Former Amarillo Mayor Trent Sisemore has joined Fermi America in a community advisory role as the company pursues what it calls the largest private grid and artificial intelligence campus in the world.
In a short interview with the Globe-News, Sisemore said Fermi America reached out to him in August about serving as a liaison between the company and local governments, schools and community organizations. His role includes forming a community advisory board, facilitating communication and helping integrate the project into Amarillo and the surrounding counties. He said he expects to have the board in place in the next few months.
“They just needed someone who knows our community and knows our community needs,” Sisemore said. “Whether that be philanthropic needs, working with schools or governments, or planning workforce development, they wanted someone who people could call directly when they had questions.”
The $11 billion project, planned for university-owned land east of Amarillo, is expected to span 15 years and create thousands of jobs. Sisemore said he sees his work as not only practical but cultural.
“I really want to be the culture developer for Fermi in the Panhandle,” he said. “We have a unique cowboy culture here where a handshake means something and our word is our bond. I want to set that foundation so it carries forward as the company grows in our community.”
While initially hesitant to return to the spotlight, Sisemore said he accepted the role because of the project’s scope and impact.
“This is transformational for generations,” he said. “AI is going to change the world, and there will be jobs that disappear. But if Fermi America is here, our community can be one that wins in that race, with thousands of high-paying jobs to replace those that are lost.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Sisemore aims to be ‘culture developer’ for Fermi in Panhandle
Reporting by Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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