Cedar Rapids: two campuses, one industrial park, and the best per diem in the Midwest

Big Cedar Industrial Center in southwest Cedar Rapids is home to the two largest projects in the city's history, built on neighboring parcels.

QTS

• Size - seven buildings on about 612 acres, each 400,000 to 1.2 million square feet, with water-free cooling.
• Progress - QTS topped out the first three buildings in October 2025, with Layton Construction and The Weitz Company.
• Timeline - phase one was expected to finish in late 2026 and phase two in late 2027. The city's agreement allows up to seven phases.
• Crew size - the revised city agreement requires at least 1,200 construction jobs, up from an early estimate of 500. QTS has described the whole effort as a planned $10 billion investment.

Google

• Size - at least four large buildings, with a projected $576 million first investment.
• Crew size - Google said it expected more than 1,000 construction jobs. Its first phase was likely to finish in 2026.

The electricians

Helix Electric announced in August 2025 that it would hire 400 people for a Cedar Rapids data center project, from journeyman electricians to commissioning technicians, with work expected to run at least two years.

These timelines come from 2025 announcements. We'll update this page as new phases are confirmed.