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Facebook to Add Third Data Center in Forest City

Forest City, NC – The Rutherford County Board of Commissioners is pleased to share in the announcement that Facebook has chosen to expand their data center operations in Forest City. This expansion will result in new capital investment in excess of $200 million, to include the construction of a new 480,000 SF data center facility on their existing campus along with additional equipment necessary for the expanded operations. In addition, the project will result in the retention of more than 125 full-time jobs and the commitment to create new full-time Facebook jobs and a number of full-time third party contractor positions within the growing data center campus over the next two years. For information about jobs at the data center, please check out http://www.facebook.com/careers/locations/forest-city/. Construction of the new data center facility is expected to begin immediately.
  
Facebook broke ground on their first North Carolina data center in November 2010. As the social media giant continued to grow, they soon announced the addition of a second data center facility to the Forest City campus in October 2011. The latest announcement represents the commitment Facebook continues to demonstrate in Rutherford County. Beyond the data center campus, Facebook has invested more than $575,000 in local schools and nonprofits to support technology, education and innovation in the region through their Community Action Grants program. Facebook has also partnered with PANGAEA Internet; the towns of Forest City, Rutherfordton, and Spindale; and Rutherford County Schools to construct a free Wi-Fi network to enable thousands of local students and families to connect to the Internet.  Facebook continues an ongoing commitment to hire local talent, contractors, and service providers to support their growing data center operations.
 
This expansion project was made possible, in part, through the continued support provided by the Town of Forest City, Rutherford County and the State of North Carolina. Chairman Brian King of the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners stated, "We are excited that Facebook has decided to expand their facility here and for their continued investment in our community by providing additional job opportunities to our citizens. We are always pleased to support our existing industry as they are the backbone of our growth strategy." Forest City Mayor Dennis Tarlton said “This expansion is a demonstration of Facebook’s continued commitment to Forest City and our county.  On behalf of the Town of Forest City Board of Commissioners and the residents for whom we serve, we want to say thank you. The leadership and town staff will continue to be available to assist you and your company to ensure your continued success well into the future.” 
 
The mission of Rutherford County Economic Development is to retain and recruit new jobs and investment to the county for both industrial and commercial development. Rutherford County has a population of 67,810 and is centrally located between Charlotte, NC, Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC.  With a strong infrastructure system including roads, water, sewer and fiber, Rutherford County is well positioned for continued growth. 

Click here to read Facebook's Announcement

Click here for a PDF of our Press Release