Google CB Data Centers

Including Iowa metro counties.

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Post by Guest »

I realize this is anonymous, but I promise each of you - that if google is what you want to see built in that space.. google is what you will get.

if google isn't what you want, you had better change your mind.
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duh?
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Post by icejammer »

Looks like the OWH is keeping up with the story:

Iowa bill would aid a Google-type business
Rep. Paul Shomshor, D-Council Bluffs and the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, said the bill will go before the full House on Friday. He said it's likely to pass.

"This is moving pretty fast for the House," Shomshor said, later adding, "We've worked hard to keep (the name) confidential."

Shomshor and Rep. Phil Wise, D-Keokuk, who also is on the committee, would not discuss the name of the company. But Wise said the total investment by the company could be around $600 million.

Wise also said he's been told that 100 to 150 jobs could be created initially, with the potential for "10 times" that number in the future.

Wise sits on the board of the state's Department of Economic Development. A department spokesperson said no "Web search portal business," including Google, has applied for incentives through the department.
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Post by icejammer »

The Non-Pareil must have decided to get in on the action as well, finally...

Iowa House to discuss bill aimed at attracting tech industries
The Iowa House on Friday will debate and possibly vote on a bill that could better attract high-tech computer industries to the state, Rep. Paul Shomshor, D-100th District said.

"The intent is treat high-tech internet portal companies similar to traditional manufacturing companies," he said.

"There is a company that is looking in Council Bluffs and southwest Iowa to do web portal services and this would encourage them to locate here," said Doug Struyk, R-99th District.

There could be 150 jobs, paying at least $60,000, he said.

The bill would be for statewide use and does not list any specific company, said Shomshor, who introduced the bill himself as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, but it is targeting a specific industry.

"We haven't taken high-tech industries into account (over the years)," he said. "It's a modernization of the Iowa tax code."
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Post by icejammer »

Tax break package days away
It appears final legislation that would offer tax breaks for certain high-tech companies to locate in Iowa is just days away.

The Iowa House late Friday approved a package that would provide various sales, use and property tax exemptions for web search portal businesses, if those businesses invest at least $200 million in the state. . .

The House overwhelmingly approved the package with 98 of the 100 members in support. It's now in the hands of the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal of D-Council Bluffs said there might be a few minor changes, but overall it's ready to be passed by the senators and sent to Gov. Chet Culver for his signature.

In a related action, the Council Bluffs City Council will go ahead with a public hearing Monday night on a development agreement between the city and the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation on tax incentives on property along South Omaha Bridge Road where a new company could locate. Details of the agreement, however, have not been finalized. . .
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Post by icejammer »

City OKs rezoning along South Omaha Bridge Road
The Council Bluffs City Council Monday night approved the rezoning of land along South Omaha Bridge Road that could allow a technology park to be built.

The action came at the request of the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation, which has an option to purchase that land. . .

A local incentive package between the city and the foundation to encourage a business to locate in that area was not yet finalized at the time of Monday night's council meeting.
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Post by icejammer »

Google remains only speculation
Apparently it is Google.

Or maybe not.

Speculation that Google is the company most likely to be building on a 180-acre site owned by the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation on the South Omaha Bridge Road at South 11th Street grew when the "G-word" spilled out Wednesday on the floor of the Iowa Senate.

However, Council Bluffs officials continued to decline to comment, citing signed confidentiality agreements with whoever the developing company is. . .

"We are still in the position that we can't confirm any particular company that may be locating in Council Bluffs," he said. "When the appropriate time comes, an official announcement will be made. Until that time, any speculation or repeating of rumors, could have a negative affect on multiple projects in the community."

The Iowa House has approved similar tax breaks to the one passed Wednesday, and the measure now returns to that chamber to deal with minor Senate changes. Approval is expected as the Legislature seeks to polish off its work and end this year's session in the next few days.
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I work for a professional services firm and we are having our contacts with Google headquarters try to get anything out of them, thereby seeing what work we can do for them.
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Post by icejammer »

Incentive plan ready in Bluffs
What's more than 50 pages and could change the business landscape in Council Bluffs forever?

