Opening Keynote Presentation

The State of the Data Center Market

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  Tim Huffman

  Tim Huffman is an Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member with CBREʼs Data Center Solutions. With over 17 years of experience in data center operations and telephony, he focuses on providing advisory and transaction services for corporate clients requiring complex data center and technology strategies. Experience: As a leader in advisory and transaction services of data center real estate, Mr. Huffman provides clients with expert services in negotiating complex data center outsourcing solutions involving colocation, cloud services, telephony and managed services solutions. His experience also includes data center dispositions, sale-leasebacks and greenfield development. Additionally, he provides strategic consulting services to IT leaders on data center consolidations and cloud services migrations. Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Huffman served as the National Director of the Technology Solutions Group with Colliers International. His expertise and experience lend themselves to collaborating across business, operations, technical and real estate teams to strategize and deliver the best solutions to clients. From 2000 to 2011, Mr. Huffman served as an executive in the data center sector providing solutions and Managed Service Offerings to global organizations. Prior to 2000, he was a successful entrepreneur taking several start-up companies to market. As an active member of his community and a Grammy-nominated recording artist, he regularly volunteers his time with the Shepherd Center in Atlanta as a music therapist for injured veterans and those suffering from brain and spinal cord injuries. Tim is still active with his musical pursuits and has recorded or performed with musical talents, such as Jimmy Buffett, Hall & Oates, Zac Brown Band, Graham Nash, and Kansas.

  CBRE​​

  Executive VP & Director, Data Center Solutions

  Keynote

  Tim Huffman

  Executive VP & Director, Data Center Solutions

  CBRE​​

Leading the Curve

The Big Picture Strategic Development Outlook

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  Jared Day

  Jared Day has over 20 years of experience scaling high growth businesses. Previously, Jared was the President of Armor Defense, Inc a cloud cyber security company, where he led the organization through a period of rapid growth (5x in four years). Jared served as acting CFO for most of his time at Armor, overseeing the financial management of the company and closing several rounds of debt and equity capital. At Armor Defense, Jared was also responsible for product management, operations, sales, marketing and all administrative functions. Previously, Jared spent eight years as a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group where he specialized in developing growth strategies and execution plans for portfolio companies of several of the world’s largest private equity investors. Prior to BCG, Jared was CFO of FirstDoor, a software-as-a-service company acquired by Infor. Jared began his professional career at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Jared received a B.S. degree in Management and Accounting from Washington and Lee University, magna cum laude, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.

  Compass Datacenters

  President & CFO

  Jared Day

  President & CFO

  Compass Datacenters

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  David Dunn

  David Dunn is COO of H5 Data Centers. Mr. Dunn has nearly 15 years of experience managing significant growth and delivering outsized returns on investment in the Internet infrastructure space. Mr. Dunn most recently served as vice president at the Zayo Group where he was responsible for managing the wavelength and mobile infrastructure business units. Prior to Zayo, Mr. Dunn was senior vice president at CoreSite where he held leadership roles in mergers & acquisitions, leasing, marketing and strategy. Before joining CoreSite, Mr. Dunn held roles at several private equity firms including The Carlyle Group and J.E. Robert Companies. Mr. Dunn earned a B.S. in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

  H5 Data Centers

  COO

  David Dunn

  COO

  H5 Data Centers

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  Phil ​Horstmann

  ​Phil ​Horstmann founded Ascent in 1998. He wanted to align and integrate best-in-class critical systems infrastructure, facilities engineering, purpose built construction, architectural acumen and best practices operations protocols. Doing so would allow for the improvement of client operations in data center and other critical systems environments. Today, under his leadership, Ascent is a turnkey critical systems infrastructure solutions provider. The company provides a broad range of expertise, uniquely spanning data center planning, engineering, construction, management, real estate development and operations outsourcing.

  Ascent Corp.

  CEO

  Phil ​Horstmann

  CEO

  Ascent Corp.

• 

  Raul Martynek

  Raul Martynek joined DataBank in June of 2017 as the Chief Executive Officer. In this role, he provides overall strategic direction of the company and its operations. Raul is a 25+ year veteran in the telecom and Internet Infrastructure sector. He most recently served as a Senior Advisor for Digital Bridge Holdings LLC. Prior to Digital Bridge, he served as Chief Executive Officer for New Jersey-based data center and managed services operator Net Access, LLC. Net Access was acquired in November 2015 by Denver-based data center operator Cologix. Prior to Net Access, he was the CEO of Voxel dot Net, Inc., a global managed hosting and cloud company, which was acquired by Internap Network Services Corp. in early 2012. Mr. Martynek also served as the Chief Restructuring Officer of Smart Telecom, a Dublin, Ireland-based fiber carrier which was acquired by Digiweb in 2009. Before that he evaluated investment opportunities in the telecommunications and Internet sector as a Senior Advisor at Plainfield Asset Management, a $4B hedge fund. Prior to Plainfield, Mr. Martynek spent 13 years with telecom and Internet provider InfoHighway Communications Corp; first as a Chief Operating Officer of Eureka Networks and then as President and Chief Executive Officer of InfoHighway. InfoHighway was acquired by Broadview Networks in 2007. Mr. Martynek earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Binghamton University and received a Master Degree in International Affairs from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs.

