By Dan McCue
Staff Writer

It used to be that when Google came to town to build a new data center or other facility, the company’s presence was tantamount to a state secret and its arrival akin to the landing of a flying saucer.

However, the search engine giant’s interaction with government officials, business leaders and even the general public since announcing its intention to build a new facility at the Mt. Holly Commerce Park in Berkeley County has been heralded as a new era at the company.

Not only was the announcement of Google’s facility plans here one of the first formal announcements the company has ever made in that regard, it has now hired a community relations representative to travel to all the communities where expansion is under way, and even created a Web site to keep the Lowcountry apprised of its activities.

“There’s no question that this kind of community outreach is kind of new for Google, but I think it’s a reflection of how the company has grown and evolved over the years,” said Matt Dunne, the aforementioned community relations man, during a recent visit to Charleston.

“Google has been incredibly successful in understanding the culture and business climate of the Internet, and that’s a world that doesn’t have geographic boundaries or a particular geographic or political mindset. As a result, in the early years of the company, it was good to focus on Mountain View, Calif., where we are headquartered, and Chicago and New York, where we had facilities.”

As the company has expanded, it has realized the importance of reaching out to the local economic community, he said.

“As a result of the positive experience we’ve had here, we’re increasing our outreach to communities in Oklahoma and Iowa, where other data centers are being built.”

Dunne met with Charleston Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr., Goose Creek Mayor Michael J. Heitzler and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club during his recent visit to the area

Dunne’s role is to get to know Berkeley County a little better as Google continues to look for its first hires here, and to make sure the community has “appropriate expectations” in regard to what being home to a data center means, he said.

“The Web site is an especially key component of that because it not only tells people what a data center is and why it’s here, but also how to apply for open positions and how to apply to become a vendor,” he said.

But getting to know the community is a two-way interaction, and Dunne said what he’s seen so far has impressed him.

“What’s really been interesting is the sense of regionalism and working together that I’ve encountered here,” Dunne said. “Yes, people are delighted Google is here and they want to be as helpful as possible, but it’s very evident that attitude extends beyond Google, that there really is a sense of regionalism here and the individual components of the tri-county region see themselves as a part of a whole.

“That’s something you don’t see in a lot of areas, that level of mutual commitment and communications.”

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