Apr 18 2014
Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development and LightEdge Solutions announce the opening of the SubTropolis Technology Center (STC) campus with the completion of the first phase of LightEdge’s new 60,000-square-foot underground data center.
The new LightEdge Solutions data center is located underground within the SubTropolis Technology Center mission critical campus in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo: Business Wire)
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon was among the dignitaries who helped celebrate the opening of the new LightEdge data center in STC at a ribbon-cutting and media event yesterday.
LightEdge, a premier cloud computing, colocation and managed services company, is the anchor tenant of STC, a mission critical data center campus, which is owned and operated by Hunt Midwest. The joint project is the result of a unique partnership between Hunt Midwest, a full-service real estate development company owned by the Lamar Hunt family, and LightEdge Solutions, which is owned by Qwest founder Phil Anschutz. The long relationship between the Hunt and Anschutz families helped foster the partnership.
“This is the perfect strategic alliance that allows both companies to leverage their core expertise to deliver a world-class data center operation,” said Ora Reynolds, president of Hunt Midwest Real Estate Development.
LightEdge brings years of experience in the area of cloud and premise-based managed IT services and one of the most comprehensive end-to-end IT and telecommunications product portfolios in the industry while Hunt Midwest provides a naturally hardened and secure environment that is served by KCP&L’s robust power transmission and distribution network. Fiber connectivity to virtually any carrier is possible and more than a million square feet of contiguous space is available for expansion.
“The relationship between LightEdge and Hunt Midwest translates into the convergence of financial strength, enterprise-grade hosted IT services, extensive experience in disaster recovery and production IT cloud environments in a highly secure and protected location with low electric rates compared to other areas of the U.S.,” said Jim Masterson, chief executive officer of LightEdge Solutions. “Together, these factors combine to create a premier technology offering unlike any other in the Midwest.”
In his ribbon-cutting comments, Governor Nixon called the new facility another win for Kansas City. “LightEdge’s new data center helps to bolster Missouri’s reputation as a technology hub,” he said. “An experienced talent pool and low-cost business environment makes Missouri the best destination for growing high-tech companies and creating in-demand jobs.”
In addition to the governor, other dignitaries helped celebrate the opening of the new LightEdge data center in STC at the ribbon-cutting and media event. They included Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sly James; Clay County Presiding Commissioner Pam Mason; representatives from The Anschutz Investment Co., including Augie Cruciotti and Scott Carpenter; and members of the Hunt family including Clark Hunt, Lamar Hunt, Jr., and Sharron Hunt, owners of Hunt Midwest.
To assist LightEdge Solutions with its expansion, the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Clay County and the City of Kansas City authorized a strategic economic incentive package that the company will receive if it meets strict job creation and investment criteria.
“I’m excited to welcome LightEdge Solutions to Kansas City’s growing network of tech companies,” said Mayor James. “Announcements like this underscore our community’s attractiveness to businesses in the information technology industry. I am confident that Kansas City’s high-tech assets, and the expertise of our local workforce, make us extremely competitive with other cities across the nation.”