The answer is the local incentive package for a high-tech company. The package will go before the Council Bluffs City Council for approval Monday night.

The package, formally called a development agreement, lays out how much a company would have to invest in the city to receive different levels of property tax rebates. The rebates could total $48 million over 20 years.

Although nothing is official, Internet search company Google is believed to be considering expanding its operations to Council Bluffs. One possibility is a data center, which processes Internet searches, e-mail and other services.

The development agreement only lists "a multi-phased technology related project."
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Post by bradical »

Denied!
OMAHA, Neb. -- A new data center for Google will not be coming to Council Bluffs.

The company announced on Wednesday that it will build a $600 million center in northeast Oklahoma.

Officials said the center near Pryor, Okla., will hire about 100 workers and will provide support for the company's many Internet services. Managers said they hope employment will reach about 200 as the popular search engine continues to grow.

Last week, the Iowa Senate approved tax incentives aimed at luring Google to Council Bluffs.
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Post by Stargazer »

My understanding was that Google was going to be building, literally, dozens of these centers around the country.


EDIT:  I think some genius over at KETV finally figured this out... the story is gone.
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Post by Coyote »

Google's Plans Include Oklahoma Site
KETV wrote:In a story posted earlier Thursday, KETV NewsWatch 7 reported that Google had chosen not to locate a new data center in Council Bluffs. Google has made no such announcement.
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Post by icejammer »

Methinks someone at KETV was asleep at the switch; according to this story, the OK plans have been underway and rumored since 2005:

Bluffs incentive plan ready
A 50-plus-page package of economic incentives goes to the City Council for approval Monday, bringing with it the potential to launch what certainly will be one of the biggest business deals in the city's history and ignite an explosion of activity along the South Omaha Bridge Road.

"We have a development agreement that's essentially between the city and the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation at this point," City Attorney Dick Wade said.

While declining to name the company that could be involved in the project, Wade said the agreement is for "a multi-phased technology-related project."

Speculation has long centered on the possibility that Internet search giant Google has been eyeing Council Bluffs for a server farm. Officials with the city, company and state have declined to confirm any plans for the site. . .

The agreement goes to the City Council just days after Google announced plans to invest $600 million to build a data center complex at MidAmerica Industrial Park in Pryor, Okla., about 50 miles northwest of Tulsa. That center will eventually employ up to 200. The average salary for fulltime workers at the center will be $48,000, officials said. . .

According to an Associated Press article, the process of locating a Google center in Oklahoma has mirrored much of the activity in Council Bluffs. In late 2005, Google began to survey a dozen Midwestern states for potential data center sites. Late last year Google site selection representatives concluded discussions on the MidAmerica site and began to complete contractual agreements to purchase the property.

The Oklahoma announcement was not thought to reduce the possibility of a similar center coming to Council Bluffs as Google consistently has said it plans to open numerous centers across the country. . .
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Post by icejammer »

We (or maybe I should say some of you) will know officially within a month:

Official: South Omaha Bridge firm to be identified soon
Expect an announcement of some kind within a month or so on what might occur on the ground along South Omaha Bridge Road where the old Council Bluffs Drive-in once stood, a business development official said. . .

"No specific timelines have been set for an announcement, but I would anticipate something within about 30 days," said Mark Norman, spokesman for the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation, after Monday night's City Council meeting. . .

