A Chesterfield employee who helped bring Google to the county now works for the tech giant
As deputy director of Chesterfield’s Economic Development Authority, Jack Elder played an instrumental role in discussions between the county and Google — which now employs him to identify land specifically for data center development.
Chesterfield landed the Google complex after years of negotiations under the code name “Project Peanut,” ultimately celebrating a $9 billion statewide investment in August 2025 with the help of then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
The Chesterfield EDA employed Elder from July 2023 to May 2026. During a February 2025 community meeting, Elder presented the original proposal to rezone county land for data center development.
Since leaving, his LinkedIn page has been updated to show that he now works for Google itself, as “Strategic Negotiator, Data Center Land Development & Portfolio Management.”
When asked about Elder’s switch, a county spokesperson indicated Chesterfield wouldn’t comment because it’s a personnel matter.
“We are committed to hiring locally,” a Google spokesperson wrote to The Richmonder.
“Jake applied for an open role on our team and he has been a welcome addition.”
The Richmonder contacted Elder for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.
On Tuesday, news broke that the tech company is eyeing a fourth Central Virginia campus in Goochland’s West Creek, on land already zoned for data centers.
Richmond saw a similar situation in 2024, when Maritza Pechin, who helped lead the Diamond District redevelopment project, left for the federal government. She then returned to Richmond months later in a role with Thalhimer Realty Partners — the group chosen to develop the Diamond District.
Contact Eleanor Shaw at eshaw@richmonder.org. She is a Report for America corps member.
