Delivering Data Centers Closer To The Edge

Jim Breen, CFA, joined William Blair & Company in 2010 as a communication services analyst. Previously, Mr. Breen spent 10 years as an analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners, LLC. He has been recognized several times in recent years by The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" and the Financial Times/StarMine "World's Top Analysts" listing, the former of which ranked him the No. 2 stock-picker for 2010 in Internet and computer services. Mr. Breen also worked as a high-yield fixed-income analyst at BancBoston Robertson Stephens and as a civil engineer at Modern Continental Construction Company. He holds a B.S. in civil engineering from Tufts University and an MBA from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.

Ken Kremer, Founder and Chief Operating Officer, uses a methodical and measured approach to his work that has been instrumental in the growth of Involta’s national data center footprint. As one of Involta’s co-founders, Ken’s consistent leadership in technical services and operations has enabled the company to expand its data center and managed services portfolio. Prior to Involta, Ken held leadership positions in high-tech companies focusing on operational efficiencies, innovative solution engineering and regulatory compliance issues. Ken’s career has been focused on data center operations and managed services since 1997. Ken seamlessly integrates people, processes and services to help Involta deliver on its promise of ‘People Who Deliver.”

Dawane is the Division Vice President of Voice, Wireless and Platforms for Verizon’s Partner Solutions organization. He is a 20+ year Telecommunications and IT veteran with strategy, sales, marketing and operations experience. In Dawane’s current role, he leads a Global organization responsible for product line management and sales of Voice, Mobility, Cybersecurity, Data Center Collocation and Application Services. He also drives the integration programs designed to help drive account traction of the Next Generation product portfolio offerings from Internet of Things (IoT), Machine-to-Machine (M2M), Over-the-Top (OTT), Digital Advertising and Machine Learning. Dawane’s team helps to identify emerging sales strategies, technology shifts and also develops new models to address the rapidly growing ‘as a service’ market. Dawane was a member of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cloud Carrier Working Group and Board member of the Cloud Exchange Forum. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications from James Madison University and lives in Ashburn, VA with his wife and two children.

Originally trained as an architect and civil engineering, Jim has 25 years of design and construction experience with most in the data center industry, he is one of the leaders of STO Mission Critical. Jim’s background in data centers started with some of the early edge concepts of labelled as “POP” sites, being part of a team building 60 sites across the USA for GTE and the first Genuity Data Centers. He has worked on all sides of the data center industry, from project management, design, pre-planning, construction and operations on Tier II – Tier IV, enterprise and colo data centers. Jim has seen hundreds of projects go from the idea stage to full commissioned operation.

Adam Knobloch has been involved in the commercial real estate event and media space since 2010, having held roles in sales, account management, production and coordination. He joined Bisnow Media as the Global Director of Data Centers after having led event sales and strategy efforts in the CRE space for nearly a decade. Since 2012, he has found a significant passion for the data center and technology sectors, while building an international network of active followers across numerous asset classes in the US, UK, Canada and Ireland. In his current role, Adam oversees Bisnow Media's event and sponsored media strategy for the data center sector, having expanded its Datacenter Investment Conference & Expo (DICE) Series event offerings to more than 15 markets, with an international presence in the UK and Canada. He previously held a board member role on the Telecom Exchange (TEX) Advisory Board, collaborating on content, speaker recommendations and event strategy. Additionally, he has made a point of promoting local and national organizations with a focus on STEM education and advancing the next generation into the technology sector through support, collaboration and ambassadorship. Notable organizations include the Nomad Futurist Academy, Infrastructure Masons, H5 Data Centers' STEM Fest and local chapters of both 7X24 Exchange and AFCOM. In his personal life, Adam is a musician, having toured the east coast as the drummer of The Gantry. He was a frequent member of the NYC folk/indie rock music scene and is currently the drummer for A.M. County. Adam holds a Bachelor's Degree of Business Administration from American University's Kogod School of Business, with a focus on Marketing and Public Relations.