The council approved a development agreement with the foundation that provides a schedule of tax rebates should a company decide to locate there.
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Post by Hooloovoo »

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... id=2400920
COUNCIL BLUFFS - Iowa Gov. Chet Culver will be in Council Bluffs Tuesday for a "significant economic development announcement," a public relations spokesman said today.
No other specifics were provided, though the Omaha area has been awaiting the announcement of which company has been planning a high-tech operation north of Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs.
Well, assuming that Culver isn't going to be showing up for a remodel of a current retail store, this should prove to be good news for Council Bluffs and the Metro as a whole.
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Google is coming to the Bluffs
Omaha World Herald wrote:The Internet search company — which has been rumored for months to be coming to Council Bluffs — is planning to announce Tuesday that it will locate a so-called server farm here, according to a person with knowledge of the announcement. The operation will bring with it 200 full-time jobs and will be located in two buildings, according to the person. One of the buildings is expected to be up and running by the end of the year.
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my dad works for an electric company in omaha and said some people are already assigned to this job. as of right now its called the 'cbi job'. later this summer multiple electric companies could be working this job to get it done asap.
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Post by icejammer »

Prepare ye the way of the Google!

Will Tuesday be G-Day?
The months of suspense are set to end Tuesday when Gov. Chet Culver comes to Council Bluffs for what a public relations spokesman has termed a "significant economic development announcement."

Ron Hanser of Hanser and Associates, a West Des Moines-based public relations firm, told The Daily Nonpareil on Friday that a media event has been scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Mid-America Center. . .
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Council Bluffs may get Googled
. . . An economic development official who asked not to be identified, but who is familiar with the project, said Friday that Google has told the state that it will build its next server farm in Council Bluffs.

Culver's spokesman, Brad Anderson, declined to discuss the project.

Google spokesman Barry Schnitt said: "We're looking at sites across the United States, but we don't comment on or disclose specific locations we may be evaluating."

Lynne Branigan, a Council Bluffs City Council member, said she was contacted Friday afternoon by man who identified himself as a community affairs official with Google. He asked if she would be at the governor's announcement Tuesday.

"He didn't say, 'Hey, we're coming to town,' " Branigan said. . . .
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Univ. of Nebraska hopes for Google relationship
Des Moines Register wrote:Representatives from Google toured the University of Nebraska at Omaha earlier this spring to talk about possible career opportunities at their planned facility in Council Bluffs, a university recruiting official said. "Our college has a lot to gain from something like this. We have the largest (information technology) program in this region," said Deepak Khazanchi, associate dean of the institute's College of Information Science and Technology. When two Google executives came to campus in April to talk to students about Google Earth, a mapping program with satellite and 3D imagery, the 50-person capacity room overflowed into two rooms.

The program has about 900 students with experiences in the type of skills a server farm might need, such as math, engineering, database administration, hardware infrastructure management, marketing and business. If Google adds a research and development component to its Council Bluffs facility, it also might hire graduate and doctoral students, Khazanchi added.
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Post by bmo372 »

The story now in the Omaha World Herald.  
Just to see how fast things would happen, google has 7 job postings listed on their web site for Council Bluffs, IA.
They are kidding around.
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Post by Brad »

Google formally announces Council Bluffs plan

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1 ... id=2401003
Mystery solved.

Google officially announced this morning that it will build a data centers near Lake Manawa in Council Bluffs, investing $600 million and eventually creating 200 jobs.

The first buildings of the server farm will be a pair of existing warehouses. Operations in at least one building may begin by the end of the year.

Mayor Tom Hanafan was thrilled with the Internet giant's choice of Council Bluffs.

"People say , 'Why Council Bluffs?' Our answer is 'Why not?' We've worked hard, and I think we should be extremely proud of what we've done.

"This project will change the face of Council Bluffs Iowa," Hanafan said.

The site is northwest of U.S. Highway 275 and South 11th Street. The Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation owns 53 acres of land there, including the warehouses. The foundation has options to buy another 125 acres to expand the Google site west to South 24th Street.
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Post by bmo372 »

aren't kidding around is how i should have written that.
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Post by icejammer »

It's official: Bluffs lands Google
Google it is!

"I hear people say 'Why Council Bluffs?' I say 'Why not?'" a triumphant Mayor Tom Hanafan said as one of the biggest economic coups in the city's history was announced.

