DataBank CEO Raul Martynek [Photo: DataBank]

Nearly 1,000 full-time employees have been made “part owners” of data center provider DataBank via a new broad-based employee ownership program, the Dallas-based company announced.

DataBank is a provider of enterprise-class colocation, connectivity, and managed services.

“DataBank has invested continuously in our culture and made it a competitive advantage in the marketplace, as evidenced by our employee NPS score of 64 this quarter, our low attrition, and our overall company performance,” DataBank CEO Raul Martynek said in a statement. “One of the hallmarks of that culture is our mantra of ‘Taking Extreme Ownership’ and we’re now taking that notion itself to the extreme by making every DataBanker a part-owner and unleashing even higher levels of performance.”

The company said the DataBank Employee Ownership Program has the potential to generate a meaningful wealth-building opportunity for its workforce by providing, in the event of a qualifying transaction, a one-time bonus of up to 12 months compensation in addition to an employee’s regular salary and benefits. It said the exact amount of any ownership program payouts will depend on overall company performance and if operational and valuation goals are met.

DataBank said it announced the program to employees at a celebratory launch event on June 25 across all of its more than 65 locations in over 25 markets.

Billions of dollars raised

In January, DataBank announced a $250 million equity investment from New York-based TJC LP, as well as a $600 million secondary share offering. At the time, the company said its new funding resulted from “excess investor interest” in its $2 billion primary equity round, which was announced in October. The funding brought the total debt and equity raised by DataBank in the past year and a half before January to nearly $5 billion.

In October 2024, DataBank announced a $2 billion equity raise led by AustralianSuper, Australia’s largest superannuation fund, which committed $1.5 billion that was slated to make AustralianSuper “a significant minority owner of DataBank” and see it join the company’s board of directors.

In September 2024, Databank announced a new 480MW data center campus in Red Oak featuring eight two‑story data centers.

Sharing the value they help create

Kevin Ooley

The program also will include initiatives related to employee engagement and personal financial wellness with the goal of aligning all employees around a common purpose, values, and goals, and bolstering employees’ financial capability, DataBank said.

“The DataBank Employee Ownership Program is made possible through the support of all our investors including DigitalBridge, Swiss Life, IMCO, and AustralianSuper,” President and CFO Kevin Ooley said in a statement. “Their willingness to invest in us in every possible way—not just in data centers and equipment, but in our people—demonstrates what great partners they are.”

DataBank said the program is part of a growing movement across corporate America to provide employees with the opportunity to participate in the value they help create, led by the nonprofit organization Ownership Works and its founding partners.

Ownership Works is a nonprofit whose mission is to increase prosperity via shared ownership at work. It partners with business leaders and investors to provide all employees with the opportunity to become owners and participate in the success they help create.

David Seeley contributed to this article.

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