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Speakers and Panels

Ian McClarty

Ian McClarty

President

phoenixNAP

Adam Knobloch
Emcee

Adam Knobloch

VP & Head of Data Centers

Bisnow

Avner Papouchado

Avner Papouchado

CEO

ServerFarm

Timothy Doherty

Timothy Doherty

CEO

Altum Digital Infrastructure

Phill Lawson-Shanks

Phill Lawson-Shanks

Chief Innovation Officer

Aligned Data Centers

Lloyd Proctor Jr.
Moderator

Lloyd Proctor Jr.

Market Development Manager

OpenSquare

Ian McClarty

President

phoenixNAP

Mr. McClarty is an accomplished senior executive with extensive experience in information technology and computer networking. He has a proven track record in relationship building, vendor management, network operations, and colocation and data center administration, along with project methodology and processes, both on strategic and tactical levels. He has been instrumental in transforming startup organizations into highly successful and profitable corporations while maintaining high client satisfaction levels. His strong management and leadership skills are complemented by his ability to motivate and engage all levels of an organization to maximize productivity and drive positive results. He is an excellent communicator who puts a special emphasis on building solid vendor, client, and employee relationships.

Mr. McClarty holds an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He also holds a BS in information technology and a BS in electronics engineering technology, both from DeVry Institute of Technology.

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.

Avner Papouchado

CEO

ServerFarm

Avner Papouchado has been the guiding force behind ServerFarm since its inception. Known for his intense business acumen, Papouchado has a proven track record of successful real estate investments. He has served as Red Sea Group’s North American CEO since 1993 and is an active member of the executive management team responsible for the company’s worldwide investment strategy. A certified pilot, Papouchado received a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the New School for Social Research in New York.

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.

Lloyd Proctor Jr.

Moderator

OpenSquare

Fascinated by the “why” behind the growth of emerging industries, Lloyd started with numbers, research, and analytics. He spent years in East Coast markets as an analyst, identifying commonalities where development activity was emerging. Moving to the opposite coast, Lloyd began curating content on commercial and biotech tenant trends in the PNW.

Lloyd’s persistence in dissecting how people shape environments continues to drive his interest in the CRE sector. As our new Market Development Manager, Lloyd finds solutions and opportunities to deliver environments that foster better connections, collaboration, research, and innovation for commercial and biotech organizations.

Summary

  1. What challenges and expansion strategies for data centers are unique to Chicago and the greater Midwest region? How do they compare to the national market?

  2. As the expansion of the cloud and demand continues, what actions are being taken to support this growth? Is Chicago truly the next edge location?

  3. What are the key demand-drivers for the Chicago and greater Midwest market today?

  4. Chicago is the third largest data center market in the U.S. and is still expanding. How is the Chicago infrastructure expected to develop moving forward?

  5. How is data being optimized during this surge?

Agenda

Time Activity
7:30 PM
8:15 PM
Midwest and Beyond: Cloud Evolution, Network Optimization & Infrastructure

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