  DataBank

  CEO

  Raul Martynek

  CEO

  DataBank

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  Pete Marin

  ​As President and Chief Executive Officer of T5 Data Centers, Pete is responsible for setting the overall strategy of the firm, maintaining client relationships, capital management, and creating and executing the firm’s vision for growth. Pete has more than 20 years of experience in the data center sector ranging from development, securing debt and equity capital, to tenant representation including site selection and incentives. Pete’s understanding of end-user needs has enabled T5 Data Centers to reduce project cycle-time and cost, which leads to successful relationships, and repeat business. Prior to T5 Data Centers, Pete served as Executive Vice President at The Staubach Company where he started, managed, and lead the National Contact & Data Center Practice for 13 of his 14 years at the firm and was recognized on a regular basis for his many achievements. Before Staubach, Pete held various sales positions with Trammell Crow, MCI, and 3M Company. ​ ​ Pete received a B.S. in Finance from the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech.​

  T5 Data Centers

  President & CEO

  Pete Marin

  President & CEO

  T5 Data Centers

• 

  Michael Shaw

  Michael Shaw has 21 years of technology industry experience with a blend of Start-Up and Enterprise. Mr. Shaw has started three successful companies, a technology VAR and two commercial real estate firms. Most recently Mr. Shaw started Principal Real Estate Partners, a full service commercial firm highlighted by its Technology Advisory division. Projects in the past year include technology sales consulting for Contraqer & WelBeck Secure Solutions where Mr. Shaw set meetings on behalf of these companies and presented at the Pentagon to the CTO of USAF and Team resulting in projects. Additional technology projects and services launches for DuPont Fabros Technology, NationalNet Data Centers, T5 Data Centers and data center leasing on a project (55 Marietta) in downtown Atlanta, which is a 386,000sf data center. Mr. Shaw has held significant positions with Enterprise companies RHD (division of Dun & Bradstreet), TMSI, DeepNines Technologies, DuPont Fabros Technologies and T5 Data Centers along with star-ups Vanguard Cellular, Jackson, Oats, Shaw CRE, HighTech Labs and Principal CRE. Over his career, Mr. Shaw has experience in Data Center, (Wholesale & Retail), Security, Cloud, System Integrator, Compliance, Storage, Commercial Real Estate & Wireless in both the Public & Private sectors. Mr. Shaw has a B.A. in Organization Development and Personnel Management from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH.

  Principal Real Estate Partners

  Partner

  Moderator

  Michael Shaw

  Partner

  Principal Real Estate Partners

Keynote Fireside Chat

Up Close with Carter Validus

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  Michael Seton

  <br> Drawing upon his 20 years of real estate finance and investment finance experience, Michael A. Seton believes in challenging the status quo and specializes in identifying untapped potential. Mr. Seton is Co-Chief Executive Officer of Carter Validus Advisors, LLC and Carter Validus Advisors II, LLC as well as a member of both entities’ Investment Management Committees. He is responsible for all strategic and day-to-day activities of the Advisors, including acquisitions, capital market activities, asset management and operations. Mr. Seton also services as President of both public companies, Carter Validus Mission Critical REIT, Inc. and Carter Validus Mission Critical REIT II, Inc. <br><br> Prior to joining Carter Validus Advisors, LLC, Mr. Seton worked for Eurohypo AG as Managing Director and Division Head in the Originations Group, leading a team of over 20 professionals in the origination, structuring, documentation, closing and distribution of real estate financings for private developers and owners, REITs, and real estate operating companies (REOCs). Transactions included both on and off-balance sheet executions, including senior debt and financing. <br><br> Mr. Seton has been directly involved in more $30 billion in financings for real estate clients, including high profile transactions such as the recapitalization of the Chrysler Building and General Motors Building in New York, and Merchandise Mart in Chicago; construction financing for 15 Central Park West in Manhattan, several Ritz-Carlton’s throughout the United States, and several office developments in major U.S. cities. While at Eurohypo, his clients included the most respected names in the real estate industry, including Tishman Speyer Properties, Vornado Realty Trust, Boston Properties, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. <br><br> He received a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University.

