Hertz Call Center - NW Expressway

[TheTravellers]

The hardware (IBM) was in Lexington Ky back in 2009. Not sure where the IT people are anymore.

There was also tons of it in the NW Expwy bldg in 2009, that's when I started, read upthread - that was the main data center and Penn/Hefner was the DR center, for at least 4 years until I left in 2013. Dozens, if not a hundred or so IT folks in both centers in OKC as of 2009-13.

[Bellaboo]

There was also tons of it in the NW Expwy bldg in 2009, that's when I started, read upthread - that was the main data center and Penn/Hefner was the DR center, for at least 4 years until I left in 2013. Dozens, if not a hundred or so IT folks in both centers in OKC as of 2009-13.

I was one of the 240 (strictly mainframe related) that was let go in July of 2009. And yes the hardware stayed at the DC for a few year, but the systems support staff went directly to Lexington, and the software maintenance went to India. It wasn't too long after though that some of the software support came back. They did me a favor.
I started at Hertz in 1985.

[Bill Robertson]

Sitting here at dinner with our friend that worked IT there and still has former colleagues still there. Word there is that Dove Academy has finalized purchase of the Data Center building.

[gjl]

Sitting here at dinner with our friend that worked IT there and still has former colleagues still there. Word there is that Dove Academy has finalized purchase of the Data Center building.

I thought I had heard that at a Warr Acres city council meeting.

[Pete]

Sitting here at dinner with our friend that worked IT there and still has former colleagues still there. Word there is that Dove Academy has finalized purchase of the Data Center building.

Someone just asked me about this building and I checked the County Assessor site and all that property is still owned by Hertz.

Found this article from 4/20/24:

Hertz data center in Oklahoma up for sale
20,000 sq ft facility offers 5.5MW

A data center and call center owned by car rental company Hertz is up for sale in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Fleske Commercial Group is offering 5601 Northwest Expressway for sale; the listed price is $16.9 million.

Built in 1979 and spanning 200,260 sq ft (18,605 sqm), the site is being offered as a “potential commercial redevelopment opportunity or as an office space asset.”

The 21-acre site features a 187,660 sq ft (17,435 sqm) call & data center building – the data center totals 20,000 sq ft (1,860 sqm) – a 12,000 sq ft (1,115 sqm) office warehouse/printing facility, and a 600 sq ft (55 sqm) warehouse facility.

Featuring redundant dual power feeds, the site has five backup generators totaling 5.5MW. CRAC units have been maintained and updated, while HVAC, chillers, and all air handlers on the roof have reportedly had various upgrades as needed.

Hertz Corporation is open to leasing 20,000- 30,000 sq ft of the property on a long-term basis.

“Hertz is proud to be a major employer in Oklahoma City for over five decades and we remain committed to our operations there," a Hertz spokesman told The Oklahoman last month. "We can confirm our building at 5601 Northwest Expressway is for sale and we are transitioning to a lease agreement.”

Car rental firm Hertz has reportedly had a presence in Oklahoma City for nearly 50 years and had previously been one of the city’s largest employers.

The 5601 NW Expressway site has hosted Hertz’s data center since at least the late 1990s.

Hertz previously sold its four-story, 225,000-square-foot office building at 14501 Hertz Quail Springs Parkway in Oklahoma City to Costco in May 2020, the day before Hertz filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy early during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2022 Hertz announced it had chosen AWS as a cloud provider and would transition core infrastructure components from on-premises data centers to Amazon's cloud platform.

[Bellaboo]

The 5601 NW Expressway site has hosted Hertz’s data center since at least the late 1990s.

It was much earlier than this. I started in the summer of 1985, and there was over 200 programers at that time. In 1987 the Reservations systems and programers were moved to this location from a building over by Baptist hospital.
During the late 70's early 80's most systems from New York relocated to 5601.

[Pete]

^

The County Assessor site shows the first building was constructed in 1979 and the second in 1983.

I seem to recall the reservation center was first to open, then the data center.


Looking through newspaper archives, it looks like they started with a smaller res center in Lincoln Plaza around 1970.

[Bill Robertson]

My wife checked with the contacts she still has there. The grapevine still has it that Dove is buying the property. But it wouldn't be the first time that the grapevine has been wrong. So maybe, maybe not.

[Pete]

^

There is such massive data center infrastructure, I'm sure Hertz wanted someone to pay for that, hence the $16.9 million price tag.

I suspect Dove (if true) will rent part of the space from Hertz while they continue seeking a buyer to pay the freight.

[Bill Robertson]

^

There is such massive data center infrastructure, I'm sure Hertz wanted someone to pay for that, hence the $16.9 million price tag.

I suspect Dove (if true) will rent part of the space from Hertz while they continue seeking a buyer to pay the freight.

That makes sense. I wondered from the first I heard of the supposed deal how Dove was planning on footing the bill for that much building and infrastructure.

[gjl]

I know a few years ago Warr Acres was needing to dig a hole close to the entrance to the Hertz on NW Highway. They were told that there were some very important underground data cables close to where they needed to dig and it was critical that those cables not be damaged.