Leaders of Catawba County, the cities of Conover and Hickory, the town of Maiden, and the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) announced Microsoft Corp. plans to invest a minimum of $1 billion in the phased development of four data centers in Catawba County over the next 10 years. The data centers will be located in Conover, Hickory and Maiden and will create at least 50 new jobs.
“We are proud to work with Catawba County, the EDC, and local cities to bring exciting development projects to the area,” Microsoft director of community engagement Paul Englis said. “[This] announcement is just the start of our mutual partnership and Microsoft’s long-term commitment to the local community.”
“It is my sincere pleasure to officially welcome Microsoft to Catawba County,” Catawba County Board Chair Randy Isenhower said. “By choosing to develop a significant base of data center operations here, Microsoft has joined a long list of companies that recognize the value of doing business in Catawba County. This partnership was made possible due to the collaborative effort of Microsoft and the participating local governments, and we will continue to work closely together as this project comes to fruition.”
The Hickory sites will be located on approximately 160 acres west of US 321 adjacent to Hickory Lincolnton Hwy. and on approximately 16 acres on Tate Blvd.
“The City of Hickory is excited to be part of the team that brought Microsoft to Catawba County,” Mayor Hank Guess said. “Projects of this scale don’t happen without authentic collaboration among the public and private sectors, and we believe that’s what makes our community special. We are pleased to welcome Microsoft to our well-crafted community.”
The Conover site will be located on approximately 219 acres on NC Hwy 16. This location includes the multi-jurisdictional NCDataCampus site, which has long been planned as a potential location for multiple technology facilities.
“Microsoft is known to be an outstanding community partner, and we look forward to working with them in Conover,” Mayor Kyle Hayman said. “Microsoft’s commitment to growing their business here and in our neighboring municipalities is the first step in what we anticipate will be a long and successful partnership for our citizens.”
The Maiden site will be located on approximately 292 acres north of W. Maiden Rd. and west of Zeb Haynes Rd.
“The Town of Maiden is pleased to provide a welcoming home for Microsoft,” Mayor Max Bumgarner, Jr. said. “We understand the unique needs of Microsoft, and we are well prepared to support their success here and across the county in the years to come.”
Economic development agreements and incentive grants for the project were approved at a joint meeting Wednesday by the Catawba County Board of Commissioners and the elected councils of Conover, Hickory, and Maiden. Additionally, the Catawba County Property Development Corporation board approved the sale of the NCDataCampus site during the meeting.
Terms include a guaranteed minimum investment in Catawba County of $1 billion and in each municipality of $332 million, with an additional $33 million to Hickory for its second site, over 10 years. Performance-based incentive grants of 50% real property and 85% personal property will be awarded over 10 years, with two potential extensions of five years each conditioned on additional development expenditures by Microsoft. Incentive grants will be awarded only following the proof of performance requirements standard for any Catawba County investment and are safeguarded by clawbacks as required under North Carolina general statute and Catawba County practice.
“Today’s Microsoft project announcement is a direct result of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation’s long-time, multi-jurisdictional plan to drive technology development in Catawba County,” Garrett Hinshaw, Catawba County EDC board chair and president of Catawba Valley Community College, said. “We are pleased Microsoft has become part of the cadre of companies that have chosen to grow their technology operations here, and we remain committed to being an exceptional partner for the technology sector in the future.”