Gov. Chet Culver was among the dignitaries on hand this morning at the Mid-America Center as Google announced the selection of Council Bluffs as the site for a $600 million investment in a new data center project that includes two buildings.

It starts with a retrofit of an existing 100,000-square-foot vacant industrial structure north of Lake Manawa on South Omaha Bridge Road where the Council Bluffs Drive-In was located.

The investment includes purchase of two existing buildings, land, site preparation and infrastructure, construction, computers and other equipment. In addition to the 54 acres where the existing building is located, Google has an option on 130 acres to the west across Indian creek.

Other site options of approximately 1,000 acres remain under consideration in a project that clearly establishes Iowa in the economy's technology sector.

Hanafan said today's announcement is a tribute to a tremendous amount of work by a lot of people.

"We've been working a decade to put together the assets to draw a company like this," he said.

The work at the MidAmerican Energy power plant, the amount of fiber that's been laid, the available land and the improvements to the area's roadways all were preparation for Google's arrival, Hanafan said.

"It's all available right here, and we've been working at it for a long time," he said.

Hanafan said Google officials told him that a lot of places wanted the company, but Council Bluffs put together a team that outworked everyone.

"To me that says we're really going in the right direction," he said, adding the days of Council Bluffs lacking names with national recognition are gone.

"This is international," he said.

Hanafan also praised the City Council for its work, as well as the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation and the Chamber of Commerce.

Mark Norman, with the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation, said he knew Google could be convinced to invest in the city.

"The Council Bluffs Chamber of Commerce and the Pottawattamie County Growth Alliance believe in Council Bluffs; and when we go in to compete for a project, we always go in with the attitude that we're going to be successful in attracting it," he said. "We believe Council Bluffs has a lot to offer businesses of all kinds."

Norman said work on the project began more than a year ago, after a lead came in from the Iowa Department of Economic Development and MidAmerican Energy.

"The presence of the power plant was very attractive," Norman said.

Once fully operational, Google expects up to 200 people will be employed at the data center complex. The jobs will pay an average annual salary of $50,000.

In December, the company's unique corporate culture earned it the title of Fortune magazine's No. 1 place to work.

Speculation has long centered on Google as the company most likely to build on the 180-acre site owned by the Council Bluffs Industrial Foundation on the South Omaha Bridge Road at South 11th Street. Officials had been bound by confidentiality agreements from commenting on what company was considering the city.

The Council Bluffs facility will be part of Google's establishment of "server farms" across the country. The data center is a specialized building that contains racks and racks of individual computers tied together to process searches and other services provided by the Internet giant.

The facilities generate enormous amounts of heat and carry huge electrical costs to keep them cool. It had been suggested that a server farm would make sense for the Lake Manawa location because it is near the MidAmerican Energy power plant. The server farm could use up to one-third of the plant's base power.

Other reasons the server farm was considered a good fit for the area included the relatively inexpensive land and labor available, the metro area's large network of fiber-optic cables and the Industrial Foundation's request that the city increase the amount of water available to the site. The water potentially would be used for cooling the equipment.

The City Council approved a 50-plus-page package of economic incentives that helped launch one of the biggest business deals in the city's history. Under the agreement approved by the city, during the first phase of the project the company will acquire the existing Kansas City Life buildings.

During the first phase of the project, the package offers a 100 percent rebate on the property taxes in keeping with the final two years of the existing arrangement on the old Kansas City Life building. It then drops down to 80 percent for two and a half years, 60 percent until 2024 when the tax rebates end.

Property taxes paid to the various government entities could still total more than $65 million even with the rebates.

Toward the end of this year's session, the Iowa Legislature passed a statutory sales tax and property exemption for cooling systems, power infrastructure, generators, electricity and other equipment for Web search portals that invest at least $200 million. Culver signed the bill in late May.