  Carter Validus

  CEO

  Keynote

  Michael Seton

  CEO

  Carter Validus

• 

  David Spiewak

  In 2013, David co-founded Next Tier HD, a boutique real estate private equity firm. Next Tier HD operates an investment, development and advisory platform with a mission critical, data center focus. Mr. Spiewak spends his time on Next Tier’s Investment business and its global Data Center consulting and brokerage arm (DJS Group). NextTier HD has developed and acquired over 3,000,000 sf of data centers and mixed-use assets since its 2013 inception, and over 6,000,000 sf of assets across the United States, since its founding partners started working together in 2000. Currently Next Tier HD has ownership in assets in North Carolina, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, and Virginia and is a partner and developer of Databank’s Georgia Tech HPCC facility in Atlanta, GA. David has specialized in the Mission Critical arena since 1997 having spent his career on both the IT and real estate sides of the house. Prior to Next Tier HD, David was a Principal and Executive Vice President of a global IT consulting firm, was a partner and Senior Vice President of T-Rex Capital, where he co-headed the acquisitions and leasing activities of the company. Prior to T-Rex, Mr. Spiewak was a Vice President of Tishman Real Estate, a founder of Plymouth Partners and a broker at Grubb & Ellis.

  Next Tier HD / DJS Group

  Managing Principal

  Moderator

  David Spiewak

  Managing Principal

  Next Tier HD / DJS Group

The Future of Infrastructure in the Cloud Age

Exploring Strategies in Construction, DCIM and Design Engineering

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  Steven Dreher

  Steven Dreher leads the solutions architecture team at Green House Data, where he is responsible innovation, system and service integration, and cloud infrastructure. He has spoken at industry events including Cloud Computing Expo and AFCOM. He is the former CTO of the Wyoming state court system.

  Green House Data

  Senior Director, Solutions Architecture

  Steven Dreher

  Senior Director, Solutions Architecture

  Green House Data

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  Keith Dunnavant

  Responsible for data center product sales in the Americas 27 years of HVAC engineering and sales experience, including extensive work with custom air-handling solutions that has utilized air-to-air energy recovery, dehumidification, precision air conditioning and evaporative cooling. 17 years experience in Data Center Cooling. Previous positions include working as regional sales manager and national commercial sales manager for Munters/Des Champs Technologies and as an applications engineer for Diversified Control Systems. Hobbies include running, hiking/mountaineering, kayaking, and adventure travel.

  Munters Corporation

  VP, Sales - Americas

  Keith Dunnavant

  VP, Sales - Americas

  Munters Corporation

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  Marissa Jules

  HPC Core Manager

  University of California, San Francisco

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  David McCall

  David believes good relationships and purpose affects one's life at every moment. He has been able to realize his calling to create teams that simplify and enhance people’s interactions within the world of technology. In the industry since 1997, his career has been anything but typical leading IT and technical teams in Hyperscale, Cloud, Hybrid IT, and Colocation. In his spare time, David enjoys boardgames with friends, family time with his wife and three teenage daughters, and perfecting how to grill.

  QTS

  VP, Innovation

  David McCall

  VP, Innovation

  QTS

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  Mitch Morrow

  Mitch Morrow has over 20 years of experience in the Critical Infrastructure Environment. He is a Master Electrician and started building data centers with Holder Properties. Mitch then went into facility management for IHG’s data center in Alpharetta, GA. After many years in facility management, he transitioned into data center commissioning. While commissioning a new colocation site, Mitch was invited by the owner to come aboard and manage 3 colo facilities. Currently, Mitch uses his industry-leading experience to help consult and manage large critical infrastructure upgrades and buildouts.

  Jerry L. Johnson and Associates, Inc.

  Critical Facility Consultant

  Mitch Morrow

  Critical Facility Consultant

  Jerry L. Johnson and Associates, Inc.

