Former Senator Held Land Near Proposed Arkansas Data Site
A firm tied to Jonathan Dismang holds property bordering a site chosen for a $6 billion data center development.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Data Centers
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Records show a real estate group including former Arkansas state Senator Jonathan Dismang owns land adjacent to a planned 291.6-acre data center site near Wrightsville. The AVAIO-led project, which was announced in January 2026, is currently in the planning stage with operations expected by 2028.
Why it matters
The project represents a $6 billion investment in Arkansas infrastructure and falls under the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act, which permits utilities to charge ratepayers for construction costs. This development highlights the intersection of state-level legislative policy and large-scale industrial facility siting.
The investment group, Whitwell, Ryles, Dismang LLC, holds 46.4 acres of land that borders the 291.6-acre site where AVAIO spent over $7 million for development. The facility is projected to generate 1,000 construction jobs and 70 permanent positions upon reaching operational status in 2028.
The players
Jonathan Dismang
A former Arkansas state senator who currently serves as vice president of external affairs at the Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.
AVAIO
An infrastructure developer specializing in the build-out of large-scale data centers and telecommunications facilities.
Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp.
A statewide utility provider managing power distribution infrastructure for cooperatives across Arkansas.
The details
The data center infrastructure is planned under state regulations that allow utility companies to recover construction-related capital expenditures from ratepayers. The land held by the former senator's firm is managed for hunting purposes, with recent acquisitions completed in late July 2026. AVAIO's facility is currently in the pre-construction phase following its initial project announcement earlier this year.
Timeline
2019: Whitwell, Ryles, Dismang purchased 42 acres of land.
January 2026: AVAIO announced plans for a $6 billion data center.
July 29, 2026: The investment group purchased the final two parcels of land.
September 15, 2026: Jonathan Dismang resigned from the state Senate.
2028: The data center is expected to become operational.
The Tech Race
This project follows the implementation of the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act, which incentivizes large-scale utility builds by shifting construction costs to ratepayers. The effort marks a significant expansion of Arkansas's data center capacity relative to other regional hubs.
Residents should monitor utility rate filings, as the Generating Arkansas Jobs Act enables the recovery of construction costs from the public during the build phase. Permanent employment opportunities for the 70 planned roles are not expected to open until the facility nears operational status in 2028.
The takeaway
The project serves as a test case for how ratepayer-funded construction models affect industrial development in Arkansas. Stakeholders should track future public utility commission filings for specific details on cost recovery and project completion benchmarks.
Further reading
For more on how infrastructure projects are shaping the regional digital landscape, see Data Centers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by ArkansasOnline.
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