Registration Questions

Call: 202-684-2034
Email: eventregistration@bisnow.com

Request Speaker Information

Speaker Topics

Tell us a Little More

Speakers and Panels

The Atlanta Data Center Boom: Navigating Growth in the Southeast

Chris Curtis

Chris Curtis

Global Head of Data Centers

Prologis

Asher Genoot

Asher Genoot

CEO

Hut 8

Páraic Morrissey

Páraic Morrissey

Senior Vice President

Rider Levett Bucknall

Jeff Uphues

Jeff Uphues

CEO

DC BLOX

Andre Patrick
Moderator

Andre Patrick

VP, Data Center Practice

Introba

Asher Genoot

CEO

Hut 8

Asher Genoot is CEO of Hut 8 Corp. (NASDAQ, TSX: HUT), an energy infrastructure operator and Bitcoin miner with self-mining, hosting, managed services, and traditional data center operations across North America. He is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and the 2024 North America Forbes 30 Under 30: Energy.

Prior to joining Hut 8, Asher was Co-founder and President of US Bitcoin Corp (USBTC), a venture-backed private Bitcoin mining company with a 730 MW portfolio across data centers in Texas, Nebraska, and New York. He began his career in Shanghai, China, where he founded, scaled, and exited two successful EdTech startups, the Ivy Crest Institute of International Education and Curio Education. In China, he developed a passion for building high-performing organizations and returned to the US in 2019 to apply this passion as Managing Director of Flagship Endeavors, a consumer brands incubator. In 2020, Asher co-founded USBTC, starting as Chief Operating Officer then serving as President and Director.

Asher graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California at age 19 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He is fluent in English, Hebrew, Mandarin, and Shanghainese.

Páraic Morrissey

Senior Vice President

Rider Levett Bucknall

Paraic is a Senior Vice President for Rider Levett Bucknall and overseas operations across the east coast. With 15 years of domestic and international experience Paraic has provided an array of construction consulting services to various data center clients across the North America. He focuses on diverse aspects of project management, cost management, project controls, procurement, and advisory services. Paraic has been pivotal to rolling out best practice approach to all service lines offered by Rider Levett Bucknall to deliver results for clients. Paraic’s understanding of contracts and his experience integrating control functions has helped his clients proactively identify potential issues and develop effective mitigation strategies. Paraic is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and holds a degree in Quantity Surveying from Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland.

Jeff Uphues

CEO

DC BLOX

Jeff Uphues is responsible for DC BLOX’s business strategy, mission, and goals guiding the company’s vision of designing, building and operating a network of innovative data centers that bring best-in-class business services to the Edge.

A tireless tech-savvy executive, strategist and cloud services entrepreneur, Jeff has held C-suite leadership positions in organizations ranging in size from Fortune 50 companies to start-ups including Liquid Web, Cbeyond and Bandwidth.com. He is an active board member for several privately held technology software companies and is co-chair of the New Venture Competition for the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta.

Jeff is a graduate of Harvard Business School and completed undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. He lives in Alpharetta, GA with his wife and two girls (who are known as the Three Texas Chix) where he serves as the president of the Jr. Raiders Girls Lacrosse Board.

Andre Patrick

Moderator

Introba

Patrick with over 31 years of domestic and international Data Center experience. He has held key leadership positions orchestrating complex Information Technology solution builds. His passion is delivering application and infrastructure transformations yielding operational efficiencies and cost recuperation. Patrick has been accountable for program development and execution budgets of $17M - $1.45T. His leadership directed matrixed staff, consultants, architects, and multiple EPC contractors. These programs encompassed infrastructure and construction management delivery of $3.4B in data center green and brown field initiatives. Under his leadership high-performing multi-disciplined engineering teams delivered design build and mission critical transformations beyond 4.2GW+ in capacity across the U.S. and EU. These programs aligned engineering teams with strategic technology roadmaps to meet enterprise, colo and hyperscale market needs. Prior to Introba, Patrick has significant experience as business owner, consultant, and contractor delivering mission critical facilities. He has held Data Center leadership positions as Director of Engineering, VP Program Director, VP Director, Enterprise Principal Architect, VP Infrastructure Services, Senior Officer Operations. His experience and client delivery include Airlines, Automotive, Banking, Defense, Financial Services, Enterprise Technology Sector, Education, Energy/Utilities, Health Care, Insurance, Manufacturing, Social media and Retail.

More Compute With Greater Efficiency: How to Optimize Operations and Maintain Cooling Requirements as Density Increases?

