2023
Hyperscale data-center building
Des Moines
Up to 38
14 weeks · 17,000+ crew hours
Des Moines · IA · Market we've staffed
Eight data-center buildings in Des Moines.
Since 2023 Alpha Labor has staffed eight hyperscale data-center buildings across the Des Moines metro — in Des Moines, West Des Moines and the south metro — with more than 45,000 crew hours and up to 38 hands on a single building. In 2026, Alpha Labor crews worked two more West Des Moines buildings.
Looking for work? Apply for a crew position →
◆ W-2 · E-VERIFIED◆ FOREMAN-LED◆ LICENSED & BONDED ALL 50 STATES◆ 0.71 EMR
8
Projects staffed
45,000+
Crew hours
38
Largest crew on one job
2023–26
Years
From Alpha's job and weekly timesheet records as of 10/12/2026. Customer and project names stay private.
Work we've staffed
Jobs around Des Moines
2023–24
Hyperscale data-center building
South Des Moines metro
Up to 29
16 weeks through winter · 15,000+ crew hours
2023
Hyperscale data-center building
Des Moines
Up to 16
8 weeks · 5,900+ crew hours
2025
Hyperscale data-center building
West Des Moines
Crew of 7
Three-week push · 900+ crew hours
2026
Hyperscale data-center building
West Des Moines
Up to 24
6,100+ crew hours through 10/12/2026
2026
Hyperscale data-center building
West Des Moines
Crew of 3
Started 2026
Plus two more buildings, in Des Moines in 2023 and West Des Moines in 2025 — eight in all.
Why Des Moines builds data centers
Central Iowa has become one of the Midwest's biggest hyperscale clusters. The land is flat and buildable, the state draws more than half of its electricity from wind, and long-haul fiber crosses the middle of the country here. West Des Moines, Altoona and the metro's southern edge have all landed multi-building campuses — and campuses get built one building at a time, which is why the same crews keep coming back.
How we staff a data-center building
Hyperscale envelopes run on tight sequencing and strict site rules: badging, orientation, drug screens and, on many campuses, owner-controlled insurance enrollment before anyone touches steel. Alpha handles the employer side — W-2 payroll, workers' comp, E-Verify — so your site team gets hands who are cleared to work. Crew size moves with the schedule; on our largest Des Moines building it ran as high as 38.
Close to home, cold in winter
Des Moines is the closest major market to Alpha's Kansas City base — roughly three hours straight up I-35. Iowa winters are real, and the work goes on through them: a 2023–24 building in the south metro ran from late fall into early spring, and two 2023 Des Moines buildings worked into December.
190road miles from Kansas City
~3hours by road
24hours to on site, 4–15 person crews
Getting a crew to Des Moines
Crews travel from Alpha's Kansas City base — about 190 road miles, roughly 3 hours by road. A foreman-led crew of 4 to 15 can be on site within 24 hours of the go-ahead; full hyperscale mobilizations take about two weeks.
How it works
Your scope. Our hands.
01
You keep the contract
The contract, the scope and the schedule stay with you. Alpha supplies the crew that does the work.
02
Alpha is the employer
Every hand is a W-2 employee of Alpha Labor: payroll, workers' comp and E-Verify handled before the crew mobilizes.
03
Foreman-led crews
Crews arrive with their own foreman and work your erection plan under your direction — sized up or down as the schedule moves.
What we staff in Des Moines
Crews by scope
FAQ
Common questions
Has Alpha Labor worked on Des Moines data centers?
Yes — eight hyperscale data-center buildings across the Des Moines metro since 2023, including two West Des Moines buildings Alpha Labor crews worked in 2026. The largest peaked at 38 hands on one building.
How close are your crews to Des Moines?
About three hours. Crews travel from Alpha's Kansas City base, roughly 190 miles up I-35. A crew of 4 to 15 can be on site within 24 hours; full hyperscale mobilizations take about two weeks.
Can your crews work through an Iowa winter?
They have. A 2023–24 building in the south metro ran from late fall into early spring, and two 2023 Des Moines buildings worked into December. Build cold-weather sequencing into your schedule and the crew works it.
Who is the employer on a Des Moines job?
Alpha Labor is the employer of record: W-2 payroll, workers' comp and E-Verify. You keep the contract, the scope and the schedule. Call (772) 285-6009 to line up a crew.
Request a Des Moines crew.
America's largest PEMB erection workforce — 2M+ hours, zero recordable injuries. Send the scope and start date, or call and talk it through.
Looking for work? Apply for a crew position →
Also serving nearby
AnkenyAltoonaWest Des MoinesJohnston
Other markets we've staffed