Dorsey Hager, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, joined host Ed “Flash” Ferenc on April 3 for his regular appearance on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast. The conversation focused on winning the public conversation around the benefits of data centers, a record-breaking apprenticeship graduation and the explosive growth of building trades work stretching from Central to Southern Ohio.
Making the case for data centers: bus tours, community education and 40 years of history
Picking up from last month’s conversation about data center pushback, Hager said the C/COBCTC is taking an active role in getting out into communities to correct misinformation. He and Pat Hook, business manager for IBEW Local 683 and council president, joined members of the Grove City Council on a bus tour of an Amazon data center campus in Hilliard.
Hager said the tour helped put real context around the concerns he hears at community hearings. During the visit, he showed a council member photos of her kids stored on her phone and explained that every image—like the scrapbooks of previous generations—is stored in a data center. He also addressed noise concerns on the spot, pointing out that what one council member heard near the campus was the hum of power lines, not the facility itself.
He noted that data centers have been operating in Central Ohio for 40 to 45 years, pointing to an IBM facility built near the old Westland Mall nearly four decades ago. Despite that history, he said community opposition has spiked in recent months. He attributed the shift, in part, to rising utility bills, though he said those increases are largely driven by population growth rather than data center demand.
Hager said close to 40 percent of C/COBCTC affiliated membership is currently working in the tech sector. In total, all affiliated members have grown from working roughly 4 million man-hours a year when he took the position 12 years ago to more than 18 million last year. This year, he said, they are on pace to exceed 20 million hours.
The jobs story: 6.5 million hours on Google campuses alone
Hager pushed back on the common framing that data centers only create a handful of permanent jobs. He said the three Google campuses in Central Ohio generated more than 6.5 million building trades man-hours last year—the equivalent of 3,250 jobs—with many workers earning six figures, including wages approaching $175,000 annually plus benefits, pension and annuity.
He also highlighted a data center day at Johnstown-Monroe schools, where electrical and mechanical contractors joined Turner Construction to speak with high school students about career opportunities. Hager said the students were excited to learn that six-figure careers in the trades were available right in their own communities and would be for years to come.
How long will the work last? Contractors say a strong 6-to-10-year window
Ferenc asked how long the data center construction boom is expected to continue. Hager said construction managers, general contractors and major mechanical and electrical contractors are projecting a strong backlog of work for the next six to 10 years.
He cited ongoing development in Marysville, Ohio, where he lives, including one Amazon campus already under construction, two more proposed, and a new customer—Aligned—with a campus slated to break ground in 2029 and complete in 2035. Across Central Ohio, there are approximately 185 data centers either actively under construction or proposed, he said.
Power and behind-the-meter generation: two gas plants in the ground, three more proposed
On the questions of power consumption and rising electric rates, Hager said data centers are paying for the electricity they use and that much of the grid expansion in Central Ohio would have happened regardless due to population growth.
Recently, two behind-the-meter gas plants have broken ground, Hager said. They will supply power directly to data centers, with three more proposed in the region. Getting those plants online, he said, will reduce strain on the broader grid and create significant additional work for the mechanical and electrical trades.
IBEW Local 1105 graduates largest class ever—and the next will top 100
Hager highlighted a major milestone for IBEW Local 1105, which covers Licking County and the surrounding area. This is the heart of construction activity for Intel, Meta, Microsoft and Google. The Local Union recently graduated more than 70 journeymen, its largest class ever. Hager added it will also be their last class with fewer than 100 graduates, as future classes are expected to exceed that mark.
Local 1105 has approximately 900 apprentices currently enrolled and recently purchased an 88,000-square-foot former Sears store to renovate into an expanded training center. Hager credited Business Manager Bill Hamilton and the Local’s leadership for growing the union to meet the region’s demands.
Southern Ohio on the horizon: Piketon, Portsmouth and 25,000 electricians
Looking south, Hager said major announcements in Piketon—including power plants to supply data centers and a large data center campus—along with a proposed Google campus in Portsmouth are creating a new wave of opportunity for IBEW Local 575.
Between IBEW Locals 683, 1105 and 575, Central and Southern Ohio could be looking at as many as 25,000 electricians employed over the next five to 10 years, he said.
Hager closed by saying that the skilled trades remain the pathway to the middle class—and right now, that pathway runs directly through Central Ohio.