All posts in Columbus

Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 call on airport board to require Community Benefits Agreement

On Jan. 30, affiliated Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council members and other area labor unions attended the Columbus Regional Airport Authority Board of Directors Meeting and called on the board to enter into a Community Benefits Agreement with the building trades. 

The message was made clear to the CRAA board that a CBA will ensure minorities, women and workers of all races and genders will be hired for all the construction work on the new $2 billion terminal at John Glenn International Airport in Columbus. 

As an affiliated member of the C/COBCTC, Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 strongly supports the efforts to promote the use of CBAs on projects across Central Ohio.  Continue reading →

Microsoft on the hunt, seeks more land for data center expansion

According to several media reports, Microsoft is looking to purchase more land in Central Ohio to build more data centers.

Microsoft is reportedly looking to buy land in The Village of Hebron and Union Township, located east of Columbus, west of S.R. 79.

If Microsoft purchases the land, the tech giant will own nearly 1,000 acres in Licking County. Building additional data centers would likely create hundreds of additional jobs for members of the area’s building trades unions, including members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24. 

Microsoft is making moves to purchase 238 acres in Union Township, located at 323 N. High Street, according to a Newark Advocate report. However, the current landowner reportedly is only willing to sell 133 acres, with plans to use the rest for farming. 

Located at 129 High Street in Hebron, the second parcel is 99 acres, according to the Advocate. Microsoft is also interested in an additional 23-acre plot in Hebron owned by the same family.

DatacenterDynamics reported that Jim Layton, Hebron’s outgoing Mayor, confirmed Microsoft intends to develop six data center buildings on the parcels, each with between 50 and 75 employees, with construction spread out over 10 years. 

Construction could begin as early as late this year or early next year if the sales are completed in 2024.

Dorsey Hager, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council Executive Secretary-Treasurer, cautioned that until Microsoft purchases the land, it is too early to know how many data centers will be constructed. 

Hager acknowledged that based on the media reports, the number of construction jobs created could be similar to the totals currently needed to build a Microsoft data center campus in New Albany. 

The tasks completed by members of Local 24 at data centers might involve outside work, like siding, as well as critical HVAC work on the interior of the facilities, according to Business Manager Rodney French.

Hebron Economic and Community Development Director Brittany Misner told the Advocate that the Township has entered into a pre-annexation agreement with Microsoft. She acknowledged there are additional steps in the development process before the deal is finalized.

This news comes six months after Microsoft acquired 200 acres in New Albany. In November 2023, the tech giant acquired another 580 acres in Licking County.

On June 30, Baxtel.com reported that Microsoft could build up to 18 buildings and spend nearly $10 billion in the Central Ohio area. 

Although it’s not yet known when work might start, members of Sheet Metal Workers 24 and other Local Unions around Central Ohio will be in high demand over the next several years on this project. 

Hollywood Casino Columbus breaks ground on hotel project

Penn Entertainment held a ceremony on Nov. 28 to celebrate the groundbreaking of the hotel project that will be constructed next to the Hollywood Casino in Columbus. 

The Hollywood Casino, located on the west side of Columbus, announced its plans to build a hotel in July. Last month, CEO and President of Penn Entertainment Jay Snowden shared his excitement for the project. 

“We are thrilled to soon begin construction on a new, state-of-the-art hotel at Hollywood Casino Columbus,” Snowden said in a prepared statement. “Since opening in 2012, our Columbus property has experienced tremendous growth, and the addition of a hotel at Hollywood Casino Columbus will create a true regional destination.” Continue reading →

A new datacenter megaproject is coming to Central Ohio

Quality Technology Services (QTS), a Kansas-based real estate investment fund announced plans to build a new datacenter campus in New Albany. 

The $1.5 billion megaproject adds to a growing list of datacenter megaprojects in Central Ohio. A megaproject is any private-funded construction project that costs $1 billion or more.

