Not long ago, most of us did not know what a data center was.
We came from all kinds of places. Some came from blue-collar trades. Some served in the military and came home to find that the civilian world did not have a clear spot for them. Some of us were looking to be the first in our family to get training beyond high school. What we had in common was this: we were ready to work hard. We just needed a door in.
Then someone opened one.
His name is Chris Crosby. He runs Compass Datacenters. A couple of years ago, he looked at the talent in this region and the need within the digital infrastructure industry and saw an opportunity to build something meaningful and permanent for the Red Oak community.
He sat down with educators at Texas State Technical College to build a program that could open doors for students and job changers that did not require experience or a degree. Together, they built a pipeline that connects this community to one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.
Compass paid for the first cohort's scholarships. Then Chris went back to his industry partners and said, "Join us."
That is how the MEI Data Center Pathway program was born. And that is how we got o...