TheJobWalk E.45

Welcome to this week’s edition of TheJobWalk! Flexential names a new CEO as Walmart commits $300M to a major NC facility. Nevada tips off with a $435M men’s basketball arena, while Monkey Island preps for a $25B LNG boom. Fermi America unveils its 5,800-acre HyperGrid campus near Amarillo, and Samsung teams with OpenAI on next-gen AI infrastructure. Plus, Alexandria rolls out the red carpet with a $2B bet on fun as Monumental Sports & Entertainment brings big-league energy to town. Let’s dive in!

NEWS
Flexential Data Centers Appoints New CEO

Flexential, a national provider of data center and hybrid infrastructure services, has named Ryan Mallory as its new Chief Executive Officer. Previously serving as the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer, Mallory succeeds Chris Downie, who is stepping down after a nine-year tenure. 

Mallory originally joined Flexential in June 2020 as COO and was elevated to President in May 2025. He brings over 25 years of experience in high-growth technology and infrastructure operations. The leadership transition is part of Flexential’s long-term succession planning and comes amid rising demand for AI, hyperscale computing, and enhanced interconnection. 

Under Downie’s leadership, Flexential expanded its national platform, scaled its interconnection capabilities, and deepened both customer and capital partnerships. The company now operates over 40 data centers in 18 regional markets, supported by a private network backbone with capacities exceeding 100 Gbps.

TheJobWalk’s got eyes on this too...

📰 Turner & Weill Celebrate Opening of $260M Student Hall(Turner)
📰 Lefko Manufacturing Facility Coming to Texas(TXGov)
📰 Walmart to Build $300M Facility in NC(NCGov)
📰 Bluebeam Unveils Bluebeam Max(Bluebeam)

PROJECTS
Build of The Week

Grand Sierra Resort Arena Breaks Ground

Grand Sierra Resort (GSR) has broken ground on a new 10,000-seat, 300,000-square-foot arena in Reno, Nevada, which will become the new home of Nevada Men’s Basketball beginning in the 2027-28 season. 

The arena will cost $435 million and is expected to host approximately 95 events annually. It will feature premium hospitality clubs, luxury suites, a fan-centric central plaza, and other modern amenities. 

The broader redevelopment includes a 2,800-space parking garage, a new community ice center, updates to aquatic and golf facilities, new housing, and hotel expansion- all designed to transform the Grand Sierra Resort.

• General Contractors: Martin Harris Construction

• Design: Gensler

• Client: Grand Sierra Resort

• Award: Arena

• Value: $435 Million

• Location: Reno, Nevada

Movement in the field:

🏀$2B Bet on Fun, Alexandria’s Rolling Out the Red Carpet: Monumental Sports & Entertainment (owners of Washington Capitals & Washington Wizards) plan to break ground on this 9 million square foot development this year in Alexandria, Virginia. This $2 billion project is one of the biggest economic development projects in Virginia's history. It will include a New Arena, Entertainment Venues, Hotels and Retail space as well as Offices & Studios and much more. This Project is estimated to produce around 17,645 construction jobs just for the arena and over 30,000+ jobs overall, including both direct and indirect positions across operations. Phase 1, The arena is expected to be open in late 2028, with total completion of all phases set for 2031-2036.

Key Details: Client: JBG SMITH & Monumental Sports & Entertainment, General Contractors: TBA, Architect: TBA, Award: Mixed-use, Value: $2 Billion, Location: Alexandria, Virginia

🛢️Monkey Island Goes Big, $25B LNG Boom Incoming: Last month, it was announced that McDermott was awarded front-end engineering and planning for the $25B LNG Plant in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. The first phase of the project is expected to have 3 LNG trains that will each have a capacity of 5.2 million metric tons per annum, and Phase two will bring two more trains, bringing the total capacity to 26 MTPA. This project is expected to start the engineering phase in 2026, with plans to be in production by early 2030. 

Key Details: Client: Monkey Island LNG, EPC: McDermott International, Ltd, Award: Oil & Gas, Value: $25 Billion, Location: Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

💻From Cattle to Code, Amarillo’s New AI Playground: Fermi America, is planning the HyperGrid advanced energy & data center campus on 5,800 acres near Amarillo. The project will include up to 11GW of on-site generation supporting 18 million sqft of data centers. The campus will be powered directly on site through a mix of nuclear, gas, solar, wind, and battery storage, with applications for new nuclear reactors under federal review. The venture targets its first 1GW online by late 2026.

Key Details: Owner/Developer: Fermi America, General Contractor: TBD, Sector: Data Center & Infrastructure, Value: TBD, Location: Near Amarillo, Texas

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WORLD
Oxagon, Saudi Arabia

NEOM has officially launched construction of Oxagon, its high-tech industrial and logistics city located on the Red Sea coast in northwest Saudi Arabia. Designed as the world’s largest floating industrial hub, Oxagon will feature cutting-edge automation, AI-integrated logistics, and next-generation manufacturing facilities. 

The development forms a key pillar of the $500 billion NEOM mega-project and is central to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy. The Port of Oxago- a critical component of the city, is being developed through an EPC contract awarded to multiple contractors. For connectivity, a 57 km high-speed and freight rail line, known as the “Connector” will link the Oxagon to The Line.

Construction management is being led by Parsons Corporation, supporting NEOM’s vision of creating a fully integrated smart industrial ecosystem. Once complete, Oxagon is expected to host thousands of residents and workers.

TECH SPOTLIGHT
Samsung & OpenAI Announce Partnership in AI Infrastructure

Samsung and OpenAI have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the development of global AI infrastructure. The agreement includes the supply of advanced DRAM technology, with capacity expectations reaching up to 900,000 DRAM wafers per month to support OpenAI’s compute-intensive AI workloads. 

A major focus of the partnership is the development and operation of next-generation AI data centers. Samsung SDS will lead efforts in designing and deploying these centers, collaborating closely with OpenAI on architecture, scalability, and efficiency. The facilities will be equipped with Samsung’s latest high-bandwidth memory and chip packaging technologies.

Samsung C&T and Samsung Heavy Industries will also explore the potential of floating data centers, leveraging maritime engineering. These offshore platforms aim to reduce carbon emissions and provide a scalable, sustainable solution for housing AI compute infrastructure.

QUICK FIRE ROUND
Your quiz questions for this week:

What’s the standard fire rating for a typical commercial stairwell enclosure?

A. 1 hour // B. 2 hours // C. 3 hours

Which mechanical component is critical for preventing backflow in potable water systems?

A. Pressure-reducing valve // B. Air admittance valve // C. Double check valve assembly

In structural steel construction, what does the term “moment connection” imply?

A. Connection resists only shear forces // B. Connection transfers both shear and bending moments // C. Connection is pinned and allows rotation

What’s a common cause of arc flash incidents in electrical systems?

A. Undersized conduit // B. Improper PPE usage during energized work // C. Loose conduit straps

What’s the primary function of rebar chairs in concrete placement?

A. Maintain cover depth of reinforcement // B. Allow faster concrete curing // C. Prevent segregation of aggregate

Check out the answers at the bottom.

WEEKLY FUNNY
they’ll never notice..

REFLECTION
This week’s question to ask yourself✌️

What part of myself am I learning to accept rather than fix?

ANSWERS

Q1 B. 2 hours // Q2 C. Double check valve assembly // Q3 B. Connection transfers both shear and bending moments // Q4 B. Improper PPE usage during energized work // Q5 A. Maintain cover depth of reinforcement

How many did you get?