By Joyce Kryszak
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wbfo/local-wbfo-924903.mp3
Lockport, NY – Purple balloons and the purple Yahoo logo were everywhere at the unveiling of the Internet giant's new facility in Lockport Monday.
Yahoo's top executives made the trip to Western New York to help celebrate the multi-million dollar facility. They boasted about the state-of-the-art data center that is dubbed the "chicken coop" because of its energy efficient design. The buildings use the region's cool temperatures and winds to cool the server farm and its 50,000 computers with only a fraction of the energy used in other facilities of this kind.
It's very environmentally friendly. But the friendliest thing Yahoo brings to the site are jobs - 125 to start. But Yahoo executives said they are quickly growing. Phase two of the project will be done in December. Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Carol Bartz said Yahoo is here to stay.
"we love to partner with the local community, so you're going to see Yahoo dig in here and be a great partner of yours," said Bartz.
She said they will even work with local colleges to help train the workforce they'll need. New York's top elected leaders were at the opening echoing all the optimistic projections. Governor David Paterson said there will be more announcements coming very soon - and not just about Yahoo.
"The anticipation of what will happen in phase two and there after certainly has generated great interest in many information technology companies, as well as communication firms," said Paterson.
Yahoo officials agree. They said they are getting calls from major companies asking questions what it is like doing business in Western New York. Scott Noteboom runs Yahoo's data centers nationwide. He said where Yahoo goes, other businesses soon follow.
"That's been consistent in other parts of the country," said Noteboom. "My personal goal is to plant that seed so Western New York can grow as a global center of technology manufacturing."
He and other Yahoo execs said their growth - and whether or not that attracts other businesses - will depend largely on the availability of low cost power. The New York Power Authority gave Yahoo 15 megawatts of low cost power to help bring them here. And NYPA president Richard Kessel said at the opening that NYPA is willing do do more.