Steve Altizer

Steve Altizer

President & CEO

Compu Dynamics

Charles Casey

Charles Casey

Account Executive

Johnson Controls

Marcus Hassen

Marcus Hassen

VP, Mission Critical Operations & Group Manager

Truist

Nabeel Mahmood

Nabeel Mahmood

Co-Founder

Nomad Futurist Foundation

Howard Smith

Howard Smith

Regional Data Center Lead

Belimo

Christopher Lee

Christopher Lee

Chief Research Officer

Ucensys

Aditi Verma
Moderator

Aditi Verma

Director of Global Solutions Engineering

Kelvion

Steve Altizer

President & CEO

Compu Dynamics

With nearly four decades of experience building some of the world’s most sophisticated

government and commercial facilities, Steve brings our clients the leadership, commitment, and unparalleled expertise needed to deliver successful outcomes on complex highly engineered projects.

Steve’s obsession with advanced technology, his real-world construction experience and his

passion for highly responsive customer service provide the foundation for the Compu Dynamics service promise.

In 2002, Steve founded the Andrew Browning Group (now Compu Dynamics). Prior to that, he served as a senior executive with several nationally ranked general and mechanical contractors. His work led him across the United States and overseas.

Throughout his career, Steve has been a student of and thought leader in, the technology and science behind today’s modern building environments. This interest has naturally led to an affinity for clients whose requirements drive them toward facilities that are smart, clean, safe, reliable, and secure. His focus for the last 23 years has been exclusively on data centers ranging in size from 20 kW to over 100 MW.

Steve earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters of Business

Administration, both from the University of Virginia.

For fun, Steve enjoys tennis and pickleball. When he is not competing in business, he may be found sweating it out on a racquet court!

Nabeel Mahmood

Co-Founder

Nomad Futurist Foundation

Nabeel Mahmood is a Technologist, Futurist and a Keynote Speaker. His career is driven by one question – what’s next? He is passionate about the power of technology to deliver competitive and transformational change and the need to develop digital leadership that will create the enterprise of the future. He believes strongly in simplification, with a purpose. Nabeel brings 18 plus years of experience leading large-scale global technology organizations through seasons of explosive growth via M&A, global expansion, implementing new business models and technology innovation. His expertise includes leading organizations through transformation changes, connecting IT to the needs of the business, technology innovation, Big Data, Cloud, ERP, IoT, Mobility and Data Centers. He brings a unique blend of experiences spanning the entire breadth of technology from Grid to Chip. At, heart he’s a true technologist and futurist, he is a proven strategist, winsome communicator and leader with extraordinary vision and operational expertise within very large, complex organizations. Nabeel is a strategic CIO identifying opportunities that are being underpinned by emerging technologies. He serves on multiple boards and is an advisor to CIOs and CEO across a number of industries.

Howard Smith

Regional Data Center Lead

Belimo

Howard Smith serves as the Lead Business Development Manager for the Belimo Americas Data Center Team. In this role, he is dedicated to understanding the rapidly evolving cooling needs of the industry and developing forward-thinking solutions to meet these demands, whether air-cooled or liquid-cooled. Howard supports data center owners, operators, and strategic partners through application assistance, custom solutions, and comprehensive training programs. He has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University, and an MBA from Shippensburg University.

Christopher Lee

Chief Research Officer

Ucensys

Christopher’s research and application focus is on the human brain, cognition, perception, and

learning. He is and has been working on designing, building, and modernizing web scale

physical and network IT infrastructure to support Machine Learning (ML) workloads (e.g.

training and inference).

Christopher is interested in the coordinated use of emerging capabilities in Artificial

Intelligence, Data Science, Advanced Analytics, and Data Center/Cloud Infrastructures for

creating and delivering technology designed to and transform the ever- increasing volume and

types of data into valuable insight, knowledge, and services available to businesses,

governments, and institutions and to the millions of people all over the globe for improving

business, social, and quality of life outcomes.

Christopher is currently involved in the development of data structures and working with

foundational datasets for use in large scale foundational models which are pre-trained to

handle a wide variety of tasks, and large language models focused on natural language

processing tasks. He is currently leading a data center design and development project

specifically tailored to provide critical IT infrastructure for improving the performance of ML in

real-life applications such as language processing, image classification, speech recognition, and

recommendation.

Christopher has established an applied research, development, and delivery methodology and

collaborates alongside cross-functional teams product managers, subject matter experts,

engineers, data scientist, designers, and developers. He is currently leading four (4) near-term

projects across 8 different industry sectors including Financial Services, Retail, Global Sports,

Healthcare, Food & Nutrition, Supply Chain, Agriculture, and Beauty & Personal Care.