• 

  Mohammad Zahid

  Global Head of IT Infrastructure

  Exide Technologies

• Moderator

  Timothy Larkin

  Solutions Architect

  NORLINX Systems, LLC

The Future of Technology

AI, Big Data, IoT, Hyperscale Computing and Beyond

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  Melvin Greer

  Melvin Greer is Chief Data Scientist, Americas, Intel Corporation. He is responsible for building Intel’s data science platform through graph analytics, machine learning and cognitive computing to accelerate transformation of data into a strategic asset for Public Sector and commercial enterprises. His systems and software engineering experience has resulted in patented inventions in Cloud Computing, Synthetic Biology and IoT Bio-sensors for edge analytics. He functions as a principal investigator in advanced research studies, including Nanotechnology, Additive Manufacturing and Gamification. He significantly advances the body of knowledge in basic research and critical, highly advanced engineering and scientific disciplines. Mr. Greer is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and U.S. National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, GUIRR. Melvin has been appointed to Senior Advisor and Fellow at the FBI IT and Data Division. Melvin is charged with acceleration of the FBI mission by supporting appropriate data collection, data analytics, discovery and visualization via advanced data science and AI techniques. Melvin is one of the 2018 LinkedIn Top 10 Voices in data science and analytics. He also received the Washington Exec inaugural Pinnacle Award as the 2018 Artificial Intelligence Executive of the Year. Melvin received the 2017 BDPA Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2012 BEYA Technologist of the Year Award which recognize his outstanding technical contributions that have had a material impact and high value to society as a whole. Melvin Greer has been appointed Fellow of the National Cybersecurity Institute where he assists government, industry, military, and academic sectors meet the challenges in cyber security policy, technology and education. Melvin is Professor, Master of Science in Data Science program at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Adjunct Faculty, Advanced Academic Program at Johns Hopkins University, where he teaches the Masters of Science course “Practical Applications of Artificial Intelligence”.

  Intel Corporation

  Chief Data Scientist, Americas

  Melvin Greer

  Chief Data Scientist, Americas

  Intel Corporation

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  Calvin Lawrence

  Calvin currently serves as IBM's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the Cognitive & Analytic Solutions division. He is a highly respected Information Technology executive who has over 25 years of experience including senior leadership roles at several Fortune 100 companies . His areas of specialty include Service Oriented and Enterprise Architecture.

  IBM

  DE & CTO, Analytics Solutions North America - Cognitive Solutions

  Calvin Lawrence

  DE & CTO, Analytics Solutions North America - Cognitive Solutions

  IBM

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  Missy Young

  Missy Young is the CIO (Chief Information Officer) at Switch. She drives the company’s solutions architecture to create a fundamental and sustainable change in the way clients ultimately design and implement intelligent data strategies. As a technologist, Missy has played an imperative role in the company’s evolution from the most innovative data center company in the world to the world’s only hyperscale retail colocation ecosystem that it is today. Since joining the company in 2005, Missy has also held roles with leadership responsibilities for all sales operations and solutions engineering with respect to potential clients and win-win contract negotiations. Her expertise in technology trends, forecasting client needs and connecting those trends with results has been a great asset to Switch and its success. Prior to becoming a partner at Switch, Missy was the Director of Sales Engineering and VoIP services for Mpower Communications. Her portfolio of experience also includes senior sales engineering positions at ICG Communications, InteleNet Data Centers, and FirstWorld Communications. She entered the industry back in the dot-com days of the mid-90s, as a network engineer through her Cisco, Microsoft, and Novell certifications. Missy serves on the FIRST ® Nevada Robotics Board, the Foundation Board of the College of Southern Nevada, the Foundation Board of Opportunity Village, the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Research Board, the Desert Research Institute Foundation Board, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges Board of Directors. Additionally, Missy is a strong advocate for the certification path of education for young students who desire to enter the technology field.

  Switch

  Chief Information Officer

  Missy Young

  Chief Information Officer

  Switch

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  Jeremy Gilbertson

  Jeremy is a 15-year veteran of the data center industry. During that time, he has led complex technology programs and advised large companies, enterprise data center providers, healthcare organizations and higher education research facilities on portfolio optimization, high-performance computing, multi-site consolidation, pre-acquisition due diligence, disaster recovery, technology adoption and total cost of ownership-based data center strategy. As the Vice President and Managing Principal of EDI, Ltd.'s Data Center Practice, Jeremy is responsible for leading a diverse, multi-discipline group of specialists through discovery, program development, and project delivery. The Atlanta native writes and publishes a weekly blog on interdisciplinary thinking and consilience called 52Musings, and he works in the development and testing of real-time creative performance collaboration technologies. Jeremy also writes and produces music for film, television, advertising, and gaming.

  EDI, Ltd.

  VP, Data Center Practice

  Moderator

  Jeremy Gilbertson

  VP, Data Center Practice

  EDI, Ltd.

