Echelon Infrastructure Project File 03. Updated October 16, 2026. Project Dazzler is in Franklin Furnace, Scioto County, Ohio. It is separate from the PORTS-Pike campus in Pike County and Google’s Lima project.
Holder Construction is the construction contact for Google’s Project Dazzler in Franklin Furnace. Contractors can start with Holder’s trade-partner prequalification route; individual tradespeople should use the local job listings that Holder links from its website. Neither route confirms an open Dazzler bid package or a particular vacancy.[1][7][8]
Google describes a $1 billion, 500,000-square-foot complex. A September 2 Army Corps of Engineers notice describes a larger proposal: 1.7 million square feet of data center buildings on a 792-acre site. Neither figure measures space already built.[1][2]
How contractors can pursue Project Dazzler work
Start with Holder, but establish who buys your particular scope before preparing an estimate. Its trade-partner page offers general prequalification and says Holder will contact firms that meet its minimum requirements. The page does not identify Dazzler package numbers, closing dates or an invitation to bid.[7]
Trade contractors: start with prequalification
Use the official trade-partner route and identify Project Dazzler in Franklin Furnace when asking about project opportunities. Holder also publishes a Columbus prequalification page. Confirm the appropriate office and project contact rather than assuming that the Columbus form places your firm on a Dazzler bidder list.[7][8]
Open Holder trade-partner prequalificationSite-service vendors need a different inquiry
The local briefing coverage included cleaning, dumpsters, portable restrooms, equipment, transportation and security among expected opportunities. However, the current Columbus form says Holder is not soliciting several of those categories at the corporate level, including cleanup, roll-off dumpsters, trailers, portable restrooms, equipment sales or rentals, trucking, security guards and staffing agencies. The event notice described sub-tier opportunities with prime contractors, so ask Holder which project or prime-contractor contact handles your service. Do not treat the corporate restriction as proof that the project needs none of those services.[3][5][8]
Questions to resolve before pricing a package
Request the current solicitation directly from the company issuing it. The following is a preparation checklist, not a statement of requirements that Holder has published for Dazzler:
- Identify the package number, scope boundaries, issuing contractor, estimator and bid deadline. Ask whether the package is open, already awarded or still being planned.
- Confirm the work location, phase, expected mobilization date and required crew capacity. Separate the data center package from the AEP substation work.
- Ask which licenses, insurance limits, bonding capacity, safety records and previous project references the buyer requires.
- Request drawings, specifications, addenda and the process for submitting questions. Confirm who supplies equipment and which exclusions belong in the proposal.
- Review payment terms, retainage, schedule obligations and any labor-agreement or workforce requirements before committing a price.
A useful first inquiry is: “Our company performs [trade] and serves [area]. We are interested in Project Dazzler in Franklin Furnace. Who handles prequalification and the current package for our scope, and what documents should we submit?” Send confidential financial or safety records only through the verified recipient and process.
Where tradespeople can look for Franklin Furnace construction jobs
Holder explicitly directs skilled tradesmen and tradeswomen to its Indeed company page for local postings. Its contractor prequalification form is for businesses, not individual job applications. For other positions, Holder directs applicants to its careers page.[8]
Workers: use the hiring route, not the contractor form
Search the employer listings for Franklin Furnace and check the location on the individual posting. Confirm that the job remains open and ask which project it serves before arranging travel or accommodation.
Check Holder trade job listings Other Holder careersFor permanent data center work, Google links to its separate data center careers site. Construction employment and operations employment are different hiring paths. A general careers page does not establish that Google has an open Franklin Furnace position today.[1][10]
Ask the hiring employer about the worksite, start date, expected duration, shift, overtime, pay range, benefits and any travel or per diem allowance. Confirm required training, credentials, screening and whether the employer hires directly or uses a dispatch arrangement. These are questions for the employer, not verified Dazzler employment terms.
