I have lived in Berkeley County most of my life and was pleased to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony for Google’s new data center located between Goose Creek and Moncks Corner in Mt. Holly Business Park.

People have asked why Berkeley County?
It all comes down to money and resources. South Carolina and Berkeley County officials were willing to negotiate; Santee Cooper played a big role ensuring enough electricity would be available (at a reasonable rate).

What good will that do if there is another Hugo? How will we survive if we can’t use Google maps or do a vanity search for days on end?

Don’t worry Google does have a contingency plan.

Attendees of today’s event were treated to bluegrass, food, live demonstrations of Google’s products, speeches, and of course the ribbon cutting.

Members of the press and public were repeatedly told there were no tours of the plant. It became somewhat of a game. “Can we see the inside? Just a picture of a server rack?” Alas, due to security concerns we were limited to the grounds of the facility.

When the new data center is operating at full capacity Google expects to employ 200 people. These employees will be sourced both locally and from outside the area. Officials were vague about when that goal would be met. Information about job opportunities and the application process can be found on Google’s website.

Fifty residents were invited through a lottery process and the rest of the crowd consisted of invited dignitaries, the press, community leaders, business partners, and their guests. Other bloggers were also  in attendance, both in celebratory and professional capacities: Geoff Marshall of Geofftech and The Digitel, Josh Curry of the Charleston City Paper, and Chuck Boyd of Chuckography. I also uncovered several more Lowcountry blogs after meeting Jody Only of Lowcountry Today.com. A round up of the event coverage will be added as it appears.

Josh Curry:

The Google smile is a happy go lucky California kind of vibe that cloaks a complete distance from the rest of the world. It says “I can’t tell you anything about what I do or see and my stock is vesting soon. Enjoy the festivities.” It seems taken directly from that Star Trek episode where everyone gets “absorbed”, “Are you of the body? Peace and tranquility to you.”

The Digitel:

The PR event took place in tents outside the main building — still to be finished in some areas — whilst a local bluegrass band played, food provided and even a Kids Area (complete with free Candy) for the selected locals who’d been invited and brought their children along.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 10:54 am by heather and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.