We are so pleased for our Crook County families, volunteers and donors that Facebook has chosen to build their first data center in Prineville. The ripple effect of this choice will be felt for years to come. 

The initial impact is the purchase and development of the land.  Even when a local government negotiates things like waiving taxes there are still development and community impact fees that have to be paid.  Even if Facebook uses a contractor out of Portland, it is likely most of the sub contractors and labor will be hired out of the local pool.  On the Prineville Data Center fan page, Facebook stated that they will seek to hire as many of the estimated 200 construction workers as possible from the local construction work force as well as seek to purchase as much material locally as possible.

Once open the facility plans to employ 35 full time workers.  Sure, that is a miniscule percentage of the population but the anticipated average pay is 150 percent of the local prevailing wage which is significantly better than the part time minimum wage jobs Bend constantly attracts. Certainly Facebook will need to fill some of the key positions from their experienced staff but when those employees relocate, they will have to acquire housing, pay taxes, shop, dine and recreate. Beyond these 35 positions, there will also be maintenance and service requirements that will be filled by locals.

Last but not least is the visibility it gives the community.  I believe Facebook is the second most visited site.  That means many, many people all over the world know who Facebook is and that will certainly highlight Prineville as a potential destination for other companies at the very least.

This is a big deal for Prineville and in a lesser sense for Central Oregon.  Hats off to the Prineville officials involved in the negotiations for making it work. And a hardy huzzah for the locals and businesses that will benefit from such a high profile project.

For more information about the Prineville Data Center project, visit Facebook.com/prinevilledatacenter