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Speakers and Panels

Nancy Novak

Nancy Novak

Chief Innovation Officer

Compass Datacenters

Adam Knobloch
Emcee

Adam Knobloch

VP & Head of Data Centers

Bisnow

Tim Gainey
Moderator

Tim Gainey

Director, Commercial Applications

Tindall Corporation

Ryan McGuire

Ryan McGuire

Executive VP & Shareholder

Clayco

Keith Dines

Keith Dines

Senior Leader, DC Site Selection & Construction Mgmt.

Nvidia

Phill Lawson-Shanks

Phill Lawson-Shanks

Chief Innovation Officer

Aligned Data Centers

Robbie Sovie

Robbie Sovie

EVP, Construction & Development

T5 Data Centers

Nancy Novak

Chief Innovation Officer

Compass Datacenters

With more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, Nancy Novak brings

extensive expertise in oversight and responsibility for Profit and Loss. In her current role as

Chief Innovation Officer for Compass Datacenters, her focus is cutting-edge technology, lean

practices, and innovative culture through the diversity of thought to add value, improve return on

investment, and disrupt the construction industry. Nancy serves on the Executive Board of

Directors for NIBS, the Board of Directors for the World Trade Center Institute, and the Board of

Directors for Weston Solutions, a global environmental firm. She is heavily involved in

organizations that lead the way for technological advancement in the construction industry, and

she is an advocate for women’s leadership. Nancy is also an Executive Sponsor for the Digital

Divide on the iMasons Advisory Board. She is also the host of the “Extending the Ladder”

podcast, which features Nancy’s dynamic conversations with prominent women in the

technology industry – a forum where these accomplished women offer insights, advice, and

inspiration that listeners can apply to their own professional lives.

Adam Knobloch

Emcee

Bisnow

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.

Ryan McGuire

Executive VP & Shareholder

Clayco

As Executive Vice President and Shareholder, Ryan leads the Corporate & Mission

Critical Business Unit for Clayco, a national fully integrated real estate, architecture,

design-build and construction firm with more than 2,400 employees and revenues

exceeding $3.2B in 2019. Under Ryan’s leadership, Clayco has become a Top-4 Office

and Top-10 Data Center builder with Fortune 500, Big Tech, Hyperscale &

Colocation clients across the U.S. Ryan credits his success to dynamic teamwork, an

ability to listen to and understand his client’s most important and pressing needs,

then working with them in a hands-on, collaborative and transparent manner to

best achieve their mission, vision and goals without ever losing sight of their very

real business imperatives like schedule and cost. Ryan is passionate about

disruptive technologies, mentorship, contributing to the greater good and client

relationships. He holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and

a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University.

Keith Dines

Senior Leader, DC Site Selection & Construction Mgmt.

Nvidia

Keith Dines is a recognized expert on data centers. With over 30 years of experience developing data centers for enterprise and colocation providers he has a broad background in all phases of design, construction and IT deployment.

Currently the Senior Leader of Data Center Site Selection and Construction Management for nVidia, he is responsible for the company’s strategy and implementation of its next generation of high-performance data centers for the future of machine learning and artificial intelligence in all of its deployments.

Prior to joining Nvidia, Mr. Dines served in senior management positions for colocation companies including Digital Realty Trust, The Cambay Group, Aligned Energy, and Core Location. While focused on build-to-suit developments at Digital Realty, he developed customized solutions for NetApp, Savvis, ARM Technologies and Equinix.

Earlier in his career as a data center consultant, Dines’ clients included corporate real estate executives, IT directors, and venture capitalists managing software developers, hardware manufacturers, on-line investment firms, on-line travel firms, telecommunications and a university hospital system. His most notable clients include Oracle, Charles Schwab, GI Partners, ViaWest, Adobe, and Stanford University Hospital.

Phill Lawson-Shanks

Chief Innovation Officer

Aligned Data Centers

With over 30 years of industry experience, Phill has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of data center infrastructure, network architecture, and cloud solutions worldwide.

As Chief Innovation Officer at Aligned Data Centers, Phill spearheads the identification of emerging trends and technologies, strategically leveraging them to shape Aligned's innovation roadmap. He's instrumental in cultivating a culture of creativity, driving the development of new products and partnerships that ensure the company remains both competitive and highly adaptable in today's rapidly evolving market.

Before joining Aligned, Phill served as Chief Innovation Officer at EdgeConneX, where he was instrumental in developing edge-based network data centers that underpin today’s digital content ecosystem. His career spans senior executive roles at Virtacore, Alcatel-Lucent, SAVVIS (now CenturyLink Technology Solutions), and MCI (now Verizon Digital Media Services), as well as Compaq/HPE.

Phill holds eight active technology patents and serves as a board member for organizations such as Netrality Data Centers, the Clean Energy Buyers Association (CEBA), and the Nomad Futurist Foundation. Known for his ability to distill complex technical concepts into actionable strategies, Phill is a sought-after speaker and advisor, recognized for his innovation and commitment to advancing sustainability in the digital infrastructure sector.

Phill’s unique journey—from his early roles in enterprise systems development and digital infrastructure to his leadership in global technology firms—reflects his passion for challenging the status quo and empowering the next generation of technology leaders.

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.

Summary

  1. How can data center developers and contractors overcome manufacturing limitations at remote construction sites?

  2. Which regions are benefiting most from off-site construction and why?

  3. How will the growth of edge computing influence colocation construction design?

  4. Aside from time savings, what is the value proposition long term for the new construction methods?

  5. Have conversations with end users influenced demand for off-site construction development? If so, how?

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