Nike has facilities all over the world for product innovations and its aspirations beyond footwear. Today, the company announced that it's opening a new Technology Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Nike says the location will be located in West Midtown and is slated to open in early 2023. Until it's ready, employees based out of the new center will work remotely.
The Atlanta Technology Center will focus on expanding Nike's digital-first supply chain and logistics operations. The location will also be home to a new east coast cybersecurity command center for the company. Third, the new center will use AI and machine learning to "reimagine consumer experiences." Details are vague at this point, but we expect specifics from Nike as the Technology Center's opening approaches.
Atlanta may not be a city that screams tech hub, but Nike touted its deep sports roots and skilled workforce for the decision to build there. "We chose Atlanta because of its strong connection to sport, as well as the city’s wealth of skilled and diverse tech talent — both in the private and public sectors — and all the great universities in the region," the company said in a press release. Atlanta is home to Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Emory University, Morehouse College and many other schools. The University of Georgia isn't far away either, located a little over an hour down the road in Athens. The city also has professional sports franchises in the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL and MLS.
Nike has tapped Dr. Mona-Lisa Pinkney to lead the Atlanta Technology Center. Pinkney has worked with the company as its senior director of cybersecurity as well as co-founder of the Black Employees in Technology Network (BEiT) and she assists with the Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS). As senior site leader, Pinkney will oversee "work on cutting-edge technology and innovation initiatives that move the world forward through sport."