Featured Case Study

Douglas County and the Future of the Southeast

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  Lindsey Bruner

  An accomplished executive, Lindsey brings together expertise in project development for both data centers and renewable energy. Lindsey led the advancement of several hundred megawatts of data center pipelines across the US and Europe, and her renewable energy development experience extends to the US, Canada and parts of South America. Prior to joining CleanArc, Lindsey served as Vice President of Project Development at CyrusOne, a leading global data center developer and operator specializing in delivering state-of-the-art digital infrastructure solutions across the globe. At CyrusOne, she led the global Project Development team and was responsible for the strategy, execution, and delivery of the company’s organic data center development projects. Prior to this role, Lindsey served as CyrusOne’s Senior Corporate Counsel of Real Estate & Construction, working alongside the company’s U.S. and global site selection and construction teams in all aspects of site selection and development. Previously, Lindsey served as Senior Attorney for the Americas division of RES Group, the world’s largest independent renewable energy company, where she represented the organization in various matters related to the development and construction of utility scale renewable energy projects. Lindsey began her career as an attorney in private practice focused on commercial and industrial real estate. Lindsey holds an AB in English from Duke University, a JD from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and an Executive MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology.

  CleanArc Data Centers

  COO

  Lindsey Bruner

  COO

  CleanArc Data Centers

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  Robert Elliott

  Rob Elliott is Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs for Switch. His organizational portfolio includes federal, state and local policy, along with leadership in issue advocacy. Strategically aligning all components of public relations, media communications and internal communications to support the company’s goals is also a critical component of Rob’s focus. Additionally, Rob leads the team at the Innevation Center, Powered by Switch, in Las Vegas, ensuring it continues to meet and grow its mission as the center of Nevada’s innovation economy. Prior to joining Switch, Rob’s distinguished career in public and private sector included executive leadership positions with the Office of the Nevada Governor, the Nevada Secretary of State’s office, the Nevada Legislature, the United States Senate, MGM Resorts International and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. A life-long Nevadan, Rob is active in the community through his work on the Nevada Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Coalition Advisory Committee, the Nevada Preservation Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign and the Animal Foundation.

  Switch

  Senior VP, Public & Government Affairs

  Robert Elliott

  Senior VP, Public & Government Affairs

  Switch

• Moderator

  Chris Pumphrey

  Executive Director

  Douglas County Economic Development Authority

Micro Data Centers and The Edge

Exploring Strategies of the Future

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  Patrick Fiel

  Patrick Fiel is SVP, Corporate Development, at EdgeConneX, the only global data center platform focused exclusively on the Edge and Hyperscale. Patrick has nearly 20 years of experience negotiating corporate development, legal, real estate investment trust (REIT) and capital markets transactions. At EdgeConneX, Patrick leads global corporate development and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), including responsibility for structuring and executing EdgeConneX’s corporate strategies and growth initiatives. Previously, Patrick was with Equinix, the world’s leading interconnection and retail colocation data center provider. He also has served as a public company general counsel/ chief legal officer, an in-house counsel to a large financial institution focusing on global corporate investment banking, and as a capital markets advisor while at a multinational law firm. Patrick graduated from the College of William & Mary (where he has taught International Business Management as an adjunct professor) and the University of Tennessee College of Law.

  EdgeConneX

  Senior VP, Corporate Development

  Patrick Fiel

  Senior VP, Corporate Development

  EdgeConneX

• 

  Edith Haney, Esq.

  Ms. Haney is a co-founder and currently serves as Executive VP and General Counsel for Fogo Data Centers. Prior to joining Fogo Data Centers, Ms. Haney was a partner in a regional law firm, Tisinger Vance, P.C., practicing for fifteen years as a commercial attorney in the areas of Estate Planning and Probate, Real Estate and General Commercial law.  Ms. Haney joined Fogo Data Centers as a start-up company, and has advised the Company through formation; facility acquisitions, construction, expansions and leases; financing and equity participations, and facility certifications and compliance, in addition to general corporate matters.  Ms. Haney is a proud alumnus of the University of West Georgia (Political Science) and holds a Juris Doctorate (cum laude) from Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University. Since her return to the West Georgia area in 1993, Ms. Haney has played an active role in our community. She is a past Chairman of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce, and served on the Board of Carroll Tomorrow and the Community Foundation of West Georgia. Ms. Haney currently serves as a Board Member for one our community’s newest non-profits, Circles of West Georgia and is an active board member and serves on the Executive Committee of our own University of West Georgia Board of Trustees. Ms. Haney is an active member of Midway Church here in West Georgia and is a charter member of the Carrollton Dawnbreakers Rotary Club. Ms. Haney is married to Richard Haney, Jr. and is mom to three teenagers, Kyle, Rachel and Rebekah.

  Fogo Data Centers

  Executive VP, General Counsel & Secretary

  Edith Haney, Esq.

