Scoring Google’s $1B data center feels like Super Bowl overtime as KC keeps notching wins, officials say
March 20, 2024 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Kansas City is hitting it out of the ballpark, said Mike Parson, returning from the governor’s office to the region Wednesday for yet another major economic development announcement — this time, a billion-dollar Google data center coming in 2025.
“Maybe I should say, ‘You’re hitting it out of the ballpark and scoring touchdowns,” Parson, R-Missouri, told a crowd gathered for the data center’s announcement.
“Google’s selection of the Kansas City region is another example of our state’s ability to attract and support world-class companies,” the governor added.
RELATED: Google to build $1B data center in Kansas City; aiming for 24/7 carbon-free energy use
Wednesday’s announcement comes nearly two years to the date of Google rival Meta’s unveiling of plans to build an $800 million data center in the region.
Jon Stephens, president and CEO of Port KC, speaks during an announcement event for Google’s billion-dollar data center in Kansas City; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
“Every time we see the governor in Kansas City, it’s a good thing,” noted Tim Cowden, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council, “because we’re either recruiting a company here or we’re — like today — announcing a big opportunity.”
Kansas City is on a roll, shared Jon Stephens, president and CEO of Port KC.
“But we never want to take it for granted,” he added.
Kansas City has always been a hub of communications, a hub of logistics, a hub of transportation, Stephens noted.
“From messages coming up the Missouri River, to the Pony Express, to the telegraph, to becoming the world’s first Giga City,” he continued. “Google’s commitment to Kansas City today is just the latest case of that crossroads of becoming a logistic center for data, information, technology for the future.”
Ora Reynolds, president and CEO of Hunt Midwest, joins Google in celebrating the announcement of Google’s billion-dollar data center in Kansas City; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
The new Google data center — which could open as soon as 2025 — is set to be located in the Hunt Midwest Business Center on NE Parvin Road.
“I feel like we are in overtime at the Super Bowl and we just won,” said Ora Reynolds, president and CEO of Hunt Midwest, which was founded by the Hunt family, who also own the Kansas City Chiefs.
Monique Picou, global vice president of cloud supply chain and operations for Google, announces the tech giant’s plans for a billion-dollar data center in Kansas City; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
Monique Picou, Google global vice president of cloud supply chain and operations, is no stranger to Kansas City and even calls herself a Chiefs fan.
“My first adult full time job was in the Kansas City metro,” she explained, “and how nice to come back and to get to talk about new jobs.”
“And how much better is it that I get to come to this airport,” she added, noting the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport, another recent victory for Kansas City.
Google’s announcement is a testament to the resources, talent and welcoming spirit of the Kansas City community, she continued.
“Together, Kansas City and Google will help power America’s digital future and we are excited to contribute to the bright future of the region,” she said.”
Featured Business
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Football tech startup Lazser Down scores big with NCAA championship game
When two out-of-state foes face off Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park, the NCAA Division II Championship game will still host a hometown team. The title game — between West Florida University and Texas A&M University-Commerce — features local tech created by Lazser Down, a Kansas City-based startup that created a new down marker system that uses…
Plexpod acquires Think Big Coworking, expanding KC footprint
Plexpod isn’t playing. Amid Kansas City’s competitive coworking market, Plexpod is doubling down with the acquisition of Think Big Coworking’s 1712 Main Street location, Plexpod founder Gerald Smith said. The acquisition adds more than 30,000 square feet of space to Plexpod’s already large footprint in the area and forges a new partnership between the two…
Raaxo takes shape after pivot from Aphrodite Bra Co’s body scan concept
Despite its use of body-mapping technology, Aphrodite Bra Company wasn’t the right fit for customers’ needs, said Carlanda McKinney, founder of the newly rebooted custom intimates company Raaxo. “Aphrodite had been stuck in the starting-up space,” she said. “We’d never really gotten enough sales or enough traction to say, ‘We’re launched,’ or, ‘We’re in business.’…
Serial entrepreneur leverages past success for Bridge Space coworking project
Bridge Space will be more than a coworking office, Ben Rao said. He hopes it will be the heart of Lee’s Summit’s blossoming entrepreneurial ecosystem. “My No. 1 goal is to accelerate entrepreneurs’ success,” said Rao, Bridge Space founder and a serial entrepreneur himself. “It’s an opportunity for me to build something that would make…