Three buildings that had been left to languish in Honesdale are being transformed into a data recovery center.
The 1800s-era buildings in the town in Pennsylvania's northeast corner were the longtime home of a retail store, but became vacant and were poorly maintained. But a developer in Wayne County saw potential in the structures in the county seat. Their next role will be as a facility where a local company called Offsite Data Backup Services will store business' electronic data for recovery in case of an emergency.
“It is taking buildings that were in need of renovation,” says Mary Beth Wood, executive director of the Wayne Economic Development Corporation. Once the new center is complete, it's estimated that 14 people will be needed to work at the site.
Facilities like this use a lot of energy, but Offsite Data Backup Services plans to alleviate that impact by taking advantage of wind power. Plans call for a wind turbine to be installed on the roof.
Wood sees the data center as the beginning of a new wave of technology companies moving into the region. Her organization is luring information technology-focused businesses to Wayne County and hopes to build a business center with a focus on digital technology.
Source: Mary Beth Wood, Wayne Economic Development Corp.
Writer: Rebecca VanderMeulen