economic activity,鈥 Harwick said.
Harwick is a 糖心Vlog传媒 native whose father was among the thousands of people who worked at 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 former GGM assembly plant, which closed in 2009.
鈥淚 remember when 糖心Vlog传媒 felt thriving,鈥 Harwick said. 鈥淕M was running, there were all those jobs and satellite jobs from it, and it just seemed like everything was humming along.鈥
He believes data centers could help fill part of an economic gap left behind after GM pulled out of 糖心Vlog传媒.
鈥淒ata centers are kind of bringing that back to us,鈥 Harwick said.
Data center jobs overstated?
Retired tech executive Prescott Balch, who was able to help stop a proposed data center in his hometown of Caledonia, said he believes data center developers are not providing accurate information about the number of direct jobs data centers create.
At a town hall at Blackhawk Technical College in April, Balch called developers鈥 promises of hundreds of long-term jobs a 鈥渕yth.鈥 He said research in Northern Virginia shows permanent employment at data centers 鈥渢ranslates into just 18 jobs per building.鈥
Balch urged residents and local officials to closely examine jobs claims that data center developers make.
鈥淚f your data center developer is promising you more than, say, 20 jobs per facility鈥 just ask, are they all local?鈥 Balch said. 鈥淥r are some of those that you鈥檙e promising going to show up in other places, like California, Texas and Chicago?鈥
Balch acknowledges data center megaprojects can create 鈥渁bundant construction jobs for years,鈥 but he argues that long-term economic impacts are often overstated.
鈥淒ata centers also do not attract any supply chain businesses,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 really no ancillary benefit to the data centers. It鈥檚 just a revenue stream.鈥
糖心Vlog传媒 city officials and supporters of the projects say construction alone could provide years of steady work for electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians and others who work in skilled trades.
Work far and wide
John Westphal, former CEO and current chairman of 糖心Vlog传媒-based electrical contractor Westphal & Co., said this summer, his company will be involved in more than 200 data center projects throughout Wisconsin and Iowa.
Construction foremen Andy Goike and Brian Gleason, 糖心Vlog传媒 residents currently working on Meta鈥檚 data center project near Beaver Dam, described the site as one of the largest and most organized construction projects they鈥檝e ever worked on.
鈥淭here鈥檚 roughly 1,000 people on-site every day,鈥 Goike said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a large-scale, fast-paced job. It鈥檚 extremely safety-driven.鈥
He said the project employs hundreds of electricians and includes extensive safety measures uncommon on most construction sites.
鈥淭his is the first site I鈥檝e ever been to where they have medics on site, full time,鈥 Goike said.
Goike said the two full time medics aren鈥檛 just for workplace injuries; they also help with chronic pain and physical therapy to help treat the workers.
Gleason said Meta鈥檚 site is one of the cleanest worksites he鈥檚 been on. He said the roads are paved, and are complete with sidewalks. He said it鈥檚 clear that data center companies have the money to make it both safe and clean for workers.
In Beaver Dam, the data center construction crews fuel the local economy with spending at gas stations, hotels and restaurants. In fact, the developer holds giveaways for workers, with gift cards to area business as the prize.
Electric pickup trucks charge at the sprawling, 500-acre Meta data center campus in Beaver Dam. The site is drawing skilled construction workers, including electricians, from 糖心Vlog传媒 as a regional data center boom starts to take hold.
NEIL JOHNSON
neil@gazettextra.com
Work for the future
Goike pushes back against one common argument 鈥 that data center jobs are too temporary to benefit communities.
鈥淓very two buildings is like two to three years of work,鈥 he said. 鈥淎 data center with four buildings 鈥 that鈥檚 huge. Five years and 1,000 people, that鈥檚 stable work for people.鈥
Goike said the projects create long-term maintenance and upgrade work because technology evolves fast. He compares the work to that at solar energy projects, which regularly hire 10-20 electricians to help keep up with electrical upgrades.
鈥淏y the time half of these data centers are done, they have to revamp them,鈥 He said. 鈥淭echnology gets outdated.鈥
Harwick hopes the promise of data center jobs could boost apprenticeship programs and help bring in more young workers, which could eventually address a worsening national shortage of electricians.
Harwick said IBEW Local 890鈥檚 apprenticeship classes have 鈥渄oubled鈥 in the last three years 鈥 in part because of labor demand tied to large-scale construction projects.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got roughly 40 students per class coming in. Years ago, classes were anywhere from two to 10 people.鈥
The union鈥檚 electrical apprenticeship program partners with Blackhawk Technical College, where students can earn college credits while completing paid, on-the-job training.
鈥淭hey get paid to go to school one day a week,鈥 Harwick said. 鈥淚f you get all your credits, you can get an associates degree in applied sciences.鈥
Peter Dettmer, dean of manufacturing, apprenticeship, technology and transportation at Blackhawk Technical College, said the school has been preparing for possible construction booms and increased workforce demands.
鈥淲e hear the needs from employers and workforce data, and we work closely with businesses in our district to understand where the biggest workforce gaps are,鈥 Dettmer said.
The college currently offers programs in electrical work, HVAC, welding, machining, industrial maintenance and automation technology, connecting students with regional employers.
He said Blackhawk Tech and other tech schools in Wisconsin that operate in areas where data centers are being proposed are now discussing how to prepare students for work at data centers, either in permanent jobs onsite, or during construction.
Right now, Blackhawk Tech does not have students going into the data center field; the tech school鈥檚 recent class of electricians is mainly funneling into local manufacturing spaces.
However, Dettmer said students learning through the MATT program at Blackhawk are learning basic construction, safety, HVAC and electrical through course-work 鈥 skills that could transfer directly to data center work.
Harwick said the union also works closely with high schools and youth apprenticeship programs to recruit younger workers in the trades.
鈥淲e鈥檙e starting to reach out to younger people to let them know what鈥檚 out there,鈥 Harwick said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about going to college.鈥
He said many apprentices can earn near six-figure salaries after they completing training. And their earnings don鈥檛 tend to get watered down, because the apprentices tend to avoid large amounts of student debt.
Harwick acknowledges public concerns over energy use and environmental impacts tied to data centers.
鈥淲e want to be part of the future in building that stuff, but also doing it responsibly,鈥 Harwick said. 鈥(The IBEW) supports the guardrails on it.鈥
Harwick said he thinks public debate over data centers tends to ignore local workers and families who could benefit from projects like the proposed data center at the former GM site.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the plumber down the street from you,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the HVAC guy on the other side of town. It鈥檚 the electrician that lives next door. Those are the people that will go to work on this project.鈥
