Job Creation: NFR's Niagara Digital Campus and Restaino's Centennial Park Compared

Job creation is one of Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino’s highest priorities.

Mayor Robert Restaino

In his effort to stop NFR and Urbacon’s Niagara Digital Campus, a 600,000 state of the art data center from being developed, Restaino points to the marvelous job creation opportunities his project, Centennial Park, a 7000 seat arena and parking ramp, will create.

The NF Reporter did an analysis of jobs likely created by the two competing projects for development on the same land.

Restaino’s $150 million arena – 8 Full Time Jobs, 40 part time

Restaino is right. There will be jobs created. An arena will employ about eight full time employees, and up to 30 part time employees, with a total annual payroll of around a million per year.

General Manager (Full-time)
- Estimated Annual Salary Range: $70,000 – $150,000
Event Manager (Full-time)
- Estimated Annual Salary Range: $50,000 – $100,000
Operations Manager (Full-time)
- Estimated Annual Salary Range: $50,000 – $90,000
Marketing and Sales Team (Full-time and Part-time)
- Full-time Marketing Manager: $45,000 – $80,000
- Part-time Marketing Assistants: $15 – $25 per hour
Event Coordinators (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $15 – $25 per hour
Ticketing and Box Office Staff (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $12 – $20 per hour
Security Team (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $12 – $25 per hour
Maintenance and Facility Staff (Full-time and Part-time)
- Full-time Maintenance Supervisor: $40,000 – $70,000
- Part-time Maintenance Workers: $15 – $25 per hour
Concessions and Catering Staff (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $10 – $20 per hour plus tips
Audio-Visual Technicians (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $20 – $40 per hour
Technical Support Staff (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $15 – $30 per hour
Administrative and Office Staff (Full-time and Part-time)
- Full-time Administrative Assistant: $30,000 – $50,000
- Part-time Administrative Support: $15 – $25 per hour
Guest Services Team (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $12 – $20 per hour
Parking Attendants (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $10 – $18 per hour
Cleaning Crew (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $12 – $20 per hour
Health and Safety Personnel (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $15 – $30 per hour
Public Relations Specialists (Full-time and Part-time)
- Full-time PR Specialist: $45,000 – $80,000
- Part-time PR Assistants: $15 – $25 per hour
Financial and Accounting Staff (Full-time)
- Estimated Annual Salary Range: $40,000 – $70,000
Technical Crew (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $15 – $30 per hour
Logistics and Transportation Staff (Part-time)
- Estimated Hourly Wage: $12 – $20 per hour

Data Center – 550 full time jobs

The $1.5 billion high-tech data center, which NFR and Urbacon want to develop, will create about 550 full time jobs.

Management and Leadership:

Data Center Manager: 1 | Annual Salary: $120,000
Security Manager: 1 | Annual Salary: $100,000
Facility Manager: 1 | Annual Salary: $110,000
Project Managers: 8 | Annual Salary (average): $100,000
Business Development Managers: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $120,000
Marketing Managers: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $110,000
Finance Managers: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $120,000
Legal Counsel: 2 | Annual Salary (each): $150,000
Operations Managers: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $110,000
Compliance Specialists: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $85,000

Technical Operations:

11. Data Center Technicians:

Rack and Stack Technicians: 10 | Annual Salary (each): $60,000
Cable Technicians: 10 | Annual Salary (each): $55,000

Network Engineers: 20 | Annual Salary (each): $90,000
Systems Administrators: 15 | Annual Salary (each): $80,000
Database Administrators: 10 | Annual Salary (each): $85,000
Security Analysts: 18 | Annual Salary (each): $95,000
Storage Engineers: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $95,000
Virtualization Specialists: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $100,000
Cloud Engineers: 10 | Annual Salary (each): $100,000
Monitoring and NOC Technicians: 10 | Annual Salary (average): $70,000
HVAC Technicians: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $65,000
Electrical Engineers/Technicians: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $80,000
DevOps Engineers: 10 | Annual Salary (each): $95,000
Technical Support Specialists: 10 | Annual Salary (each): $70,000
Quality Assurance Engineers: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $85,000
Cybersecurity Analysts: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $90,000

Administrative and Support:

