Ep. 262 - Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell: Why Cedar Rapids Is Saying Yes to Data Centers
The QTS ExperienceShow Notes
Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell never planned to run City Hall. Now she’s making the case that Cedar Rapids spent decades preparing for its next chapter. We get into data centers, water and power questions, jobs, property-tax relief, why relationships matter, and the kitten who briefly joined the conversation. Chapters: 00:00 Why a pilot, media personality and entrepreneur ran for mayor 02:45 What people really want from local leadership 03:20 Building a city her children might come home to 05:03 Data centers, public debate and the leadership gap 07:08 Why Iowa and Cedar Rapids fit hyperscale infrastructure 10:07 From skepticism to facts: what communities should evaluate 12:03 Water, power and the deeper debate about AI 13:16 Property-tax relief and the economic-development case 16:25 When facts no longer change the conversation 17:50 Data sovereignty and where digital life actually lives 20:42 “Why not us?” Cedar Rapids prepared for this moment 23:00 Not every data center is a hyperscale campus 26:27 What other mayors are asking about data centers 28:19 Meet Lewis, the mayor’s very vocal kitten 29:16 Trust, direct access and choosing long-term partners 35:55 How Cedar Rapids keeps its identity while it grows 38:33 How companies earn trust: be present and build relationships 39:43 Sicilian meatballs, a Delta 88 and the Cutting Crew 43:20 The takeaway: leadership is hard, and it matters Links: Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell — official City of Cedar Rapids mayor page: https://www.cedar-rapids.org/local_government/city_council/mayor_and_city_council/mayor.php City of Cedar Rapids: https://www.cedar-rapids.org/ QTS Cedar Rapids campus: https://q.com/data-centers/cedar-rapids/ Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.Q.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to [email protected]
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Ana Tardio grew up a picky eater in Spain. Then her aunt in Mexico served her ant eggs. Her TEDxAtlanta talk is about food as a bridge, so I asked how a company like ours earns a seat at the table. Listen more than you talk. Chapters: 00:00 From the south of Spain to a Chicago winter 01:33 Food as a way in, and a plate of ant eggs 08:15 Food is for sharing: tapas, raciones and sobremesa 09:59 How a company talk became a TEDxAtlanta talk 21:31 What this has to do with data centers 26:36 How does a company earn a community's trust? 29:30 Listen more than you talk, and ask about allergies 34:11 What the red dot taught her Links: Ana Tardio's TEDxAtlanta talk, “From Cocido to BBQ. What Food Taught Me About Empathy”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ds6hQXVpUCs Ana Tardio's TEDxAtlanta speaker page: https://www.tedxatlanta.com/ana-tardio/ Thank you for visiting our channel, be sure to Like, Comment, and Subscribe! For more information, go to https://www.QTSDataCenters.com Learn More about QTS Data Centers on the QTS YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/users/qtsdatacenters Think you have a great topic for a podcast or would like to schedule an interview with Dave? Send in your requests to [email protected]
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