Salute has appointed Lucas Workman as its first Vice President of Community Affairs and Economic Development, a newly created role focused on connecting communities, customers, educational institutions and local leaders so that the people who live where the data center industry is growing, share in the opportunity it creates.
The data center industry is one of the fastest-growing in the world, and with that growth comes real opportunity for the communities where it takes shape: new investment, skilled careers, and the infrastructure that helps a place thrive. Salute created this role to help communities capture it.
As a data center services provider, Salute works alongside its customers rather than owning or developing sites itself, which puts the company in a unique position to connect the industry’s workforce needs with the communities where that workforce lives, learns and works. Lucas will lead that effort.
His focus will be building relationships with local leaders, schools and colleges, workforce development organizations, chambers of commerce and industry partners, to create pathways to meaningful careers, support economic development, and help communities prepare for long-term investment, from workforce readiness and education to the housing, infrastructure and services that growing communities need.
Building Opportunity Through Partnership
Lucas Workman brings more than 15 years of experience spanning economic development, public-private partnerships, government relations, workforce strategy and digital infrastructure.
Throughout his career he has brought public and private stakeholders together to support job creation, regional investment and sustainable economic growth, working on both sides of the table: in government at the county and municipal level, and in the private sector across AI and telecom infrastructure. Earlier in his career, he served as an Economic and Social Development Coordinator in Ecuador with the Peace Corps.
“The data center boom is reshaping communities across the country, and how the industry
builds this infrastructure requires a thoughtful, community-first approach'” said Lucas
Workman. “I joined Salute because of their genuine commitment to this responsibility. Our
Department’s job is to ensure that host communities meaningfully benefit from this growth
through high-quality jobs, sustained investment, and lasting opportunity.”
A Community-First Approach
Salute’s purpose extends beyond serving customers. Whether through workforce training, partnerships with educational institutions, veteran transition initiatives, apprenticeships or community engagement, the company believes economic growth is strongest when local communities share in its benefits.
The creation of this role reflects Salute’s commitment to workforce development, community partnership, and ensuring that economic growth translates into lasting benefit for the cities where we live and work, and for the generations who will call them home.
Welcome to the team, Lucas.