Schedule

7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Registration

7:00 AM - 8:00 AM
Registration & Breakfast

Check in, pick up your name badge, conference materials and enjoy a hot buffet breakfast.

8:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks

Bob Cassiliano, 7x24 Exchange chairman, will open the conference, provide an overview, review meeting logistics and address general housekeeping items.

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Conference Keynote:
Confronting Reality – Leading Ahead of Disruption

Every day can bring harsh new surprises, economic and policy change, the competitor or new business model you never saw coming or game-changing technology. Competing in the friction-free economy has leaders worrying most about what they don't know. In his talk, Geoff Colvin leverages nearly 40 years at Fortune to arm audiences with valuable perspective on the trends driving business disruption, revealing how top leaders are confronting them right now. Economic growth, consumer demand, interest rates, taxes, employment costs – these issues are transforming the business environment daily, and Geoff provides unparalleled insights in terms you won't hear elsewhere. And while political winds may blow toward protectionism, the market trends powering the friction-free economy are technological and going strong, requiring swift and full attention. As a result, winning in business today demands extraordinary leadership acting on the best intelligence it can find. Geoff's message is optimistic and energizing: opportunity is more widely available than ever and there will be winners – why shouldn't it be you?

9:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Refreshment Break

10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Less Talk, More Doing: Sustainable Data Centers by 2030

During 2021, sustainability topics have reached new heights in the data center industry. Driven by bold statements and commitments from multiple hyperscalers, the “sustainability train” has clearly left the station. Pressure comes from data center tenants and investors who now demand clean and sustainable assets, and fast. Yet, for many data center operators, measuring sustainability and transitioning from existing, well understood architecture to a potentially new way of designing and operating their facilities is both risky and full of uncertainty. After all, they’re still on the hook for uptime. Join Compass Datacenters and Schneider Electric to learn practical steps for today, tomorrow, and the future.

Carsten Baumann (bio)
Director, Strategic Initiatives & Solution Architect
Schneider Electric

Nancy Novak (bio)
Chief Innovation Officer
Compass Datacenters

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
COVID and Its Impact on Data Center Construction and Equipment Procurement

This presentation is a portfolio case study of the construction impacts due to labor (shortages/on-site procedures required), procurement (supply chain issues as well as manufacturing) and facility design relative to special precautions required during construction and operations to deal with COVID in the data center environment. The case study will revolve around the construction and procurement issues associated with the build out of a campus collocation environment of over 150MW of critical IT load as well as others.

Moderator:
Steven Shapiro, PE (bio)
Partner
EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Part of Ramboll

Panelists:
Chad Baxter (bio)
Procurement Manager, North America
Vantage Data Centers

John Dumler, PE (bio)
VP, Data Center Design & Engineering
DC Blox

Brendan McCarthy (bio)
Senior Construction Manager
Vantage Data Centers

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Lunch and Networking

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Concurrent Breakout Sessions

Breakout A:
Lithium-Ion Battery Fire Safety in the Data Center

Data centers have been rapidly installing lithium ion batteries in their UPS systems to replace lead acid. Are you aware of what can happen when they fail? Are you aware of the fire and explosion risks? Do you know there is a fire code which can help keep your data center safe if there is a problem? This session will discuss the current state of fire safety of li-ion batteries as they are installed in data centers.

Lee Kaiser (bio)
VP of Engineering and Training
ORR Protection

Breakout B:
Sustainable Digital Supply Chain Strategies to Limit the Impact of Uncertain Times

Join ABB, Hitachi Energy and Skybox for a discussion on how to effectively manage projects during the time of COVID. We’ll talk about supply chain strategies to ensure on-time delivery, overcome labor shortages and meet the speed of deployment required using new techniques like virtual factory acceptance testing to meet growing demand.

Robert Adkins (bio)
SVP Customer Solutions
Skybox Datacenters

Brian Davis (bio)
Head of Data Center Solutions – Americas
ABB

Dave Sterlace (bio)
Strategic Account Manager
Hitachi Energy

Breakout C:
The Talent SWOT

Hiring qualified talent has always been difficult. With COVID and the great resignation of 2021 it is not getting easier. With hundreds of standardized CMCO tests taken, Bryan Kainrath and Dennis Cronin will be presenting aggregated analytics of exams, and how well the industry’s talent understands the fundamentals of Mission Critical operations. The session will present graphics and stats on specific areas of expertise leading to recommendations as to where future education and training will have the greatest return.

