Enseva, a Waterloo company that designs, constructs and operates co-location computer data storage centers, on Monday announced plans to build a $12 million, 17,000-square-foot facility at 755 Metzger Dr. in Hiawatha. The company is partnering with Iowa Health System of Des Moines and Professional Office Services of Cedar Falls, who will have data stored in the secure facility. (Enseva rendering)

HIAWATHA — A Waterloo company that designs, constructs and operates secure computer data storage centers is planning a $12 million facility in Hiawatha.

Enseva, a data co-location firm, broke ground Monday for the 17,000-square-foot multiple tenant data center at 755 Metzger Dr., off Hawkeye Drive in Hiawatha. The facility, which will open in the fall of 2012 and have 10 full-time employees, can be expanded with three additional 12,000-square-foot modules.

The Enseva Data Center will be a collaborative project with Iowa Health System of Des Moines, Professional Office Services of Cedar Falls, the City of Hiawatha, Alliant Energy-Interstate Power and Light and Priority One with financing provided by Grundy National Bank of Grundy Center. Cardinal Construction will be the general contractor.

Kevin Vermeer, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Iowa Health System, said the Enseva Data Center will house a portion of Iowa Health System’s patient data.

“Data availability is incredibly important when you are dealing with the health of those who make up more than 2.6 million patient visits per year,” Vermeer said. “We serve more than 76 communities and have 199 physician clinics in Iowa and Illinois. This data center is part of our comprehensive plan to store and secure all the critical data generated in caring for our patients.”

Chris Sevey, Enseva chief information officer, said data availability will be critical as society moves from the industrial to the information age.

“This new facility is a biometrically secured, high density, high efficiency facility that can provide 100 percent service availability for clients,” Sevey said. ”All of these aspects are important to companies who rely on mission critical data for their operations.”

Doug Sevey, president and chief executive officer of Enseva, said the Hiawatha data center will use proprietary electrical and cooling technologies designed to offer a greater fault tolerance. Sevey said the company worked with Alliant Energy-Interstate Power and Light to identify and provide the electric infrastructure to enhance electric reliability to the center.

“Having partners in economic development is what made this new data center a reality,” said Doug Sevey. “We are able to move quickly because we have the right people at the table, with all the same priorities.”

Mike Williams, president and CEO of Professional Office Services, said the firm was pleased to partner with Enseva to make the state-of-the-art data center a reality.

“With our nearly 30,000 healthcare customers located throughout the country, we believe that Iowa is the perfect location to safely and securely store this important health care information,” Williams said.

Hiawatha Mayor Tom Theis said Enseva would not have located in Hiawatha without the persistence of Mary Meisterling, an Alliant Energy key account manager.

“Mary kept this project together,” Theis said. “There is absolutely no question that she is the key to why we are here today.”

Doug Sevey called Meisterling his “pit bull.”

“Mary just wouldn’t let go,” Sevey said. “She kept saying ‘I have a place that you really have to see’ and she was right. Mary introduced us to Jon Dusek (president of Armstrong Development) and we fell in love with this location.”

Enseva will be one of the initial businesses to locate in Tower Commerce Park, a 58-acre, 26-lot business park between Stamy Road and Hawkeye Drive in Hiawatha.