Christopher is a certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and an active member of the Institute of

Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Within IEEE Lee holds additional memberships in the

Computational Intelligence Society, Computer Society, Information Theory Society, and the

Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society. Other participation areas within IEEE include the Big

Data, Cloud Computing, and the Smarter Cities Technical Communities. He always remains

interested in engaging and collaborating with the Global community.

Aditi Verma

Moderator

Kelvion

Aditi Verma is a distinguished engineering leader with extensive expertise in process engineering, thermal management, and data center cooling technologies. As Director of Global Solutions Engineering at Kelvion, she leads the development and deployment of innovative heat transfer solutions for Hyperscale, Co-location, and Edge Computing Data Centers. Aditi oversees global strategies for plate heat exchanger (PHE) applications, ensuring optimal design and compliance with industry standards such as ASME, UL, and PED.

Throughout her career, Aditi has been at the helm of multimillion-dollar projects, excelling in technical innovation, global account development, and cross-functional collaboration. She has spearheaded initiatives to design and commercialize cutting-edge thermal technologies, aligning engineering advancements with customer needs and market demands. Her work has significantly contributed to Kelvion’s success in the HVACR and data center industries, enabling the company to exceed revenue

targets and establish a leadership position in these sectors.

Aditi holds a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University at Buffalo, where her award-winning research on oil spill dynamics earned recognition for its innovative computational modeling approach.

A prolific contributor to the field, Aditi has co-authored peer-reviewed publications on advanced manufacturing and thermal technologies. Her technical proficiency spans tools such as CFD modeling, Python, and MATLAB, and she remains a sought-after expert in the engineering community. In her spare time, Aditi enjoys hiking, exploring new cafes, and creating lush green indoor spaces.

Building for the AI Revolution: Adapting Data Center Design and Delivery for Mega Campuses

Kurt Lindorfer

Kurt Lindorfer

Founding Principal

PARADIGM Structural Engineers

Brian Marcuzzo

Brian Marcuzzo

Senior TPM, Network Deployment

Google

Joseph McLeod

Joseph McLeod

Design Manager, Eastern Region

Digital Realty Trust

Jake Ring

Jake Ring

CEO & Co-Founder

PDM - Power and Data Management

Robbie Sovie

Robbie Sovie

EVP, Construction & Development

T5 Data Centers

Matt Torma

Matt Torma

Director, Mission Critical

XYZ Reality

Jennifer Toeppner
Moderator

Jennifer Toeppner

Data Center Lead, Sales & Business Development

Metromont

Kurt Lindorfer

Founding Principal

PARADIGM Structural Engineers

Kurt’s professional engineering career spans over 40 years. His expertise includes structural engineering design for Mission Critical Facilities such as Data Centers, Health Care Facilities such as Hospitals and Clinics and Life Sciences Facilities such as Biopharmaceutical Pilot Plants and Production Facilities around the United States and the World. His area of expertise is in designing buildings to be occupable after natural disasters including Tornados, Hurricanes and Earthquakes. He has been the structural engineer of record for conventional “fixed Base Buildings” ranging from 1-23 stories, “Base Isolated Buildings” ranging from 1-5 stories, and the retrofit and new construction of buildings incorporating Fluid Viscous Dampers ranging from 1-22 stories. He has published numerous papers on passive energy dissipation and presented the findings at various conventions in Boston, San Francisco and Milan.

For over 23 years as the Founding Principal at PARADIGM Structural Engineers, Kurt spends most of his time developing new leaders at PARADIGM and mentoring staff in Chicago and San Francisco.

Joseph McLeod

Design Manager, Eastern Region

Digital Realty Trust

With 17 years of industry experience, Joseph provides strategic guidance in all stages of data center design at Digital Realty. He is passionate about creating data centers that meet the design demands of current customer needs, but also are “future-proofed” to meet demands that are not yet on data center owners. Prior to his time at DLR, he spent 5 years at Cyxtera providing engineering guidance to the operations staff in the New Jersey/New York region. He began his career at Covalent Consulting and worked a Morrison Hershfield as a design consultant before moving to an end user. Joseph earned his BS in engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2007.

Jake Ring

CEO & Co-Founder

PDM - Power and Data Management

Jake is the Co-Founder of Power and Data Management, LLC (PDM), a development firm that advises clients in building massively modular mission critical projects, and supplies electrical infrastructure including transformers, switchgear, containerized data centers and Battery Energy Storage Systems. PDM’s modular designs support flexible power densities to power standard and HPC systems yet delivers high operating efficiency. He is also the Founder of DC BLOX and Co-Founder of GIGA Data Centers, providers of multi-tenant colocation data centers and network services.

