Small Towns, Big Builds

When Lauren Deloatch hits the road, she isn't just visiting customers – she’s walking into communities where massive data center projects are reshaping daily life. As a program manager of outreach with Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, Lauren is spending time in towns where land, power, and water make AI factories possible. Some residents are energized by the prospect of thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent positions taking root in their communities; others are understandably wary of the change.Lauren has a knack for helping people connect the dots between these infrastructure builds and the everyday moments they already depend on — the thermostat adjusted before getting out of bed, the navigation app guiding the morning commute, the banking and healthcare systems quietly running in the background. Data centers, she explains, enable it all.Tune in to this conversation to learn more.Fiber Focus is a Sumitomo Electric Lightwave podcast. Subscribe, share this episode, and follow Sumitomo Electric Lightwave on LinkedIn and X.Episode LinksConnect with Us: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/contact-us/Lauren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ldeloatch/Meredyth on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredythneillyConnect with Sumitomo Electric LightwaveWebsite: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sumitomoelectriclightwave