A local operator listing checked October 16
Holder’s employer-linked Indeed page displayed an Operator (Hourly) listing in Franklin Furnace during our October 16 check. The description calls it a full-time position and describes moving materials with equipment. It asks for one year of experience with operator certifications, OSHA 10 training at minimum with OSHA 30 preferred, and training for forklifts, fall protection and mobile elevated work platforms.[11]
The listing does not name Project Dazzler or give a pay rate. Its application link led to an Indeed sign-in route; we did not submit an application or verify that hiring remains open with Holder. Treat this as a dated local lead, confirm the project assignment and current availability, and read the complete requirements before applying.[11]
Project Dazzler schedule, size and permit status
| Item | What the reviewed record says |
|---|---|
| Owner and project | Google’s Project Dazzler, on Gallia Pike near Franklin Furnace.[1] |
| Federal applicant | Tilted Gate LLC is named on the Army Corps application.[2] |
| Google’s published scope | Google describes $1 billion and 500,000 square feet, plus supporting buildings including an office.[1] |
| Larger proposal | The federal application describes 1.7 million square feet of data center buildings and supporting facilities on a 792-acre site.[2] |
| Power interface | Google says AEP is leading a new substation being built alongside the data center. The project website does not give a megawatt rating.[1] |
| Federal waters permit | The September 2 revised application notice sought comments through September 17 on wetland fill and a temporary Ohio River barge and jetty. It is not an issued permit.[2] |
| State water certification | The Corps notice says Ohio EPA granted a conditional Section 401 water quality certification on June 10 and determined on August 18 that the barge revision required no additional state action. That is distinct from the federal Section 404/Section 10 decision.[2] |
The project schedule reported after Google’s community open house puts site work in 2026 and 2027, foundations and major buildings in 2027, and electrical infrastructure and interior buildout through 2028 and 2029. These are planned phases.[6]
The application proposes permanent fill of 3.12 acres of one wetland, including 2.05 forested acres and 1.07 emergent acres. It also describes a temporary 140-by-45-foot barge, a separate 54-by-8-foot floating jetty, and a ramp and conveyor to move construction materials such as limestone to the site. The applicant proposed mitigation credits; the Corps would determine the final compensation needed.[2]
The September notice records an application, not the Corps’ decision on the wetland and river work. The reviewed sources did not establish a later federal issuance or denial. Check the Huntington District’s record for LRH-2025-00939-OHR-rev before treating those activities as authorized; other site work may have different approvals.[2]
Which contractors are named?
Google’s project site links to Holder for construction opportunities. Holder’s August 27 Regional Build Briefing advertised upcoming scopes and sub-tier opportunities with prime contractors, but named neither those primes nor the firms awarded trades. Local coverage says Holder invited businesses to express interest in prequalification.[1][3][5]
An October 12 report names Chris Paine of Holder as a contact for construction questions. It does not confirm his title.[4]
AEP leads the new substation, according to Google. That utility work should be kept apart from Holder’s building and site packages until the precise contracting boundary is documented.[1]
Where the trades fit
Coverage of Holder’s briefing named mechanical and plumbing, electrical, earthwork, paving, concrete, fire protection, drywall, security and landscaping among expected opportunities. It also named suppliers and site services. These are prospective scopes, not confirmed awards or a current bid list.[5]
| Workstream | Evidence and the next question |
|---|---|
| Civil and wetlands | The federal application proposes roads, stormwater facilities and wetland mitigation. Who holds grading, drainage and mitigation packages, and which work requires a federal permit?[2] |
| River logistics | The barge, jetty, ramp and conveyor are proposed ways to deliver material. Who would supply and operate them if the federal permit is issued?[2] |
| Structure and interiors | The reported schedule places foundations and major construction in 2027, followed by interior work through 2029. Which firms hold those packages?[6] |
| Electrical and power | Holder listed electricians among expected trade opportunities. AEP is leading its own substation. Where does the utility scope end and the campus electrical package begin?[1][5] |
| Mechanical, plumbing and fire protection | Holder named these trades as expected opportunities. Which primes will solicit bids, and when?[5] |
| Site support | Holder’s local briefing also named cleaning, dumpsters, portable restrooms, equipment, transportation and signage. Suppliers should ask which prime manages each service.[3][5] |
Local coverage relayed a county commissioner’s forecast of about 3,500 construction workers at peak. The same August report described 150 to 200 people then at the site, mostly operators and drivers. The first is a forecast, and the second is an August observation, not an October headcount.[5]
Project Dazzler bidding and jobs: quick answers
Who is building the Google data center in Franklin Furnace?
Google directs construction inquiries for Project Dazzler to Holder Construction. AEP leads the supporting substation work. The sources reviewed do not identify individual trade-package winners.[1][4]
Are Project Dazzler bids open?
The reviewed sources do not provide a verified current list of open Dazzler bid packages or deadlines. Holder offers general trade-partner prequalification, which does not guarantee a bid invitation or contract.[7][8]
How do I apply for Project Dazzler construction jobs?
Holder directs skilled tradespeople to its Indeed company page for local postings and other applicants to its careers page. Verify the Franklin Furnace location and project assignment with the hiring employer. Do not use contractor prequalification as an individual job application.[8]
How this file fits the buildout series
Echelon’s PORTS-Pike project file covers a separate Pike County campus. The Abilene Stargate file tracks Crusoe’s delivery network in Texas. This third project file follows Google and Holder in Scioto County.
Method and next records
We rechecked the owner website, Holder prequalification and career routes, the September 2 Corps notice and the cited local coverage on October 16, 2026. The latest dated local report cited here is October 12. An attributable prime-contractor roster, current bid invitations and phase-specific building permits would help identify who holds the trade packages.
The federal decision for LRH-2025-00939-OHR-rev would settle the permit status of the proposed wetland and river work. Named trade awards would clarify which firms hold the packages described above.
Sources
- Google Project Dazzler
- USACE revised notice
- Holder Regional Build Briefing
- Scioto Valley Guardian October 12
- Scioto County Daily News Holder briefing
- Scioto County Daily News construction schedule
- Holder Trade Partners
- Holder Columbus prequalification and applicant routing
- Holder careers
- Google data center careers
- Holder Operator (Hourly), Franklin Furnace: listing observed October 16, 2026