Prior to these ventures, he was Chief Marketing Officer for GE Energy Management ($8B revenue) where he led the development of global strategy and commercialization initiatives, and guided the development of markets and new technology areas such as creating GE’s Critical Power business. In GE Critical Power, he led the business to engage hyperscale-cloud companies with a complete portfolio of electrical equipment, including UPS, switchgear, and containerized critical power systems with automated controls.

Previously, he spent over nine years managing portfolio companies for private equity investors of electrical & electronic manufacturing businesses including Milestek, Pasternack Enterprises, and Magnequench, and saw them successfully brought to sale. He has also held executive leadership roles with Emerson Electric, in which he led Product Management for the Emerson Network Power division (now Vertiv).

Jake received a Bachelor degree in Math and Computer Science from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis. He lives in Atlanta, GA.

Robbie Sovie

EVP, Construction & Development

T5 Data Centers

As EVP of Construction and Development, Robbie is the leader of T5’s Construction Services division, where he sets the overall vision and business strategy. He holds the general contractors license and/or business license for construction activity across the organization. Robbie holds a degree in Construction Management from Western Carolina University.

Matt Torma

Director, Mission Critical

XYZ Reality

Matt Torma is the Mission Critical Director at XYZ Reality, a pioneering developer of cutting-

edge construction technology solutions that provide owners and contractors with

accurate, data-driven tools to manage and deliver projects. With 20 years of experience in

the construction tech industry, Matt specializes in driving collaboration across the entire

project lifecycle and mitigating risks through real-time project controls. His expertise

ensures seamless, efficient construction processes, helping teams stay on track, reduce

costs, and achieve exceptional outcomes in mission-critical projects.

The Data Center Location Equation: Power, Connectivity and Site Selection

Jan Buijk

Jan Buijk

Director

AB Energy USA

Patton Lochridge

Patton Lochridge

Chief Commercial Officer

BIG Fiber

Jason Long

Jason Long

Data Center Team

VoltaGrid

David McCall

David McCall

Brand Evangelist

QTS Data Centers

Luke Saladyga

Luke Saladyga

Senior Principal Data Center Engineer

Oracle

Michael Collins
Moderator

Michael Collins

Manager, North America

INNIO Jenbacher

Jan Buijk

Director

AB Energy USA

Jan Buijk is a Sales Director for AB Energy, an organization that is specialized in

providing energy solutions with best-in-class gas engine technology for On-Site Power,

CHP, biogas and other gaseous fuelled power generation applications, as well as

Renewable Natural Gas systems.

Over the past 30+ years Jan has had engineering, project management and direct sales

and marketing responsibilities for dozens of CHP, and other distributed generation

projects currently in operation across North America.

Jan received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utrecht in The

Netherlands, where he also wrote a thesis on the use of landfill gas for power generation

applications.

Patton Lochridge

Chief Commercial Officer

BIG Fiber

As Bandwidth IG’s Chief Commercial Officer, Patton Lochridge is responsible for driving revenue and setting the company’s strategic marketing direction. He prioritizes putting the needs of BIG’s customers first to create custom solutions that will strengthen their ability to access mission-critical dark fiber routes that enable their businesses to operate. Lochridge’s lengthy experience in the communications infrastructure industry is instrumental as the company expands its low-latency dark fiber networks in the key data center markets of the San Francisco Bay Area, Greater Atlanta and Greater Portland.

Lochridge comes to BIG from Zayo, where held several senior leadership roles managing Large Enterprise, Hyperscale, Wireless and Public Sector verticals. While there, he also served as Zayo’s Vice President of Fiber Solutions for the Mid Atlantic and East Regions and held positions in marketing and corporate development. Lochridge also brings experience from the utilities and renewable energy industries. Lochridge earned his MBA from University of Colorado Leeds School of Business. He resides in Colorado. When he’s not serving BIG’s customers, he enjoys spending time with his three children and exploring the state’s great outdoors.

Jason Long

Data Center Team

VoltaGrid

Jason has been a critical player in the data center industry since 2007, specializing in wholesale and retail sales transactions. He joined VoltaGrid in 2023 to expand its data center business, recognizing the evolving challenges in the sector. Jason brings a deep well of industry expertise, enabling VoltaGrid to navigate the complexities of powering data centers and delivering tailored behind-the-meter solutions for both temporary and long-term energy needs.

David McCall

Brand Evangelist

QTS Data Centers

David is an experienced public speaker and data center evangelist with over 25 years in

the IT/Data Center industry. He has held a variety of roles, from leading national product

and solution engineering teams to hosting the QTS Experience podcast.

