Bryan Stewart is the president and CEO of the Superior Group, an electrical construction, engineering and technology services company headquartered in Columbus.
Ohio is at an inflection point. Over the past 13 years, our state has secured more than $117 billion in investments, and we’ve welcomed new businesses across every industry imaginable.
As the CEO and owner of an electrical construction company that’s called Columbus home for nearly 100 years, I’ve seen firsthand just how important these investments are. They’ve created and sustained hundreds of thousands of jobs and enabled Ohio to become a leader in America.
But what do we want the next decade of growth to look like? What new industries do we want to attract? What new businesses do we want to build right here? Our answer should be all of them.
That should be our M.O.: Every investment matters.
When it comes to our state’s economic development, it shouldn’t be one project versus another. It should be all the above: advanced manufacturing, healthcare innovation, automotive production and more. We should want every industry to grow in Ohio. And yes, that includes data centers, too.
Data centers are a great source of investment
Contrary to what some may say, data centers support a massive amount of jobs in Central Ohio. In fact, data centers are the largest driver of commercial construction employment in Columbus, and it’s been that way for years.
This year alone, more than 10,000 construction workers will work on a data center jobsite in Central Ohio. An additional 2,000 jobs – engineers, technicians and other support staff – are employed by the data center owners themselves. Plus, hundreds of additional personnel provide maintenance and retrofitting to facilities on an ongoing basis.
These jobs aren’t temporary, and Amazon Web Services is a prime example: They’ve been continuously building in Ohio since 2015, supporting thousands of local jobs every year.
Best of all, these jobs are high-paying. The average annual compensation and benefits for a journeyman electrician (a skilled electrician with roughly five years of experience) is $134,000.
Taken as a whole, data centers are among the most consistent and valuable job creators our state has ever seen.
They are also a magnet for attracting additional economic growth. Companies in every critical industry want to locate near a data center in order to benefit from faster data transfer and enhanced infrastructure. This proximity matters, and it will become even more important as AI technologies continue to advance.
Benefits are abundant
Ohio has greatly benefited from firms like Amazon Web Services, Google and Meta. Over the past decade, they have invested more than twelve billion dollars in Ohio — investments that have sustained wages, improved infrastructure, supported schools and attracted even more businesses to the buckeye state.
So, what does it take for these investments from data centers, advanced manufacturers and others to continue? Energy. Ohio and the nation will face a power deficit, but solutions are available.
The first step we should take is to unlock more capacity through grid-enhancing technologies.
These technologies, such as advanced reconductoring, can add additional capacity to our existing grid.
When AEP Texas took this approach to meet an urgent power need of its own, the effort took less than three years and nearly doubled carrying capacity. These actions will ensure that Ohio remains open for business while we also focus on increasing generation capacity from a diverse mix of sources, including Ohio’s abundant natural gas.
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our state.
New development prospects are at our door and energy demands are accelerating. The question is whether we can rally together to create solutions that enable all industries to win right here in Ohio.
I believe we can.
Bryan Stewart is the president and CEO of the Superior Group, an electrical construction, engineering and technology services company headquartered in Columbus.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio needs grid-enhancing technologies to meet urgent power need
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
