Sabey Data Centers held a "Going Vertical" ceremony at its SDC Umatilla site in Northeast Oregon, marking the moment the data center campus transitioned from years of site preparation and engineering into active vertical construction with the raising of its first steel.

A Milestone Ceremony in the Columbia Cloud Corridor

The Seattle-based company gathered local and state leaders, community partners, utility partners, construction and design teams, contractors and Sabey leadership at the Umatilla site to mark the occasion.

The campus sits within what the company describes as the "Columbia Cloud Corridor" and is designed to serve hyperscale, enterprise and colocation customers seeking infrastructure capacity as demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence continues to grow.

Tim Mirick, President of Sabey Data Centers, described the significance of the moment for those involved in the project's long lead-up.

"Watching the first steel go up is always a significant moment because it turns years of planning, engineering and hard work into something you can finally see," Mirick said.

"We are excited to build here, excited to become part of this community, and committed to serving our customers and this region for many years to come." The company describes itself as a premier designer, builder, and operator of multi-tenant data centers.

State and Investment Partners Weigh In

State Representative Bobby Levy attended the ceremony and spoke to the broader economic and civic implications of the project for the region.

"The construction of this new data center is an exciting investment in Northeast Oregon and a strong vote of confidence in our communities," Levy said.

"Facilities like this keep our hospitals, schools, and small businesses connected while creating new economic opportunities."

Levy also highlighted a specific feature of the facility's design. "I'm especially pleased that Sabey's use of a closed-loop cooling system demonstrates that innovation and responsible resource stewardship can go hand in hand. We're proud to welcome Sabey Data Centers to Northeast Oregon."

National Real Estate Advisors, which holds an investment position in the project, also offered commentary on the milestone.

TJ Hofheimer, Managing Director of Portfolio and Asset Management at National Real Estate Advisors, pointed to the fundamentals underpinning the investment.

"At National, we focus on investments supported by strong fundamentals, experienced teams and the potential for long-term value creation," Hofheimer said.

"We believe SDC Umatilla reflects those qualities, and we appreciate the collaboration among Sabey, local leaders and community stakeholders that has helped advance the project to this stage."

Construction Activity and Regional Economic Impact

With the vertical phase now underway, Sabey indicated that hundreds of skilled tradespeople will be involved in bringing the project to completion over the coming months.

The company also noted that local businesses will support the construction work and that new opportunities will be created as the investment in Umatilla and the broader Northeast Oregon region continues.

The Going Vertical ceremony, by the company's own characterization, marked not only a construction milestone but the beginning of what Sabey described as a new campus, new opportunities, and what it anticipates will be a long-term presence in the region.

Cooling Technology and Resource Stewardship

The closed-loop cooling system referenced by State Representative Levy was cited in the context of responsible resource stewardship, with Sabey positioning the technology as consistent with the company's stated commitment to sustainable data center services.

The company framed SDC Umatilla broadly as reflecting its long-term commitment to delivering secure, reliable and sustainable infrastructure in markets where strong physical infrastructure is paired with strong community partnerships.

The campus is positioned to offer resilience, flexibility, network connectivity and room to scale, according to the company, attributes it describes as central to meeting demand from hyperscale, enterprise and colocation customers.

Background on Sabey Data Centers

Sabey Data Centers is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and operates as a designer, builder and operator of multi-tenant data center facilities. The SDC Umatilla campus represents the company's entry into Northeast Oregon.

The Going Vertical announcement came one week after the on-site ceremony was held, and the company noted that the project had moved through an extended period of planning, engineering, and site preparation prior to reaching the steel-rising stage.