David is passionate about using technology and data for the greater good. He believes

that data centers can help humanity prosper, nurture our planet, and safeguard a future

for upcoming generations. He is committed to fostering a community that brings

together a diverse range of users, thinkers, and implementers of technology for

enriching conversations, shared laughter, and immersive experiences into the inner

workings of our digitally connected world.

David is a visionary who is eager to leverage the far-reaching implications of our

interconnected digital lives. He is a respected industry professional known for his

Michael Collins

Moderator

INNIO Jenbacher

Mike has been a forward-thinking leader in the energy space for over 28 years covering many facets of energy solutions from power generation / CHP, electric and natural gas infrastructure, load response, energy efficiency, and LNG / CNG / RNG solutions. Experience navigating large and small utilities, developers, multinational corporations, military branches, universities, large and small companies creating innovative solutions to meet each project’s specific target and requirements. Mike is responsible for growing Jenbacher North America’s Hydrogen and Natural Gas Generator Market.

Data Center Financing And Capital Markets: How Cost Of Capital And Industry Demand Is Changing The Game

Daniel English

Daniel English

Managing Partner

Legacy Investing

Karlton Holston

Karlton Holston

EVP, Digital Infrastructure

Landmark Dividend

Ryan Hughes

Ryan Hughes

Managing Partner

Sailfish Investors

Geneviève Maltais-Boisvert

Geneviève Maltais-Boisvert

Managing Director, Investment Management

DigitalBridge

Adam Krupp

Adam Krupp

Managing Director

Wharton Equity Partners

Danielle Sievers
Moderator

Danielle Sievers

Business Development Specialist

BGIS

Daniel English

Managing Partner

Legacy Investing

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.

Ryan Hughes

Managing Partner

Sailfish Investors

Ryan Hughes is the founder and managing partner of Sailfish Investors, a hyperscaler-focused data center developer with projects planned in Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, Council Bluffs and the Carolinas. Prior to founding Sailfish in 2023, Ryan was the Florida market leader at HighBrook Investors, a West Palm Beach-based real estate private equity firm. Before HighBrook, Ryan began his real estate career as an investment sales and office leasing broker at Massey Knakal and Cushman & Wakefield in New York City. Ryan is a graduate of Colgate University where he majored in economics. A proud member of the NYC-to-Florida exodus during the pandemic, Ryan lives in Palm Beach Gardens, FL with his wife and two children.

Geneviève Maltais-Boisvert

Managing Director, Investment Management

DigitalBridge

Geneviève Maltais-Boisvert is a Managing Director at DigitalBridge Investment Management, bringing nearly two decades of expertise in global infrastructure funds direct investing, and corporate finance. With extensive experience across the digital infrastructure and renewable energy sectors, Ms. Maltais-Boisvert plays a key role in driving DigitalBridge’s investment strategy. She is responsible for the identification, evaluation, execution, and management of strategic investments, ensuring value creation and long-term growth.

Prior to joining DigitalBridge, Ms. Maltais-Boisvert served as Director of Infrastructure Investments at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments).

Earlier in her career, Ms. Maltais-Boisvert served as Lead Climate Change and Sustainability Advisor at QGC in Australia, she also worked in London at Greencoat Capital, a private equity fund focused on renewable energy. Ms. Maltais-Boisvert started her career in investment banking and M&A at Scotiabank in Montréal.

Adam Krupp

Managing Director

Wharton Equity Partners

Mr. Krupp is responsible for capital formation, strategic joint venture partnerships, and spearheads Wharton Digital Ventures’ Data Center platform. During his over 35-year career, Mr. Krupp has been involved in all facets of real estate, including acquisition, development, construction, leasing, asset management, and capital raising. Working both entrepreneurially and with well-established firms including Waterton Residential, CS Technology, Grubb & Ellis, and The Glick Organization he has been involved with the acquisition and development of over $3 billion worth of properties across a broad array of asset classes.

As pertains to WDV’s Data Center vertical, Mr. Krupp brings 15 years of experience in the siting, design and construction of high reliability and sustainable mission critical data centers for some of the world’s largest financial services and technology companies including Bank of America, AIG, Digital Realty Trust and CRG West (the predecessor of CoreSite). He has been instrumental in the firm’s acquisition and development of both utility power and “behind the meter” data center projects ranging from 80MW to 1.3GW.

Mr. Krupp received his Master of Science in Real Estate Development & Investment degree from New York University’s Shack Real Estate Institute, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Danielle Sievers

Moderator

BGIS

Danielle Sievers is a seasoned business development specialist focused on customer success and satisfaction. Currently at BGIS, she specialized in identifying lucrative opportunities, managing accounts, and executing innovative business development strategies. With a passion for improving relationships and processes, Danielle is committed to finding best-fit solutions in critical environments.

