LightEdge Solutions, a network, colocation and cloud hosting solutions provider headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, has opened the first phase of its 60,000-square-foot colocation facility. The new data center is located underground in the SubTropolis Technology Center (STC), owned and operated by real estate development company Hunt Midwest.
SubTropolis Technology Center is a data center campus that would provide a highly scalable infrastructure for millions of square feet of contiguous expansion; redundant power with low kW costs; and fiber networking to meet the ever-growing bandwidth requirements of businesses. The eco-friendly underground STC campus is protected by a 150-foot layer of limestone, making it a Tier IV compliant structure.
Colocation and cloud hosting provider, LightEdge, is the anchor tenant of STC which is owned and operated by Hunt Midwest. The joint LightEdge data center project is the result of a unique partnership between Hunt Midwest, 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.
Low electric rates
“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 cloud hosting 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.”
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.
Founded in 1996, LightEdge serves both Midwestern and national companies in the U.S. from its five regional office locations.
