The folks behind Beach Communications, a Pleasant Ridge marketing agency, didn't really intend to wind up in the data center business.

But once a client mandated that they host the interactive marketing applications they had developed, they decided what the heck -- if they were going to be forced into the data center business, they might as well build the best data center they'd ever seen.

And now their vision is opening its doors: Liberty Center One in Royal Oak.

The nondescript, 20,000-square-foot brick building conceals a treasure chest of high-tech features.

For one thing, the center is located near three major Detroit Edison substations for power reliability, and has two 750-kilowatt diesel generators with days of diesel fuel if all three go out.

There's also 270 tons of total cooling capacity for the first 4,000 square feet of data center space, allowing delivery of more than 200 watts per square foot, with flexible ductwork to eliminate hotspots. They plan to add another 210 tons of capacity for a second data center room that's 3,800 square feet in size.

The data center also sits astride multiple national and regional carriers' major data trunks, providing SONET and gigabit Ethernet connections through multiple points of entry into the building. "So it would take four Joes with four backhoes to take us offline," said Tim Mullahy, who's responsible for Liberty Center's operations.

There's also a tight network of remotely monitored video cameras and motion detectors, and multiple identity verification systems, including badges, codes and biometric entry to the data rooms, which are also guarded by "man trap" double sets of doors.

The building also offers a host of green features, from automatic light switches to special heat-rejecting roof paint.

Coming soon will be 4,000 square feet of hot site office space for disaster recovery and backup teams.

In short, Liberty Center's marketing materials don't sound that far off when they promise "data center nirvana."

Jeff Livesay, responsible for Liberty Center’s business development, said they're pursuing clients for the data center at a pace that could fill it within a couple of years. At that point, they said, they'll begin looking for a Liberty Center Two.

Beach got into the data center business through its 2000 purchase of the application development shop Web Elite in Ann Arbor, and last year's acquisition of Flint-based Able Team, a hosting and colocation company.

The companies are owned by Rex Smith, who ran multiple training and marketing businesses for the ad agency Ross Roy and the Chicago-based Frankel for more than 20 years before venturing out as an independent marketing firm with Beach Communications.

More at www.libertycenterone.com.