Lunch N' Learn Roundtable Discussion: From Blueprint to Build

Altaf Bora

Altaf Bora

Managing Partner

Arcturus Consulting Group

Andrew Jimenez

Andrew Jimenez

Sr. Director, Data Center Solutions

Wesco

John Lineweaver

John Lineweaver

Regional Security Manager

Meta

Amy Dunton
Moderator

Amy Dunton

Business Development for Tier II, III and Edge

Ameristar Perimeter Security USA

Altaf Bora

Managing Partner

Arcturus Consulting Group

I grew up learning to navigate without technology, no cell phones, no GPS, just a map, the stars, and survival instincts. As a Boy Scout spending weeks in the wilderness, I became fascinated with how humans thrive when nature and ingenuity work together. Throughout my childhood I also traveled to 45+ countries where I saw old-world engineering aqueducts, natural cooling systems, architecture designed with the environment. That sparked a belief that guides me today: the future is won by combining timeless wisdom with breakthrough technology. I enlisted in the Marines because I wanted to serve. I became an officer because I wanted to lead. From combat deployments to joint cyber and SOF operations, I learned to solve problems with limited resources, build teams that trust each other, and move fast when the mission demands it. In the private sector, I continued building at speed. I’ve led high-stakes global operations for hyperscalers and defense customers integrating autonomy, AI, and UAS to protect people, assets, and national advantage. I develop programs that scale quickly, reduce risk, and increase operational performance. My mission is simple: Win the Future.That means accelerating technologies that keep people safer, systems smarter, and national security ahead of the threat. It means building solutions that reduce conflict, expand opportunity, and strengthen the world we leave behind. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Andrew Jimenez

Sr. Director, Data Center Solutions

Wesco

Andrew Jimenez has over 30 years of experience in telecommunications testing and product

certification. He has held various engineering and management positions at test laboratories specializing

in the certification of network communications systems and components. Currently, he leads technical

sales at Wesco Data Center Solutions.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois-Chicago and a

Master of Engineering Management from Northwestern University. He also holds multiple patents

related to balanced twisted-pair cabling technology. Additionally, Andrew is an active voting member of

the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) TR-42 cabling committee, the Institute of Electrical

and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 LAN/MAN committee, and the Canadian Standards Association

(CSA) ICT Building Codes standards committee. He is also a Cisco CCNA with Wireless Specialization.

He has delivered numerous technical presentations at trade shows and symposiums and was the

recipient of the 2015 BICSI Harry J. Pfister Award for Excellence in the Telecommunications Industry.

John Lineweaver

Regional Security Manager

Meta

John Lineweaver is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader with over 25 years of experience in the security and physical infrastructure domain. His extensive experience encompasses various facets of the industry including global governance, facilities management, vendor management and regulatory compliance.

In his current role as the Regional Security Manager for Metas Data Centers in the Eastern Region of the United States. John is responsible for all physical security matters across his region and serves as the Data center team’s technology liaison for Metas, the Global Security and Technology team. John is specifically focused on leveraging technology, process improvement and leveraging the companies’ systems to ensure we leverage technology with people.

Johns served in the United States Marines Embassy Guard Battalion and in the Military Police auxiliary prior to establishing his career in the security industry. John has worked in Class A commercial Highrise, Hospitality, manufacturing, critical infrastructure protection and now the technology sector.

Johns’ specialties include the design and implementation of physical security systems and technology, project management, technical security countermeasures and the performance of the contract guard force.

Amy Dunton

Moderator

Ameristar Perimeter Security USA

Amy Dunton is a business development professional with a focus on developing business

relationships and strategies with her customers, partners and industry peers. Serving as

the foundation of her consultative wholistic approach, Amy’s over 25 years of experience

in physical and network security, structured cabling, power/cooling, connectivity,

network, storage, and compute brings a well-rounded and unique perspective to the

critical infrastructure industry.  Her roles have included working for distribution,

manufacturing, manufacturing representatives, and a leading Enterprise IT Solutions

provider.  Her expansive network and understanding of IT infrastructure, Facilities and

Data Centers has fuelled a passion for creating an environment with more collaboration

as IT Infrastructure and technology trends can greatly impact how we design, build and

secure our data centers and critical infrastructure.

