Every community is different. Its priorities, concerns, history and relationships are uniquely its own. That’s why Amber Daniels, Assistant General Manager of Data Centers – West, ensures Sabey’s approach to community engagement begins long before deciding how the company can contribute. At Sabey, being a good neighbor starts by being a good listener.
“We’re coming in as the new neighbors, and we need to understand what they already have established and what’s important to them,” Amber said. “Then we can guide what we’re doing around what matters to that community.”
For Amber, that means getting out into the community, attending public meetings, connecting with local leaders, participating in networking groups and having conversations with anyone willing to have one. Sometimes those conversations happen at an organized community meeting. Other times, they might happen over a cup of coffee or even in the grocery store.
When asked what successful community engagement looks like, Amber’s answer was simple: “Truly being present.”
Showing up is only part of Amber’s philosophy. The other is knowing how to listen.
“Listen to what they’re saying, not just to respond, but to learn,” she said.
That distinction matters. Listening gives Sabey an opportunity to understand concerns, but Amber says the conversation often reveals much more.
“You don’t just learn about what their concerns are,” she said. “You learn about who they are as a person. You learn about their families, what’s important to them in the community and the things they’re excited about.”
Those conversations can also create opportunities that would be difficult to identify from outside the community.
In Umatilla, for example, relationships with local leaders and community members have opened doors to conversations with Blue Mountain Community College and the local school district around developing education and career pathways connected to the data center industry. For Amber, that’s what happens when community engagement becomes a relationship rather than a transaction.
In Malaga, a conversation at a Community Council meeting led to a different kind of opportunity. Amber learned that the local park, maintained entirely by volunteers, was in need of some extra care. After hearing that residents were hoping to organize a cleanup, she connected with Sabey’s Quincy and Wenatchee teams, who joined community members for an afternoon of restoring and maintaining the park.
What made the experience meaningful to Amber was its simplicity. Rather than arriving with a predetermined idea of how Sabey could help, the team listened to what the community needed and found a way to contribute. It also gave employees an opportunity to spend time with their neighbors and build connections outside of the workplace.
Some of Amber’s most meaningful experiences have started with people who had genuine questions or concerns about Sabey or data center development. She recalled meeting community members who were initially skeptical but became more comfortable after having the opportunity to ask questions, tour a facility and see firsthand how Sabey operates.
“If you can sit down with someone who has a genuine concern, have a cup of coffee and talk through it, and they leave giving you a hug, that means so much,” Amber said. “You may ease a concern, but more importantly, you gain a new relationship.”
Those relationships aren’t built through one meeting or one presentation. They develop through consistency, transparency and a willingness to keep showing up. That’s important at Sabey since the company operates its data centers long-term and have never sold a data center asset since entering the industry more than 30 years ago.
Ultimately, Amber hopes the communities where Sabey operates see the company as more than a business with a facility nearby. She wants them to see Sabey as present, invested and a good neighbor.
That means understanding that community engagement isn’t one-size-fits-all. What matters in Central Washington may be different from what matters in Umatilla, Austin, Ashburn or another Sabey community. The responsibility is to listen first and understand where Sabey can meaningfully participate.