  Executive VP, General Counsel & Secretary

  Fogo Data Centers

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  Michael Ortiz

  Michael bring 23 years of investment banking, commercial real estate, and digital infrastructure experience, and with it he brings a deep understanding how mission critical infrastructure is the bind which holds today’s digital economy together. Serving as Chief Executive Officer for Layer 9 Data Centers, Michael leads the organization’s growth initiatives into Latin America where Layer 9 will begin delivering in 2023 hyperscale data center solutions to cloud service providers and enterprise 1000 clients. Michael has maintained leadership roles with hyperscale data center operators, Digital Realty and DuPont Fabros Technology and previously served in Portfolio Management at Equity Office Properties through the sale of the company to Blackstone in 2007. Michael’s investment banking experience at JP Morgan and Mitsubishi Tokyo Financial Group focused on capital debt placements and distressed credit workouts. Michael recently earned his Executive Education Certifications in Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence from the University Of Oxford.

  Layer 9 Datacenters

  CEO

  Michael Ortiz

  CEO

  Layer 9 Datacenters

• 

  Kurt Stoever

  Kurt Stoever is responsible for all of DC BLOX’s product-related and marketing activities. With more 25 years of success at driving growth, optimizing operations and increasing client satisfaction, he has held senior technology and executive positions at Electronic Data Systems, Aptegrity, Globix and Quality Technology Services. Kurt is a graduate of the University of Buffalo and Lehigh University and resides in Atlanta with his wife and two children. A retired ski racer, he has traded his skis for a fishing pole and competes in local bass tournaments.

  DC BLOX, Inc.

  Chief Product & Marketing Officer

  Kurt Stoever

  Chief Product & Marketing Officer

  DC BLOX, Inc.

• Moderator

  Jim Marsh

  Key Accounts Manager, Data Center Technologies

  Munters Corporation

The Cloud Revolution

From Fiber to Cyber

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  Mark Fuqua

  Senior VP, Sales

  Green House Data

• 

  Timothy Kiser

  Timothy A. Kiser, Founder of Colo Atl, is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in 35 states. With over 25 years of engineering experience, Mr. Kiser has served as the designer and engineer on over 70 telecommunications facilities. Mr. Kiser designed and constructed the fully-built Colo Atl colocation and Meet Me Room facility in November 2001 to serve as a carrier-neutral colocation and interconnection facility. As Owner, Designer and Engineer at the Colo Atl facility, Mr. Kiser was instrumental in achieving the prestigious SSAE 16 certification, an internationally recognized third-party assurance audit designed for service organizations. Colo Atl achieved the certification after a stringent audit of its internal business processes and IT controls, including physical security, environmental security, logical security, and network security. A premier industry expert on data centers/colocation, engineering, peering, and Software Defined Networking, Mr. Kiser is a distinguished speaker. Select speaking engagements include the CEO Roundtables at Telecom Exchange (2012 and 2013), FISPA Live (Atlanta), and IMN Forums on Financing, Investing & Real Estate Development for Data Centers. Mr. Kiser also operates the Georgia Technology Center (GTC) and the Southeast Network Access Point (SNAP), both of which are located in Colo Atl’s Atlanta, Georgia facility at 55 Marietta Street. The GTC is a live lab for network equipment vendors to highlight their optical and electrical hardware and operating systems; and SNAP is a next-generation Internet Exchange (IX) supporting IPv4, IPv6, OpenFlow, and Software Defined Networking (SDN). A Georgia Institute of Technology graduate, Mr. Kiser holds a degree in Electrical Engineering, and served as an Air Force B52 bomber pilot during Operation Desert Storm. In his spare time, Mr. Kiser enjoys traveling, spending time with close friends and business associates and recreational flying.

  Colo Atl

  Founder

  Timothy Kiser

  Founder

  Colo Atl

• 

  Tony Pichetto

  Tony Pichetto is Director of Operations and Technology for Vericon, a global leader in background screening, where he is responsible for product innovation, business intelligence, and cloud solutions. Prior to joining Vericon, he co-founded K-Star, Inc., a cloud hosting provider specializing in desktop virtualization. Tony earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Southern Polytechnic State University. In his spare time, Tony enjoys coaching youth sports and serves on the Football Board for Dacula Athletic Association.

  Vericon Resources

  Director, Operations & Technology

  Tony Pichetto

  Director, Operations & Technology

  Vericon Resources

• 

  John Solensky

  John Solensky leads the solution engineering group for INAP’s east region, comprising of Boston, New York and Atlanta. Mr. Solensky is responsible for solution design pertaining to INAP’s colocation, cloud, IP and hosting products. He has 18 years of engineering and management experience in the cloud and data center industries. In some of his previous roles, Mr. Solensky worked in the financial vertical as solutions engineer with Savvis and served as director of solutions engineering at Net Access Corporation prior to its acquisition by Cologix. In addition, he has experience as a solutions architect with a leading systems integrator in the SLED and higher education space.