Amy currently serves on the board of the AFCOM Greater MN Chapter and the 7x24

Exchange MN Chapter. She is serving as the Co-Chair for the SIA Perimeter Security

AI In The Data Center: Impacts on Cooling and Power Design

John Dumler

John Dumler

SVP, Data Center Design & Engineering

DC BLOX

Christopher McLean

Christopher McLean

Principal

Critical Facilities Group

Tracy Vargo

Tracy Vargo

Partner

Stonebridge & V Squared Workshop

Geoff Pettit
Moderator

Geoff Pettit

Chief Strategy Officer

Critical Components, Inc

John Dumler

SVP, Data Center Design & Engineering

DC BLOX

John is responsible for the design and engineering of DC BLOX data centers and for the oversight of their commissioning and sustainability.

Prior to joining DC BLOX, Dumler served as the Director of Energy and Engineering for Digital Realty, where he led both strategic and tactical initiatives including operational energy efficiency and engineering effectiveness across a global portfolio of over 200 data centers. John has also made significant contributions in data center engineering at INAP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

John holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University and is a licensed Professional Engineer. A transplant from New England, he now lives in Atlanta with his wife and two tween daughters. When not working, John can be found shuttling his girls to Lacrosse, thinking about playing golf, or driving to Home Depot to purchase another tool he really doesn’t need for a home project he should have hired a professional to do.

Christopher McLean

Principal

Critical Facilities Group

Christopher McLean specializes in the complete life cycle of mission-critical facilities, with a focus on modular construction, design, commissioning, and maintenance of data centers and facilities requiring highly available infrastructure. Evolving from desktop support and hardware specification, to consulting engineering, to capital project management, Chris has experience in all phases of data center development and operation. He is a regular presenter at technical conferences and contributor to industry publications.

Tracy Vargo

Partner

Stonebridge & V Squared Workshop

Tracy Vargo is a principal at VSW, an architecture firm that specializes in mission critical, life science, and complex government facilities. VSW has been designing data centers since 1995 and excels at unifying MEP-intensive designs with site, zoning, and community constraints. Tracy’s main focus within the firm is making sure that all designs extract the maximum value within a contextually appropriate package. Tracy is adept at following trends in both electric topology and cooling methods and uses this knowledge to make sure all designs contain flexibility for future needs. In addition to his activities at VSW, Tracy is also a partner at Stonebridge, a Washington based development company that focuses on high-profile urban place-making projects. Tracy studied both architecture and real estate at Penn State and then received an MBA in finance from the University of Maryland.

Opening Remarks

Adeel Usman

Adeel Usman

VP

Power and Data Management

Adeel Usman

VP

Power and Data Management

Adeel Usman, VP of Sales at PDM (Power and Data Management), is a customer-centric sales executive committed to providing critical power equipment with the urgency needed in this dynamic global energy environment. Previously, he worked at LG Corp and Unify Energy Solutions as an account executive where he leveraged strategic thinking and technical knowledge to build strong client relationships. Adeel is skilled in negotiations among diverse suppliers, internal departments, and executive stakeholders to achieve optimal procurement outcomes. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and literature from Purchase College, SUNY.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN AT THIS DATA CENTER CONFERENCE

What You'll Learn and Key Questions Asked:

  • Atlanta's data center pipeline reached another record high during 2024 - will the region continue growing into 2025?

  • How does Atlanta compare to the other southeastern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee)?

  • With large lease signings taking up more absorption, will Atlanta start to face challenges similar to those in Northern Virginia?

  • What is Atlanta's land and power availability compared to other Southeast markets and the rest of the country?

  • How are design, construction, and development trends changing given the mass adoption of AI? What does the massive pipeline mean for the market?

  • How are operators rethinking power utilization and cooling given the increasing rack densities?

  • How has the advanced of AI and speed in adoption impacted various stakeholders? What are we seeing play out today?

How You'll Do More Business From Attending This Conference:

Dive into the trends driving interest in the Atlanta and Southeast market, learn where the opportunities are, and how to leverage them to be well-positioned to make the best business decisions and grow your network. 

Who You’ll Network With:

Owners, providers, brokers, contractors, director of operations, director of operations, CIOs, investors, engineers, lawyers, CEOs, vice president of design and construction 

Relevant News and Developments:

Are you an end user*?

Click here to be considered for a complimentary pass. *Hyperscaler, colocation provider (non-sales), investor, private equity, or enterprise tenant.

Why You Should Attend:

To learn how the Southeast markets are evolving to meet today's end-user, colocation and hyperscale data center requirements. 

