A new and innovative collaboration is underway at Gateway Research Park in East Greensboro.
It will be called the Dream Center Campus, and the mixed-use facility will include three main initiatives: a new data center, an innovation center for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and a flexible co-working space for Guilford County Schools (GCS).
This is ImpactData’s first Dream Center. ImpactData is a minority-owned digital infrastructure firm currently based in Atlanta
At a kickoff event this week announcing the plans, CEO Terry Comer addressed local leaders and community members and said one of the goals is to elevate the resources of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
“To reposition HBCUs to become and continue to foster that idea that they should be the beacons of technology for the entire community,” he says.
GCS Superintendent Whitney Oakley then outlined the ways the new community education center — which will be primarily funded by federal COVID-19 dollars — will benefit students, families and Greensboro residents. She says it will provide space to support students’ academic recovery after the pandemic and be a resource for adult education and professional development.
Mayor Nancy Vaughan was also in attendance.
“The Dream Center Campus will help ensure that growth throughout Greensboro is equitable and making sure that our residents have the tools that they need to complete in a rapidly growing world,” she says.
Comer with ImpactData says ideally they would like to be finalizing design plans by the end of this year for a groundbreaking early next year. The campus is expected to create 28 new jobs through the data center, and an investment of $130 million.