  Internap Corporation (INAP)

  Director, Solutions Engineering - East

  John Solensky

  Director, Solutions Engineering - East

  Internap Corporation (INAP)

• 

  Kevin Thames

  As the Director of Partner & Alliance Sales for the Eastern United States, Canada, and Latin America, Kevin manages the team that delivers a joint value proposition with our largest Alliance Partners, the hyperscaler cloud providers, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Oracle, and Google. In addition, Kevin manages the team responsible for our reseller and referral channels. Kevin delivers value at the intersection of Equinix field sales teams, and the sales teams of our alliance and reseller partner communities to codevelop go-to- market strategies that deliver results. Kevin joined Equinix in 2011 as an Enterprise Account Executive and successfully helped ten Fortune 500 Companies on their journeys to the cloud through Equinix’s unique position as the home of 60% of the global on-ramps to AWS, Microsoft, Google, IBM, Oracle, SAP, Saleforce, and 500 other clouds. Kevin has spent his entire career in the Data Center & Cloud industry working for such companies as SunGard, Savvis, QTS, Exodus Communication and the company that deployed the first node on the Internet way back in 1969, BBN Planet. Kevin earned a BS degree in Management of Technology from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA.

  Equinix

  Director, Partner & Alliances Sales - Americas East

  Kevin Thames

  Director, Partner & Alliances Sales - Americas East

  Equinix

• Moderator

  John McKoy

  Director, Strategic Accounts

  FiberLight, LLC

Financing & Investment

The Capital Stack

• 

  Jeff Burges

  Jeff Burges is the President & Founder of DataSite; a wholesale data center space and network services provider. DataSite provides mission critical data center facility environments coupled with best-in-class facility operations. The company’s data center services solve complex real estate challenges for technology intensive users in the corporate enterprise, managed services and content delivery networks industries and beyond. DataSite currently owns and operates world-class U.S. based facilities in Orlando, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; and Boise, Idaho. Mr. Burges has owned and managed over 21 million square feet of commercial real estate, valued at over $2.5 billion. These portfolios consisted of data centers, telecom hotels, bio-technology labs as well as traditional office and industrial properties throughout the United States. Through his 32 year career in commercial real estate, Mr. Burges has gained a deep understanding of the property and critical infrastructure needs of the most discriminating technology companies, while simultaneously honing his real estate skill set. This combination enables DataSite to provide its clients with broad and uniquely valuable data center solutions. In 2003, Mr. Burges founded BURGES property + company with a specific strategy to purchase empty, undervalued and misunderstood data center properties as property investments. In 2008, Mr. Burges launched DataSite as the logical next step in providing the worldwide IT community best-in-class data center space by the kilowatt. Giving back to the industry and community is very important to Mr. Burges. Thus, Mr. Burges has served as an Officer on the Board of Directors of the San Diego Chapter of NAIOP; the Commercial Real Estate Association. He is a regular speaker and mentor to students and faculty at UCSD, San Diego State University and the University of San Diego. Mr. Burges, his wife and children are avid supporters of the MARSOC Foundation (Marine Special Operations Command) at Camp Pendleton, California. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management Consulting.

  DataSite

  President & Founder

  Jeff Burges

  President & Founder

  DataSite

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  Mario Calderone

  As VP of Real Estate of ServerFarm, Mario Calderone is responsible for all aspects of the commercial real estate portfolio including acquisitions, leasing, management, financing and disposition. A seasoned real estate industry professional, Calderone has an established track record of successful value-creation across a broad range of investment assets. Prior to joining ServerFarm, Calderone founded and operated Alpine Investment Company, a private investment company that he operated for more than 15 years. During this period, he was responsible for over $500 million of successful investment or capitalization of commercial assets involving entities such as General Electric, Global Exchange, Royal Ahold, ATT Corporation, and Verizon. Calderone also spent several years as Asset Management Vice President for a regional development firm with an office and industrial portfolio totaling more than 2 million square feet. During his tenure, the company successfully built and leased over 700,000 square feet of commercial space. Calderone started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Calderone received a Master’s Degree in Corporate Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Temple University.