26. Administrative Assistants: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $50,000

IT Support Specialists: 12 | Annual Salary (average): $60,000
Help Desk Technicians: 15 | Annual Salary (average): $45,000
Logistics Coordinators: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $70,000
Procurement Specialists: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $80,000
Documentation Specialists: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $70,000
Training Coordinators: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $60,000
Technical Trainers: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $75,000

Customer Support:

34. Customer Support Representatives: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $55,000

Sales and Marketing:

35. Sales Representatives: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $80,000

Communications Specialists: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $70,000

Finance and Accounting:

37. Accountants: 10 | Annual Salary (each): $75,000

Environmental and Energy:

38. Energy Efficiency Engineers: 5 | Annual Salary (each): $90,000

Types of jobs:

Data Center Technicians: Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the data center, including server maintenance, hardware installation, and troubleshooting.
Network Engineers: Design, implement, and maintain the data center’s networking infrastructure to ensure connectivity and high-speed data transmission.
Systems Administrators: Manage the servers, operating systems, and software applications within the data center for performance and security.
Database Administrators: DBAs manage and maintain the databases that store and retrieve critical information within the data center.
Security Analysts: Handle cybersecurity to protect from potential threats and breaches.
Electrical and HVAC Engineers: Design and maintain the electrical and cooling systems crucial to the data center’s functionality and energy efficiency.
Data Center Managers: Oversee operations, including personnel, equipment, and budget management.
Storage Engineers: Manage data storage, including SAN (Storage Area Network) and NAS (Network Attached Storage) systems.
Virtualization Specialists: Manage and optimize virtualization technologies that allow multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server.
Cloud Engineers: Design, implement, and manage cloud environments.
Monitoring and NOC (Network Operations Center) Technicians: Monitor the data center’s systems and networks.
Facilities Managers: Oversee the physical infrastructure of the data center, including power distribution, cooling, and building maintenance.
- Maintenance Technicians: 10 | Annual Salary (each): $60,000
Compliance and Legal Specialists: Ensure the center operates in compliance with regulations and industry standards.
Procurement and Inventory Specialists: Manages equipment procurement, inventory, and vendors.
Project Managers: Coordinates tasks and teams.

IT Professionals: manage and maintain information technology systems, networks, software, hardware, and user support.

Network Engineers: Design, implement, and maintain an organization’s networking infrastructure. They ensure data connectivity, security, and high-speed transmission within the network.
Systems Administrators: Manage and maintain servers, operating systems, and software applications. They handle system performance, security, updates, and backups.
Database Administrators (DBAs): Administer and manage databases that store and retrieve data for various applications. They optimize database performance, ensure data integrity, and manage security.
Security Analysts: Focus on cybersecurity, ensuring that an organization’s systems and data are protected from potential threats and breaches. They implement security measures, monitor for vulnerabilities, and respond to incidents.
Help Desk Technicians: Provide technical support to end-users and employees. They assist with troubleshooting issues, answering questions, and resolving technical problems.
IT Support Specialists: Offer broader technical support, including troubleshooting hardware, software, and network problems. They may also assist in setting up and maintaining user accounts and permissions.
DevOps Engineers: Collaborate with development and operations teams to facilitate the continuous integration, deployment, and monitoring of software applications. They focus on automating processes and improving efficiency.
Technical Support Specialists: Provide in-depth technical support to end-users, often involving more complex issues related to hardware, software, and systems.
Virtualization Specialists: Manage and optimize virtualization technologies, which allow multiple virtual servers to run on a single physical server. They help improve resource utilization and flexibility.
Cloud Engineers: Design, implement, and manage cloud computing environments, ensuring scalability, availability, and security of cloud-based services.
Monitoring and NOC (Network Operations Center) Technicians: Monitor and maintain the data center’s systems and networks to ensure smooth operation, troubleshoot issues, and respond to alerts.
Quality Assurance Engineers: Test and ensure the quality of software applications before deployment. They identify and report defects and work to improve the user experience.

The Niagara Digital Campus will provide some good paying jobs to Niagara Falls and pump a lot of money into the local economy. It will not cost taxpayers any money since the project is funded by the developers.

On the other hand Centennial Park is taxpayer funded and the taxpayers of Niagara Falls will foot the bill for the deficit of which it is estimated will be enormous.