Google recently announced a similar project in Pryor, Okla., and projects in North and South Carolina. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., and maintains 40 sales, operations and engineering offices worldwide, including Ann Arbor, Mich., New York, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo and Sydney, Australia.

The company employs about 12,000 people worldwide.
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Post by icejammer »

And people complain that the OWH can't get its facts straight:

It's official: Google coming to Council Bluffs

(original headline read "Council Bluff")
Council Bluffs, Ia. — It's official: Google will build a server farm in Council Bluffs.

The $600 million project will include two facilities spread over 1,185 acres and will include 200 workers with average salaries of between $50,000 and $130,000, according to materials given to reporters this morning at a press conference in Council Bluffs.
That is one damn big facility!   :lol:

Seriously though, from earlier today (at least this one was factual)...

Council Bluffs: Polished image tempts Google
Council Bluffs residents and business leaders say Google's anticipated decision to build in their community is the result - not the start - of an economic revival that began more than 10 years ago.

Council Bluffs "has been poised for something like this for a long time," said Dan Van Houten, broker and senior manager for NP Dodge Real Estate in Council Bluffs. "Little by little, the image of the city has improved."

Van Houten and others cite a list of economic investments, including the riverfront casinos, the new arena and convention center, big-name retail stores, and numerous expansion plans from existing businesses.

Gov. Chet Culver is expected to announce today that Google will build a server farm in Council Bluffs. Lawmakers have said the city is being considered for a $600 million data center that could create 100 jobs that would pay between $50,000 and $130,000 annually.

The server farm site is within the district boundaries of Lewis Central Community Schools, where Dave Black is the school improvement specialist and assistant superintendent. The district is excited about Google bringing in some additional tax revenue and more students, "but it's certainly not the only growth ... we've had in the district," he said.

"With adding Google, with the doubling in production at the power plant, adding another shopping mall and a strip mall ... all of those are in play," he said. "There's a lot of economic optimism right now."

Both Black and Van Houten grew up in Council Bluffs and have seen the transformation.

"I'm very much aware of the perception of folks from the rest of the state and Nebraska and the surrounding area of the Council Bluffs of the old days," Van Houten said. "It's been one of the best-kept secrets for a long time."

His real estate office was buzzing Monday morning with chatter about Google, but no one knows yet how many clients NP Dodge will get from new or relocating employees, he said.

At least one Council Bluffs business has directly benefited from the new arrival. Ignacio Cockcroft, assistant manager at Lansky's, delivered about eight pizzas to the construction site earlier this spring.

Getting Google - which has a reputation for feeding its employees - as a customer would be a big bonus, he said.

And he agreed that Google would add to the city's growing list of improvements and maybe get people to stop thinking of it as a "hick town."

"Everybody's heard about Council Bluffs," he said.

Anyone who has that image of Council Bluffs "probably hasn't visited in the last 10 years," said Black, noting that the city is part of a large metropolitan area with a major airport, symphony orchestra, minor-league baseball team and major retail stores.

"They see Council Bluffs as being on the edge, and out there, and not having some of those things," he said. "We have those things. Both the cultural life and economic life of Council Bluffs is just separated from Omaha by a river."

There is at least one sign that Google might be looking to Omaha for new hires. Representatives from Google toured the University of Nebraska at Omaha earlier this spring to talk about possible career opportunities, a university recruiting official said.

The company hasn't approached any students yet, but the university hopes to establish a relationship with Google that would lead to hiring, said Doug Bahle, director of the Career Resource Center at the University of Nebraska Peter Kiewit Institute.

Representatives from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, which has a computer science program, did not return calls Monday.

The new facility likely will employ people from both Nebraska and Iowa, said Mark Norman, who works with the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce.

"The investment is in Iowa, and the benefit is going to be in Iowa," he said.

Council Bluffs city leaders have agreed to provide up to $48 million in property tax rebates over 20 years to a high-tech company they've yet to name.

