Switch,
a Nevada based data center company, is looking to build an eastern campus in
West Michigan pending legislation introduced in both the House and the Senate.
HB
5074, HB
5075, and HB
5076 create minor changes exempting certain sales, use and
property tax. Representative Jeff Farrington (R-Utica) said the bills will be
heard Tuesday, December 1st. Mr. Farrington commented no details
have been finalized, but it is likely the bills will see some minor changes in
the committee. Identical bills have been submitted in the Senate (SB
616, SB
617, and SB
618), with no set timeline.
CEO
of The Right Place, Birgit Klohs, commented the impact of Switch, whose 1,000
clients include eBay, Intel, Google, Dreamworks, and others, could not be
overstated. The campus will create thousands of construction jobs over the
estimated 10-year build with a vast majority of contractors being hired from
Michigan. Additionally, the company is projected to employ 1,000 people to work
in the data center campus. The company’s workforce is currently 70 percent
veterans, and Switch has commented that they will continue their commitment to
hire men and women who have served our country.