A First Job Leads to a Role in Building Meta’s New Data Hub
Posted on August 13, 2025
University of South Alabama alumnus Jordan Eggleston said the responsibility he has
been given in his first engineering job has motivated him in his new role.
#MyFirstJob is a series focused on recent graduates of the University of South Alabama.
As a child, Jordan Eggleston loved stacking Lego bricks. He didn’t know it at the
time, but he was laying the foundation for his future. As a new field engineer, Eggleston
is turning that childhood curiosity into real-world impact.
He landed his position at the Montgomery location of Hensel Phelps, one of the largest general contractors and construction managers in the U.S., just weeks after graduating from South in May with a degree in civil engineering.
He’s only in his first few months there, and his first project is kind of a big deal:
The construction of an $800 million, 715,000 square-foot data center for Meta, the
multinational technology conglomerate. The data hub, expected to begin operations
at the end of 2026, will be AI-optimized and powered by renewable energy.
“It's an incredible opportunity to be a part of such a massive, multi-billion-dollar
build so early in my career,” Eggleston said. “I’m thankful to Hensel Phelps for putting
me in a position to succeed and grow professionally. Being trusted with responsibility
on a project of this scale is both exciting and motivating. A big part of what makes
this experience so rewarding is the team around me.”
As a field engineer, he supports the tradespeople on-site by creating layouts, recording
as-builts, surveying, and coordinating with the trades to help keep things moving
smoothly.
What has surprised him most?
“How much trust and responsibility I was given from day one,” he said. “It’s been
both a challenge and a motivator to rise to that level.”
Finding His Path, One Brick at a Time
Eggleston, who hails from Alabaster, Alabama, just south of Birmingham, found his
ideal college fit just a few hours away from home.
“South stayed in consistent contact with me throughout high school, and that really
stood out,” he said. “I wanted to experience something new, but I liked knowing I
could get back home easily if I needed to. It was the right mix of opportunity and
comfort.”
He knew his path would lead to engineering. It all started with those early stacks
of toy bricks.
“I’ve always loved the process of creating something from the ground up,” he said.
Sports – particularly basketball – also shaped his future. Playing on his high school
squad, he learned discipline and the value of teamwork, two skills that have transferred
seamlessly into his career.
“No project in engineering is done alone. You rely on your team to succeed,” Eggleston
said. “That mindset started for me on the court and carried over into my career path.”
At South, Eggleston’s time with other students and commitment to organizations shaped his growth.
He served as a student manager for the women’s basketball team and became heavily
involved in the National Society of Black Engineers.
“Being involved with NSBE directly led me to my opportunity at Hensel Phelps,” he
said. “And working with the women’s basketball team gave me a break from the classroom
while keeping me close to the sport I love. Both of those experiences helped shape
who I am today.”
He offers simple but powerful advice to students who want to track a similar path:
“Stay the course. If it were easy, everyone would do it,” he said. “Real progress
starts with that first step, no matter how big or small. Just take it and keep going.”