Being close to Omaha and having the amenities of a large metropolitan area helped lure the company to Council Bluffs, said Bob Mundt, chamber president.

"But to say that Council Bluffs hasn't earned this is way off base," he said.

"Tomorrow's announcement is just another positive sign that we aren't what we used to be."
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Post by MTO »

Better get my resume up to date.

And my jaw remains dropped.....
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Post by guy4omaha »

CONGRATULATIONS Council Bluffs!!!! You did it. Perhaps this is just the beginning of some greater momentum for the eastern side of the metro. I'd say we're due.
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Post by icejammer »

Looks like I need to get some friends' ears on the ground in CA to see what's shaping up here...

Google has room to grow: Internet giant holds an option to buy 1,000 acres
While Google confirmed Tuesday that it was building a server farm here, it started a new mystery:

What will it do with the 1,000 acres of land it has under option in the south end of Pottawattamie County in addition to the 185 already marked off north of Lake Manawa?

A research and development center? That has been part of the talk surrounding the unkept secret that Google is coming to town.

Google officials wouldn't comment Tuesday beyond saying that there were no plans now for an R&D center in Council Bluffs.
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Post by icejammer »

Google decision is a sign of how far Bluffs has come
. . . Plenty of attention was paid over the past 10 years to improving the image of a city often passed over during company site searches in favor of Omaha, Des Moines and other cities across Iowa and Nebraska.

This time, it was Council Bluffs' turn to shine. . .

"It's a pretty good day for the whole metro area," he said. "It's never a competition, when something happens good in this metro area. It's good for the whole area." . . .

The Mid-America Center was a "catalyst for development," said Mark Norman, vice president of economic development for the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce.

The performing arts and convention center has helped to create an "entertainment corridor" that extends into Omaha, spanning the Old Market, the Qwest Center and the Henry Doorly Zoo, Norman said.

"Quality of life makes a difference to these companies," Hanafan said. "They don't always look at taxes. They look at what their employees are able to do, if their employees are happy."

Operations at the new Google server farm are not expected to begin until spring 2009, but the company anticipates hiring up to 100 workers immediately. Among those jobs will be operations managers, technicians, food service workers and landscapers. Google officials estimate that the average salary and benefits will be $50,000, pumping $10 million annually into the local economy through payroll. . . .
Better pick up your jaw and polish up that resume, MTO!
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Post by icejammer »

Economists: Google is Good
With Google landing in Council Bluffs, the benefits can be anticipated to spread throughout the surrounding miles, according to a pair of university economists. . .

Much of the money paid in wages will be spent in Omaha, Goss said, benefiting that city in terms of sales tax receipts.

If Google is a $100 million operation, it can be expected to create more opportunities throughout the area, he said. For every $100 million of Google impact, the area can expect another $85 million spillover through retail sales, banking revenue and other economic activity. . .

Eathington said if the region is trying to build up its image as a place to do business, Google can help.

"It's a big name. It's a big deal," she said.
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
icejammer
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Post by icejammer »

Internet giant's arrival in 2009 has city buzzing
The city is going "gah-gah" for Google, and if ever there were a time for civic pride to swell, this is the week.

The Internet giant's formal announcement of its decision to invest $600,000 million in a data center and create 200 jobs in Council Bluffs came Tuesday at the Mid-America Center, in front of a screen featuring Google's distinctive logo with a prairie rose adorning the "G," a goldfinch perched on the second 'O' and a cornstalk sprouting from the 'L'. . .

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"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
icejammer
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Post by icejammer »

And, of course, we have to let the politician's get their pearls of wisdom out there...

GOOGLE: Legislators react to announcement
Council Bluffs and southwest Iowa now have the unique opportunity to lead the country in the 21st Century in renewable fuels and the information economy, said U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-5th District.

"I cannot measure the excitement Google has created by announcing the location of its new data center in Council Bluffs," he said.

