Atlanta-based company is bringing first of its kind, $200 million development to SC
DC BLOX, an Atlanta-based technology company, will invest $200 million over the next decade to build a data center in Greenville.
The company will hire five people.
The facility will be built on a 6-acre tract on Dairy Drive, visible from Interstate 85. Construction will begin next year and be completed in the third quarter of 2021.
This is DC BLOX’s fifth data center. Besides Atlanta, the others are in Chattanooga, Huntsville and Birmingham.
Jeff Uphues, DC BLOX chief operating officer, said in a video announcement Wednesday that the company focuses on “underserved yet growing Southeast markets.”
He said he’s been interested in Greenville since his first visit 16 years ago. He said he noticed the city’s beauty, the graciousness of its people and the many large corporations that have located there.
DC BLOX provides digital infrastructure for a wide variety of businesses, governments, health care facilities and universities. The building’s data center will be 45,000 square feet with 10,000 square feet of office space.
It is the first Tier III facility in South Carolina. Tier III designation means the company has the ability to switch service to another facility to avoid noticeable disruption if systems fail. Tier IV is the highest designation.
Greenville County offered reduced rates on property tax assessments for 30 years and reduced taxes and fees on equipment for 10 years.
Asked what the difference in taxes would be in dollars, Greenville County Council chairman Butch Kirven said, “The difference is they wouldn’t be here.”
Mark Farris, president and chief operating officer of the Greenville Area Development Corp., said the incentive would represent a 43% reduction on property taxes for the company over 30 years. He said such incentives are vital because South Carolina has one of the highest tax rates on manufacturing in the country.
Farris said the development corporation has been courting data center companies for a couple of decades. He’s hopeful DC BLOX will not be the last.
“Once you have a certain type of company, you tend to get more,” he said.
A data center is particularly desirable because it brings in substantial tax dollars and requires minimal services from government.
Uphues said the facility will serve local companies as well as companies outside the area.
Asked what other cities DC BLOX is interested in, Uphues said the company has studied areas across the Southeast and then added, “We love Charleston.”
DC BLOX was founded in 2014 and has 35 employees, according to the company’s website.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 2:38 PM.