Dennis Cronin (bio)
Board Member
Mission Critical Global Alliance and
Founding Member
7x24 Exchange International

Bryan Kainrath (bio)
President
Mission Critical Global Alliance

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
7x24 Exchange Traditional Create Your Own Sundae Break

3:00 PM –4:00 PM
Intentional Recruiting & Development: Building the Future of Data Centers Today

This panel discussion is designed to address how to intentionally recruit and retain our industry's most valuable assets, our people, when the talent pool seems shallower than ever. Panelists will speak about their personal experiences navigating careers and growth in the data center construction and services industry and their experiences leaning into core values of stewardship and community to bring data centers to the next generation of workforce. Join our industry leaders at Miller Electric as they discuss how relationships between end users, contractors, and vendor partners are the key to our future, propelling potential and accelerating professional development.

Organized by the 7x24 Exchange International Women in Mission Critical Operations (WiMCO^®) Committee

Moderator:
Juli Ierulli (bio)
Global eCommerce Growth Manager-Electric Power Division
Caterpillar, Inc. and
Vice President, Marketing Director, Vendor Representative, WIMCO^® Chair
7x24 Exchange International

Panelists:
Marissa Daniel (bio)
Project Manager
Miller Electric Company

Donnie Smith (bio)
Chief Commercial Officer
Miller Electric Company

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
WiMCO Networking Reception

Join the National Women in Mission Critical Operations Committee for a networking reception
SPONSORED BY:

7:00 AM - 8:30 AM
Breakfast & Registration

Check in, pick up your name badge, conference materials and enjoy a hot buffet breakfast.

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks

Bob Cassiliano will review day one highlights, recognize the conference Corporate Leadership Program sponsors and give a 7x24 Exchange update.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Tuesday Keynote:
How to Build to Scale with Sustainability in Mind

A reliable supply chain - especially one solid enough to build data centers at the unprecedented pace with the ability to scale quickly – is the key to success. However, sustainability still needs to be considered. Large enterprises and hyperscalers need data center partners to handle their influx of data, build to scale and most importantly align with their sustainability goals. This session will cover how an optimized, standardized supply chain can handle demand; sustainable agility as the key in addressing changing application, storage, compute and communications needs; and the importance of providing density quickly, cost-effectively and sustainably without exotic systems and materials.

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Refreshment Break

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Pandemic Continued Impact on Data Center Costs: How to Apply the Learnings to Strategic Operation Planning into the Future

Uptime Institute data shows that while the pandemic may begin to subside during 2022, the spending increase is likely to be sustained. Spending on protective equipment and extra staff may fall back, but capital technology investments, whether in increased automation/monitoring or in site resiliency, may take years to peak, and would then require ongoing operational support. As a result, data centers should be more resilient in the years ahead, and a little less susceptible to problems with a critical component — humans. But operational costs are unlikely to fall. Implementing adaptive strategies is key to adopting new practices while our own worldviews have changed and new policies have been forged. What does it mean for us moving forward?

Matt Stansberry (bio)
Vice President, North America
Uptime Institute

11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Sustainability and Reliability: Operating Lessons Learned for Unordinary Times

This panel will highlight challenges and opportunities in creating resilient and sustainable operations. We will explore Evoque’s journey in transforming its portfolio. The panelists will discuss supply chain partnership strategies that drive best practices and where the industry is heading; how capital planning and operational planning dovetail together in a converged approach to sustainability; and how sustainable operations enable operators to navigate through challenging times.

Moderator:
Mike Jones (bio)
Senior Vice President, Operations
Salute Mission Critical

Panelists:
Andy Stewart (bio)
President & CEO
Evoque Data Centers

Mark Thiele (bio)
Co-Founder and CEO
Edgevana

12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch & Networking

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
ASHRAE: Hardware Evolution: Most Radical TC9.9 Change Yet

TC9.9 Thermal Guidelines opened the doors for data center economizers resulting in major PUE improvements. Hardware evolution is complicating cooling and potential increase in PUE! Learn cost effective cooling strategies to meet data center business needs & achieve good PUEs.

Don Beaty (bio)
Retired Founder
DLB Associates

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Refreshment Break

3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Concurrent Breakout sessions

Breakout A:
Effects of COVID on Mission Critical Construction

This panel discussion will focus on three specific topics: Ongoing supply chain issues, technician availability in an industry already facing historic shortages, and a living strategy to overcome these challenges. Woven into all three of the topics is an underlying yet critical consideration: How do you keep the people working for you safe during a pandemic? This issue affects everyone from construction workers to operations and maintenance personnel. Solving this problem will take the combined efforts of all involved in the mission critical field.

Moderator:
John Major, AIA (bio)
Principal
Page

Panelists:
Jason Haltom (bio)
Senior Project Manager
ERMCO

Mike Meyer (bio)
Project Manager
Continental Electric

Eloy Ramirez (bio)
Director of Special Projects
Alterman Electric

Breakout B:
Live Data Center Floor Replacement: Live Lift

COVID cancelled and/or postponed many construction projects and made many companies reconsider their data center options. Some customers with legacy data centers decided to upgrade and/or remodel existing facilities instead. One of the many considerations when doing so is the legacy raised floor; many of which are failing or not able to hold the weight of today’s server cabinets. This presentation addresses that concern and the options available.

