ImpactData is looking to bridge the digital divide in East Greensboro.
Terry Comer, CEO of the minority-owned digital infrastructure firm, said that the Covid-19 pandemic exposed digital inequities, lack of resources and unlevel playing field in places like East Greensboro and on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Earlier this month, ImpactData confirmed its plan to build its first-ever data center, called a Dream Center, at Gateway Research Park’s South Campus in partnership with Guilford County Schools and N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University.
“What we believe our Dream Center can help to do is reposition HBCUs to become the beacons of technology for the entire community,” Comer said.
ImpactData focuses on partnering with HBCUs and surrounding communities to deliver critical digital infrastructure. Comer called Greensboro an “untapped opportunity” as it is not a known data market.
ImpactData’s project – in which it will invest over $130 million to create 28 jobs and over 115,000 square feet of new construction – will have a multitude of benefits, including:
- Research-level connectivity at Gateway Research Park
- 25,000 square feet of dedicated innovation space for N.C. A&T at no cost to the university
- Digital literacy and digital up-skilling hubs and co-working flex space for local residents
- A 10-megawatt tier-three data center for the corporate community.
In addition, GCS will build a 70,000-square-foot Community Education Center on Gateway Research Park’s new nine-acre Digital Transformation Campus. The CEC, primarily funded by federal Covid-19 funds, will help address the negative impact of the pandemic on the school district.
From K-12 to adult education
GCS’s Community Education Center will provide flex spaces with tutoring and educational programming, adult education and digital skills initiatives, as well as community meeting and engagement spaces for students, adults and families.
“The CEC will provide the district additional space to expand our innovative practices for all kinds of learners throughout the district and community,” said GCS Superintendent Whitney Oakley. “GCS is poised to take our nationally acclaimed learning recovery efforts to new heights, and the CEC will help us continue our focus on community engagement as a foundation for success for all of our students and families.”
GCS’s facility will also address the school district’s need for staff training amenities, as well as newly constructed spaces beyond traditional classrooms with targeted resources.
Comer said that adding GCS as a partner made “all the sense in the world.”
“When GCS approached us, it made all the sense in the world given the natural synergy between workforce development and bridging K-12 with higher education with adult education,” he said. “You’ll run the full gambit of a lifecycle [and] expose these kids to STEM and STEAM opportunities.”
A true public-private partnership
Jim Westmoreland, interim executive director for Gateway Research Park, said that this is the first time that it has facilities for a "true public-private development."
He added that this development, which will take place across nine-acres of land next to Gateway’s South Campus, is different in that the outside organizations will fully fund, develop and operate the properties and Gateway will have sub-ground leases of about 50 years.
The Greensboro City Council has invested in the project, granting ImpactData more than $500,000 over four years last August.
“In the past five years, the city has been intentional about making equitable investments, especially as it relates to East Greensboro,” Mayor Nancy Vaughan said. “ImpactData is adding to the variety of innovation taking place in Gateway Research Park, while setting the foundation for those seeking careers in the technology sector.”
Comer told TBJ that ImpactData is looking to finalize its design work by the end of 2023 and break ground in early 2024. He added that many of the 28 jobs will help ImpactData run the Dream Center, as the company is headquartered in Atlanta.
“We’re also going to work with the city on looking at more effective service to the location,” Westmoreland said. “We’re looking at partnering with the city and Greensboro Transit Authority to bring the bus line across from East Florida Street into the campus to directly serve as a point of access.”