"This city and the entire region is a great place to do business. Western Iowa already leads the nation in production of renewable fuels like ethanol, and the presence of a major leader in the information economy, like Google, gives us an unique opportunity to lead the country in the 21st Century." . . .

Iowa House Rep. Doug Struyk, R-Council Bluffs, said as a Council Bluffs resident, he was pleased on many levels.

"As a resident of Council Bluffs, I'm very proud to have such a well-respected company joining our community," he said. "As a legislator, I'm pleased to see more jobs and opportunity available in our state."

Struyk mentioned that the Legislature in 2001 approved the Electrical Generation bill that allowed Iowa power plants to expand their energy capacity in order to host such large facilities like Google. . . .

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said, "It's great news for Council Bluffs, and I'm pleased to work on legislation that treats information technology companies like we would treat manufacturing companies." . . .
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
icejammer
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Post by icejammer »

Google no ordinary workplace
You could be a Googler.

But first you'd be a Noogler. . . .

A Web site has been established for people interested in applying at the Council Bluffs Google data center, with complete information available online at http://www.google.com/councilbluffs.
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
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Post by icejammer »

GOOGLE: Students could benefit
Those Google folks have been checking out the city for a while, and the benefits of the company's decision to build a data center in Council Bluffs will not be limited to the east side of the Missouri River.

Doug Bahle, director of the career center at the University of Nebraska's Peter Kiewitt Institute in Omaha, said the Council Bluffs Chamber visited the campus with an unidentified potential employer in late February or March this year.

"They had some folks that I presume are from Google," he said. "That is not unusual."

It's not uncommon, he clarified, for companies that are being recruited to check out the city without identifying themselves.

"They must have liked what they saw on both sides of the river," Bahle said, adding it would be a good thing for the university and Google to develop a partnership. . .

Google officials on Tuesday said the company plans to partner with a local university or community college to develop a training program. The program would be open to other companies and is intended to improve the pool of information technology professionals in the area. Admission to the program does not mean the student will be hired by Google.

Any local talks are in the very early stages, officials said.
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
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Post by Stargazer »

I think all of our UNIX admins are already interviewing with them.
Shoot for the Moon... if you miss, you'll land among the stars.
jjjjhskr
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Post by jjjjhskr »

I would bet that Eppley Airport is working VERY HARD to get flights to the bay area soon.
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Post by Minneapolis Boy »

Perhaps Express Jet will come through. They recently started non-stop service to Ontario/LA & San Diego. Service to SF area has been desired for quite some time.
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Post by icejammer »

IWCC ready for Google
IWCC President Dan Kinney said Google company officials have already been on the Council Bluffs campus, and "we will meet with them again in a couple of weeks to discuss the curriculum and their needs." . . .

"I think it's great. It's a big deal, not just for information technology jobs, but for construction and health care, and it's good for area workers and our students," Kinney said. "(IWCC) can meet Google's needs, and there will be some really exciting things to come out of our curriculum once we get into additional discussions with Google."

Bernie Duis, the IWCC director of economic development, is also thrilled with Google's plans.

"Oh, yeah. This will be a benefit for us and for Council Bluffs," he said. "We have some longstanding IT courses that I'm sure we can adapt to meet Google's needs. We expect to hear from the Google representatives soon, and we're looking forward to working with them." . . .
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
icejammer
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Post by icejammer »

Internet giant brings name recognition
Name recognition. Council Bluffs now has it with Internet giant Google's decision to locate a data center in the city.

Many times in the past, Council Bluffs received early consideration as a possible location for new businesses. Too often it was one quick look and they were gone, never to return.

Some local and state leaders say things have changed.

Former People's National Bank President Tom Whitson was overflowing with excitement about the possibilities created by the city's newest corporate citizen.

"I think it's going to improve our standard of living in Council Bluffs because it will help drive wages," he said. "I think the name Google, associated with our community and our state says something about Council Bluffs." . . .
"Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved."

--William Jennings Bryan
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