Data-center construction creates demand well beyond concrete, cooling systems, and servers. Crews need meals, parking, shuttles, lodging, security, and technical support—and companies are building businesses around those needs. But the economic boost can be temporary: demand often changes sharply when construction ends and a facility opens.
Why data-center projects create a service economy
A large construction site brings workers to a location that may lack the parking, food, accommodation, and services needed to support them. Providers can fill those gaps, sometimes moving from project to project and sometimes partnering with local businesses and workers.
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A Business Insider feature republished by CNCBNews on October 12, 2026, described this emerging ecosystem against a backdrop of more than 1,500 data centers reportedly in the works in the United States. The feature also cited forecasts of more than $5 trillion in technology and data-center spending through 2030 and more than $1 trillion in global AI investment in 2026. The extract did not identify the original publishers or methods behind those forecasts, so they should be treated as figures reported by the article, not independently validated totals. Business Insider feature republished by CNCBNews
What construction crews need—and who provides it
Meals at a scale local kitchens may not usually handle
National Jobsite Catering founder Scott Kaplan told Business Insider that the company serves about 1,500 meals per day at each of a dozen data-center construction sites, with its busiest sites serving twice as many. The article placed those sites in Northern Virginia, Texas, Ohio, Louisiana, Nevada, and Georgia. Kaplan said the company has 20 full-time employees and partners with established local vendors; he estimated that a project can employ about 15 local people in kitchen, delivery, and distribution roles.
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Kaplan also said revenue increased tenfold after the business shifted exclusively to data centers four years earlier. That is his company’s reported experience, not an independently verified financial result. He described the value of local partners this way: “They know what they’re doing,” Kaplan says of the local partners. “But they’ve never cooked for 1,000 to 3,000 people.”
Parking and shuttles for a workforce that outgrows the site
WhereiPark is described as finding temporary parking near projects, sometimes for as many as 2,000 vehicles, and coordinating with shuttle operators. Potential sites can include church, retail, fairground, or casino parking, as well as land prepared for temporary use. WhereiPark chief revenue officer Joshua Eisen put the basic constraint plainly: “If there’s nowhere for the construction workers to park, the thing doesn’t get built.”
Lodging and amenities for workers away from home
Target Hospitality is developing workforce lodging, including a 4,000-bed North Texas facility under a $550 million deal. The feature said the company reported contracts representing more than 9,000 beds and $1.4 billion since January. These are company figures reported by the article, not independently confirmed contract totals.
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Aramark launched Nexus, described in the feature as offering hotel-like amenities, fitness centers, and recreation. Executives projected that its three initial sites could each generate about $150 million in annualized revenue once fully operational. That is a projection, not revenue already earned.
Security, safety, and technical support
Salute provides security, safety oversight, and technical support during construction and after a facility opens, while recruiting and training locally, according to the feature. CEO Erich Sanchack described the continuity between phases: “It’s still the same perimeter. It still has the same fence line.”
Construction demand can fade when the facility opens
The construction phase can bring a temporary surge of jobs and spending, but the ongoing workforce at an operating facility may be much smaller. The article attributed to Mark Muro, a Brookings Metro senior fellow, the observation that jobs can rise into the thousands during construction and fall to the low hundreds after opening. The available account did not identify a study or methodology for those ranges, so they are not a universal forecast for every project.
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That transition matters for businesses deciding whether to invest. A service tied to a building phase may see demand fall when contractors leave. Services such as security or facilities support may continue into operations, but the scale and staffing needs can change. The feature’s examples suggest evaluating an opportunity by how long demand lasts, whether the provider can move to another project, and whether local firms can participate.
Local business opportunities are real, but not guaranteed
The feature described a Louisiana food-truck owner who spent more than $40,000 on a truck to serve workers building Meta’s Hyperion data center. Orders reportedly fell from more than 100 a day to fewer than 40 after a contractor hired an out-of-state caterer. Following local coverage and a catering job from Meta, the owner later told the article that orders were about 80 a day. This single account shows how procurement decisions can quickly alter demand; it does not establish a typical outcome for local vendors.
Local participation can take different forms, from hiring nearby workers to subcontracting with established businesses. In Kaplan’s example, a specialist handled high-volume operations while local vendors supplied regional knowledge and labor. The arrangement can expand local involvement, but the account does not show that every project uses this model.
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What communities can weigh when negotiating a project
Data centers can create substantial construction activity, but the costs and benefits are distributed unevenly. The article quoted Muro saying, “It is genuine economic activity.” It also noted that communities may face pressure on housing, roads, and public services, while the number of ongoing jobs can decline after construction.
The feature’s advice was to consider agreements around local work, tax revenue, and public-service needs, and to seek commitments such as infrastructure, training, or jobs where appropriate. Muro illustrated the idea with a specific example: “If they need a $400,000 fire truck or whatever, ask for it.” That is an example of a possible negotiating request, not a guarantee that a town has the leverage or funding to secure it.
What the examples reveal about the AI buildout
The AI boom is supported by more than technology companies and data-center operators. It also depends on practical services that make construction and operations possible. The providers described in the feature range from mobile catering and temporary parking coordination to lodging, security, and technical support.
Quick Recap
- Construction creates concentrated demand for workers’ everyday needs, including food, parking, transport, and accommodation.
- Specialist providers can follow projects, while local firms and workers may participate through vendor partnerships or hiring.
- Demand changes with the project phase, so construction-era spending should not be mistaken for a permanent local economy.
- Procurement choices can shift business away from local vendors, as the food-truck account illustrates.
- Community benefits depend on project-specific employment, tax, infrastructure, and public-service arrangements.
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