According to a Bizjournal report, QTS purchased 93 acres of land in late October for $11.2 million. The land is split into two plots on Beech Road. 

The first property is 56 acres, where two datacenters will be built totaling 885,600 square feet. The second plot is 37 acres, and the two other datacenters will total roughly 612,600 square feet. Continue reading →

Amazon announces $7.8 billion in datacenter projects for Central Ohio

Posted by / June 26, 2023 / Categories: Columbus / Tags: , , , , / 0 Comments

Amazon Web Services will invest almost $8 billion to expand their datacenter presence in Central Ohio. 

This project will be the second-largest private-sector construction project in the history of Ohio, falling behind Intel’s $100 billion project. This project will create thousands of jobs in the construction industry, including jobs for members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24. Continue reading →

Google picks Central Ohio for two additional datacenters

The world’s top search engine company announced it selected Central Ohio as the location for its two newest datacenters, creating hundreds of jobs for building trades members, including work for Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 members. 

Site preparation has begun in Columbus and Lancaster, as each city will be home to a new Google datacenter. 

At the May 3 announcement, Mark Isakowitz, Google Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, said the new facilities will play a crucial role in powering tools like Search, Gmail and Maps, as well as Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) innovations.  Continue reading →

Intel to build one of world’s largest microchip plants in Central Ohio

Posted by / January 24, 2022 / Categories: Columbus / Tags: , , , / 0 Comments

Hundreds of jobs expected for SMW Local 24 members

Central Ohio will soon be home to one of the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturing plants.

On Jan. 21, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger jointly announced plans to build a $20 billion Intel complex in the Columbus area. It is believed to be the largest private-sector investment in Ohio history. 

The new Intel project will likely create hundreds of jobs for Local 24 members. The project will produce about 7,000 construction jobs, 3,000 full-time jobs and support tens of thousands of additional local long-term jobs across a broad ecosystem of suppliers and partners.  Continue reading →

Amgen Plant Breaks Ground Amid Columbus’ Construction Boom

Workers broke ground on an Amgen biotech facility in New Albany on Nov. 5.

The Los Angeles-based biotech firm is building a 277,000-square-foot pharmaceutical assembly and packaging plant on 177 acres in New Albany. The new project is expected to create about 350 to 500 construction jobs, including work for members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24. The project’s architect is CRB Group, and Turner Construction Co. is the general contractor.

“Environmental sustainability will be a priority, and we aspire for this plant to be LEED-certified and designed,” said Sam Guhan, Vice President of Engineering at Amgen, in a prepared statement. “We will maximize energy efficiency and waste reduction, advancing Amgen’s plan to make our operations carbon neutral over the next several years.”   Continue reading →

Construction to Begin on Amazon Datacenter in Central Ohio

Construction on Amazon’s second datacenter campus in the Central Ohio area is expected to begin by the end of the year.

The Amazon datacenter in Hilliard will be the largest in the region — an area that has been touted as Ohio’s Silicon Valley.

The region has had an influx of construction jobs thanks to numerous datacenters being built by a variety of technology companies. Both Google and Facebook are currently constructing datacenters in New Albany. Amazon has another datacenter campus in Hilliard, as well as separate datacenter buildings in Dublin and New Albany.

The Columbus area is also home to other numerous, smaller datacenters. Continue reading →

Columbus City Council Targets Wage Theft

Posted by / August 31, 2020 / Categories: Columbus / Tags: , , , , / 0 Comments

Columbus City Council wants to create a new review board to ensure businesses – especially within the construction industry – are not committing wage theft or payroll fraud.

On Aug. 19, Columbus City Council’s Rules and Reference Committee held a virtual meeting to discuss ordinance 1802-2020.

Councilman Rob Dorans explained to the committee that wage theft occurs when workers are paid less than the minimum wage, are paid less than the Prevailing Wage, are not paid for all hours worked or are not paid overtime in violation of federal, state or local law. Continue reading →

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