Special to The Dallas Examiner
On Thursday Google announced a planned investment of approximately $600 million in Texas over several years. As part of the investment a new data center in Ellis County’s Red Oak will soon begin construction.
The announcement was made Aug. 31 at the Dallas College Workforce Development Training Center in the former Red Bird Mall in southern Dallas. In attendance to welcome the new growth were Texas leaders Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Rep. Jake Elzey.
“This is going to be part of the rejuvenation of this part of north Texas. And I think this will be one of the hubs right here, as a result of this investment by Google,” said Cornyn.
The new center is expected to close to 1,200 construction jobs and 30 new full-time operational jobs.
The investment doesn’t stop at the data center either. Google also pledged a $150,000 grant to Red Oak ISD for to grow its STEM program according to Cris Turner, Google’s vice president of Government Affairs and Public Policy.
“That is designed to help make sure that the workforce, both for our needs and for those workers and those industries that develop around our location here, have the workforce and skills that they need,” said Turner.
Last year Google also partnered with the University of Texas and Texas State University Systems to offer Google career certificates. Students there now have access to training courses needed to develop skills required in high-demand tech industry careers.
In addition to its other investments, Google operates another data center in Midlothian, also in Ellis County, just south of Dallas.
“Google’s expanded data center in Midlothian and the new one in Red Oak will build on those successes, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact these investments will have in North Texas and beyond,” proclaimed Cornyn.