‘Slim pickings’: Can data center jobs reverse Richmond County’s population trend?

RICHMOND COUNTY, N.C. — Nearly 5,000 people have left Richmond County over the last 14 years, but there’s a new push to give neighbors a reason to stay: data center jobs.

Amazon announced last year it’s building a data center and making major investments into the community, and that’s catching the attention of people like Emily Harris.

“It’s hard, it’s slim pickings out here, like you’re either going to work at a restaurant or a factory,” Harris told Channel 9’s Gina Esposito.

Born and raised in Rockingham, Harris is looking for a fresh start with Amazon. We met the mother of five at a job fair hosted by Amazon and its subcontractors last week at Richmond Community College.

The job fair drew in dozens of people, including students studying HVAC and construction trades. Army veteran Gary Norton told Channel 9 he just enrolled in Amazon’s fiber splicing class at the school, it’s the most sought-after skillset for a data center.

“It’s really going to bring a lot of life to Rockingham, because there’s not enough of places around there that have that type of technical and that scale,” Norton said.

Richmond Community College already offers classes in trades like HVAC, electrical utility, and construction. Those are skills Amazon wants for job seekers.

“We’re excited to partner with Amazon and be able to hopefully provide some workforce to them and give our local citizens opportunities for great-paying jobs with a good company,” said Brent Barbee, president of Richmond Community College.

The company is also paying for students who enroll in the fiber splicing class.

There are about 2,000 temporary jobs up for grabs, and 60% of those are in electrical. People are needed for the massive data center being built, and it’s about the size of 20 Walmarts.

Stephen Jolly, a data center cluster operations leader, is one of the workers wheeling in equipment that will fill the new data center off Airport Road. He also operates other data centers, including one in northern Virginia.

“I’ve seen the difference in the local area. Loudon County has, over the past several years, lowered property taxes twice because of the data center industry,” Jolly said.

Amazon says the growth also has a ripple effect on other industries.

“North Carolina is just starting, but we have seen whole ecosystems created. You need the hotels to house the incoming construction workers. You need catering services for all of the food that needs to feed all of the people on site,” said Mariana Holiday, principal workforce development leader with Amazon.

All of that isn’t there yet, which is a current challenge. County leaders told Esposito in October they expect Amazon’s investment to triple their tax base.

Developers have already expressed interest, and Amazon has made investments, already. Just last week, the company provided $200,000 in grants to 28 local organizations.

Harris hopes she will also feel the impact.

“Change my life, yes, I’m all for change,” Harris said.

On top of the 2,000 temporary jobs, Amazon plans to hire 500 permanent positions. Richmond Community College says it’s plans to include more information on those opportunities on its website.

(VIDEO: Neighbors share concerns about new data center in York County)