Kevin Beck (bio)
Business Development/Project Manager
Jerry L. Johnson & Associates

Peter Matte (bio)
Chief Executive Officer
Critical Facilities Solutions

Breakout C:
Modular Data Centers: Maximizing Scale and Speed to Market through Integrated Design

The presentation includes a case study featuring innovation in action during the final months of design and construction of SoFi Stadium, the NFL’s newest stadium and home to two professional football teams. This case study is hosted by the lead architect and MEP designer and includes a discussion and graphic presentation following the design, manufacturing and assembly of the data center, which was fabricated off-site in Houston, TX, including all MEP systems in place, and delivered to Inglewood, CA for final assembly. The project was successfully executed between September 2019 and May 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jon Benson (bio)
Director of Modular Innovation
TAS Energy, Inc.

Matt Lamont, AIA, LEED, AP (bio)
Mission Critical Team Leader, North America
HKS, Inc. .

6:30 PM – 10:30 PM
An Evening at Universal Orlando Resort

Special thanks to the partners that made this event possible:

ABB; Aggreko; Amico Security; Armstrong Ceiling Solutions; Chem-Aqua; Clayco; Data Aire; DPR Construction; Eaton; EastPenn; EnerSys; Gordon Architectural & Engineered Solutions; Gray; JE Dunn Construction; Kelvion; Kohler; Lantana; Legrand North America; Liquidstack; Maddox Industrial Transformer; Mortenson Construction; MTU-A Rolls-Royce Solution; PCL Construction; Ramboll; Rovisys Building Technologies; S&C Electric Company; Schneider Electric; Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories; Siemens; Solar Turbines; Southwire; Structural Technologies; Trane Commercial North America; Suffolk Construction; Sunbelt Rental; Syska Hennessy Group; Toshiba Power Electronics; United Rentals Power & HVAC; UPS Rental; Whiting-Turner; Viking Integrated Safety and ZincFive

8:30 AM – 8:45 AM
Opening Remarks

Opening Remarks Bob Cassiliano will review highlights from day two and address housekeeping items of interest.

8:45 AM – 9:45 AM
Wednesday Keynote:
Power Resiliency for Data Centers: Breaking Old Myths and Power Paradigms

As more demands are placed on our power grid, how can we best prepare to address reliability and sustainability challenges in today’s business climate of rising costs, ongoing supply chain issues, and explosive growth? Going beyond generators and traditional backup solutions, modern microgrids are breaking old myths and power paradigms, becoming the intelligent bridge between legacy power equipment and emerging power architectures by leveraging smarter data-driven technologies and solutions. In this session, seakers will discuss the state of the grid and why microgrids are the new highly reliable, carbon-neutral, power resiliency solution for the world's largest technology ecosystems.

9:45 AM – 10:15 AM
Refreshment Break

10:15 AM – 11:15 AM
Why Adversaries are Focusing on Control Systems Networks to Create the Impact of their Choosing

All infrastructure and technology depends on control system networks and devices. They have to be used by governmental and commercial organizations for success in operational needs and mission assurance. However, they typically fall into organizational stovepipes, where there is little understanding of how they relate to an organization’s risks. Control systems typically have increased connectivity and lack cybersecurity focus or maturity, making them easy targets for adversaries desiring to cause immediate and far-reaching impacts. This case study follows how select defense agencies are investigating options to increase defense posture for these systems and why doing so is important for similar organizations.

Daryl Haegley (bio)
Director, Mission Assurance and Cyber Deterrence
United States Department of Defense

Tim Watkins (bio)
Business Development Manager
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc.

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
COVID + Climate Crises = Better Data Centers

Crises accelerate innovation. COVID and climate change have both impacted data center design and delivery, accelerating the adoption of more sustainable designs and more efficient delivery processes. Open Compute Project is a global, collaborative forum addressing industry needs via reference design, standardization and best practice guidance. Panelists have actively contributed to OCP recommendations for industry advancements in sustainability and delivery practices. This case study reviews the advancements in data center sustainability, design and delivery that were spurred by COVID and climate change urgency and implemented in Wyoming HyperScale Whitebox.

Moderator:
Don Mitchell (bio)
Project Co-Lead
Open Compute Project

Panelists:
Sam Allen, PE, LEED AP (bio)
Director, Mission Critical, Global Facilities Services
Burns McDonnell

John Gross (bio)
Owner
J.M. Gross Engineering

Trenton Thornock (bio)
Founder
Wyoming Hyperscale White Box

12:15 PM
Conference Adjourns