For questions or interests in becoming a speaker or sponsor, please email our global director, data centers, Adam Knobloch at adam.knobloch@bisnow.com

To request disability-related accommodations, please contact ally.araco@bisnow.com no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Venue

Crowne Plaza Atlanta Midtown
590 West Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30308

Ballroom: Atlanta Ballroom

Nearby Hotels:
Element Atlanta Midtown
640-2 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 (.03 miles away)

Courtyard Marriott Midtown
640-1 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 (.03 miles away)

W Atlanta – Downtown
45 Ivan Allen Jr Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA 30308 (0.9 miles away)


Get Directions

Agenda

Time Activity
2:00 PM
2:55 PM
Registration and Networking
2:55 PM
3:00 PM
Opening Remarks: Welcome to DICE Southeast 2025!!
3:00 PM
3:45 PM
The Atlanta Data Center Boom: Navigating Growth in the Southeast

The Atlanta data center market continues to see significant absorption of data center capacity, reaching another record high in 2024. There is now more space under construction than online. Developers continue to expand their footprint in the region due to competitive power costs, available land and fiber connectivity. What are the challenges associated with this rapid growth and how are operators navigating them? What is the long term outlook considering the evolving regulatory landscape?

3:45 PM
4:00 PM
Netorking Break
4:00 PM
4:45 PM
Building for the AI Revolution: Adapting Data Center Design and Delivery for Mega Campuses

With developers trying to keep up with demand, while also trying to circumnavigate land constraints, supply chain delays and sustainability practices, the build phase is looking different than it used to pre-pandemic. How are aspects of design, engineering and construction changing given the demand and size we are seeing today? How are developers adapting to the changing landscape and the speed to which data center capacity is needed?

4:45 PM
5:25 PM
Data Center Financing And Capital Markets: How Cost Of Capital And Industry Demand Is Changing The Game

As the industry continues to experience record demand and the declining cost of capital, 2025 will look different than the past years. What can we expect to see on the financing, investment and deal-making side in the short-term future? How are investors looking to assess the industry compared to other asset classes?

5:25 PM
6:45 PM
Networking Lunch
5:50 PM
6:20 PM
Lunch N' Learn Roundtable Discussion: From Blueprint to Build

Designing Cost-Effective, Sustainable Data Center Security When it comes to bringing data centers online and keeping them secure, physical security is a big component. If proper security practices are not in place, a project could be put behind millions of dollars and have significant time delays. These are risks that can't be taken. Hear from security experts on best practices and what teams should be doing to ensure vulnerabilities are reduced on the development site and after asset delivery.

6:45 PM
7:20 PM
AI In The Data Center: Impacts on Cooling and Power Design

AI is disrupting the legacy approach of datacenter site selection, design, and construction. Available power has become a key site selection criterion. The electrical load profile of GPUs presents a tremendous new challenge for UPS OEMs. GPUs and high density compute are driving rack densities to several hundred kW per rack with the mechanical cooling systems becoming increasingly critical to protect. Things are heating up in the datacenter. Hear from designers and operators on what they are doing to mitigate these new challenges and if indeed it’s time for the market to accept modern Dynamic UPS.

7:20 PM
8:00 PM
More Compute With Greater Efficiency: How to Optimize Operations and Maintain Cooling Requirements as Density Increases?

Given the adoption of advanced AI apps and its supporting IT infrastructure, increasing rack density and the requirements to cool it are becoming increasingly complex. How is power and cooling technologies changing within the data center? How are operators optimizing their current infrastructure and designs to further enhance cooling, energy usage and power densities? What is working and what is not?

8:00 PM
8:40 PM
The Data Center Location Equation: Power, Connectivity and Site Selection

Power, connectivity and community are some of the key factors that determine the location of data centers. As access to power becomes more challenging and community pushback heightens, how are developers assessing where to build next? How is the site selection process changing and what are solutions to limited power availability?

8:40 PM
9:45 PM
DICE Southeast 2025 Post-Event Cocktail Reception!!

Help us wrap up a valuable and informative day at our DICE Southeast 2025 Post-Event Cocktail Reception in partnership with Compu Dynamics and DECI Limited!!

8:40 PM
9:45 PM
DICE Southeast 2025 Post-Event Cocktail Reception!!

Help us wrap up a valuable and informative day at our DICE Southeast 2025 Post-Event Cocktail Reception in partnership with Compu Dynamics and DECI Limited!!

Platinum Sponsors

Media Partners

Impact Partner

WANT THE ATTENDEE LIST FOR FREE?

Biscred's sales and marketing commercial real estate prospecting tool allows users to identify companies and contacts based on industry, asset class experience, job seniority, location, and more CRE-specific indicators. Schedule a demo with Biscred here and receive the attendee list for free when you mention this promotion.

Unlock Your Career Potential with SelectLeaders

Looking for the next step in your career or aiming to discover top talent? SelectLeaders is your destination! Whether you're seeking your next role or searching for exceptional talent, SelectLeaders connects ambitious professionals with industry-leading employers. Choose SelectLeaders to elevate your career search or talent acquisition.