  ServerFarm

  VP, Real Estate

  Mario Calderone

  VP, Real Estate

  ServerFarm

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  Robert Covington

  Robert Covington is a Partner of RedBird Capital Partners, where he is responsible for RedBird’s Business & Financial Services, Communications Infrastructure and Technology related investment activity out of its Dallas office. Mr. Covington led RedBird’s investments in Lifeline Capital Management, an asset manager specializing in purchasing of whole-life insurance policies; N3, an outsourced sales and marketing company focused on cloud services; Majority Strategies, a political advertising and marketing business driving constituent influence via direct mail, mobile marketing and other forms of media; and Compass Datacenters, a leading wholesale data center developer, specializing in customized build-to-order solutions for enterprise, cloud computing and service provider customers. Mr. Covington has over 15 years of experience assisting entrepreneurs and families build their business with a specific focus in the Southern U.S. region. Prior to joining RedBird, Mr. Covington spent six years as a Managing Director of The Stephens Group, LLC, a private equity firm investing the capital of the Stephens family, one of America’s longest tenured private equity investors whose business activities began in 1933. Prior to joining The Stephens Group, Mr. Covington was a General Partner at SSM Partners, a private equity firm focused on expansion stage technology, business services and consumer services companies. Prior to SSM, Mr. Covington was the Founder and CEO of Firstdoor, now part of Infor, where he built and directed a seventy-person organization that was one of the earliest “Software as a Service” business models. Mr. Covington holds a B.S. in Natural Sciences and Mathematics from Washington and Lee University and received his MPH from Yale University.

  Redbird Capital

  Partner

  Robert Covington

  Partner

  Redbird Capital

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  Daniel English

  Daniel English is the President and Co-Founder of Legacy Investing, an investment firm focused on technology impacted real estate. Legacy has completed >$3B in transactions across 19M SF in data centers, e-commerce industrial assets, and life science buildings. Prior to co-founding Legacy Investing, Daniel was a tech start-up executive with leadership roles across M&A, corporate development, strategy, and product management. Daniel studied engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and Economics and Finance at Emory University.

  Legacy Investing

  President & Co-Founder

  Daniel English

  President & Co-Founder

  Legacy Investing

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  Jeff Ferry

  Board Member & Investor

  Elea Digital

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  Ryan Sullivan

  Ryan Sullivan is an Executive Vice President and National Data Center Group Leader with Lincoln Property Company, overseeing Data Center Investments and Capital Markets. Ryan is responsible for broadening the firm’s data center offering, by partnering with Lincoln’s national commercial and industrial platforms to identify and execute on data center opportunities across the country, including new investments, development, leasing and third-party services for institutional investors, data center operators and end users. He also partners with Lincoln’s Investment Management team to source investment capital for data center opportunities. Ryan has extensive data center investment, development and leasing experience and joins Lincoln from GI Partners, where he led the firm’s real estate development activities, as Director of Investments and Head of Development. Prior to joining GI Partners, Ryan led investment and portfolio management at Landmark Dividend’s Digital Infrastructure Division, prior to its acquisition by Digital Bridge. From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Sullivan oversaw all investment, leasing and development activities for Lincoln’s Data Center business, formerly known as Lincoln Rackhouse. With his leadership and extensive mission critical investment and development experience, he helped build a respectable national data center operating platform of 16 datacenters across 14 markets, totaling over 3 million sq. ft. and 100 MWs of data center capacity. Earlier, he served in development, leasing and portfolio management roles at Digital Realty. Over his 18+ year data center career, Ryan has managed data center and tech/life science portfolios valued at over $7.5 billion in AUM and pursued data center projects in most U.S. and many international markets.

  Lincoln Property Group

  EVP, National Head of Data Center Investments

  Ryan Sullivan

  EVP, National Head of Data Center Investments

  Lincoln Property Group

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  Dallas Whitaker

  Chief Portfolio Manager

  Carter Validus

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  Miles Loo, Jr.

  Miles Loo Jr., CRE, FRICS, joined Newmark Valuation & Advisory in 2017 in the Downtown Los Angeles office, where he serves as Vice Chairman and the Global Lead for Newmark Valuation & Advisory’s Data Centers & Life Science group. Miles is well recognized as the industry’s leading appraiser of data center properties. His experience includes advising private equity funds, institutional investors, large pension funds, Fortune 500 companies, cloud companies and Global IT conglomerates on investments in all types of data centers, including mission critical, disaster recovery data centers, colocation facilities, carrier hotels, internet gateways and life science properties. These assignments have involved data centers owned and/or operated by Fortune 500 companies across numerous industries as well as Uptime Institute Site Certified Tier III and Tier IV facilities; U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Platinum, Gold and Silver buildings; and state and federal disaster recovery data centers. Miles has led valuations of large individual and portfolio valuations spanning multiple countries across six continents (NA, EMEA, APAC, LATAM and African regions) and has consulted on a number of the world’s largest data centers.

  Newmark Valuation & Advisory

  Vice Chairman, Global Practice Leader – Data Centers

  Moderator

  Miles Loo, Jr.

  Vice Chairman, Global Practice Leader – Data Centers

  Newmark Valuation & Advisory