POSITION
REPORTS TO
DATE
LOCATION
COMPANY WEBSITE
SEARCH CONTACT
SVP OPERATIONS
Lee Kestler – CEO
September 2024
Northern VA / Phoenix AZ
Andy Lane @ CFS Partners
M/T +1.414.807.4085
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Headquartered in Broomfield, Colorado, EdgeCore selects, builds, and commercializes data centers for the world’s largest cloud, internet, and technology companies. EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure passionately and obsessively serves the world’s largest cloud, internet, and technology companies with both ready-for-occupancy and fully bespoke data center capacity supported by best-in-class service-delivery capabilities. Privately held and supported by committed equity to fund customer requirements at an initial aggregate amount of $4.0+ billion in the United States, EdgeCore supports customer requirements by proactively investing in land, power, and vertical development in key data center locations, with building designs that meet key performance specifications. EdgeCore has four power- and shovel-ready campuses, operational data center buildings, and the ability to expand investment across the US.
CHAPTER
Partners Group acquired EdgeCore in November 2022 with plans to invest $1.2B to fund the acquisition and buildout of existing and future data center sites. Through this investment, Partners Group will acquire EdgeCore’s existing and under construction sites, and fund future acquisitions and buildout.. Data center contracts are often long-term, with customers charged a price based on their contracted power capacity, leading to highly visible cashflows. The Company is well-positioned to benefit from global digitization themes, such as the growth of cloud computing, machine learning, AI, and 5G technologies, which are driving increasing demand for data center processing and storage.
Partners Group will work with EdgeCore’s experienced management team, which has over 140 years of combined industry experience, on its transformational value creation plan. Key initiatives include existing site expansion, acquiring and building future assets in the US, and expanding sustainability initiatives at its data center campuses
CHARTER
In September 2024, Partners Group led a $1.9B equity investment in EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure to fund the continued development and expansion of its data center platform. This second equity capital raise will be used for expansion across EdgeCore’s existing locations, in Ashburn, VA, Phoenix, AZ, Reno, NV, and Silicon Valley, CA, and the development of its recently announced data center campus in Culpeper, VA.
Key value creation initiatives have included expanding existing sites, the acquisition and construction of future assets, and the implementation of sustainability initiatives.
Ed Diffendal, Managing Director, Co-Head Infrastructure Americas, Partners Group, says: “This investment in EdgeCore is further evidence of our strong thematic conviction in the sector and the Company’s growth prospects. Led by Lee Kestler and a fantastic management team, EdgeCore is well positioned to capitalize on the accelerating demand for data processing and compute storage.”
Lee Kestler, Chief Executive Officer, EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure, comments: “We will utilize this investment to continue meeting the booming demand for high-density data center space. The market’s growth makes institutional partnerships that bring scaled equity capital and debt procurement to the sector more important than ever. Partners Group’s substantial equity commitment, coupled with a widely syndicated co-investment from their institutional and high-net-worth clients, will facilitate our platform’s further growth.”
By the end of 2023, the initial $1.2B equity capital investment made by Partners Group at the time it acquired EdgeCore had been fully committed through the expansion and development of data center campuses.
CREDENTIALS
EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure is a preeminent U.S. developer, owner and operator of highly scalable, cloud-connected, wholesale data center campuses, providing solutions to the Global 2000, including hyperscale cloud and Internet companies. EdgeCore is currently developing data center campuses in Phoenix, Northern Virginia, Reno, and Silicon Valley with plans to develop campuses in additional markets. EdgeCore is committed to enabling the growth and supporting the rigorous performance specification of its customers leveraging reliable, secure, and ready-for-occupancy data center capacity.
Collectively, the EdgeCore executive team has more than 140+ years of data center experience and an institutional real estate development resume that exceeds $10B, $6B of which is specific to the data center industry. Backing from global institutional investors provides a solid foundation for the growth.
Proactive Investments In Infrastructure and Buildings
With more than USD $4.0B+ in institutional capital available for data center development, EdgeCore proactively invests in high-performance hyperscale and wholesale data center solutions on scalable campuses in key North American and European data center markets. With existing land and data center capacity of more than 470 IT MW, EdgeCore acts as an extension of customer supply chains by enabling them to grow quickly and innovate.
Efficient and Versatile Data Center Design
Designed with key customer performance specifications and needs in mind, EdgeCore’s data centers are sustainable, efficient, and reliable. Because our customers are always innovating, EdgeCore’s technical design team works tirelessly to continuously improve and offer best-in-class solutions.
Committed to Meeting Customer Needs Without Compromise
EdgeCore’s core business embodies the purest form of customer-driven ethos – we operate data centers transparently and with a fanatical focus on exceeding customer expectations. Our 24 X 7 on-site facility and security teams work tirelessly to maintain data center efficiency, reliability, and security.
DATA CENTER SERVICES
EdgeCore’s industry-leading data center services have the versatility to support key customer performance specifications and ensure data center environments are reliable, secure, and sustainable.
Best-In-Class Design and Services
EdgeCore’s data center critical infrastructure, power, network, and processes and procedures reflect best-in-class standards that align with customer requirements, while also allowing customers the ability to conform each data hall to unique performance specifications.
– Compliant: EdgeCore has developed and implemented a compliance program based on customer requirements and industry best practices to monitor controls across the organization. Current certifications include SOC 2, ISO 27001, and PCI-DSS. EdgeCore works with an independent accounting firm to annually review and attest to compliance with these standards, and it can obtain additional standards, as required by customers.
– Connected: EdgeCore offers low-latency direct fiber connectivity from leading carriers at each of its data center locations.
– Efficient: EdgeCore continuously works to advance its designs and practices to drive improvements in Power Utilization Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Utilization Effectiveness (WUE). Once operational, EdgeCore uses state-of-the-art building management systems to operate to design standards.
– Versatile: EdgeCore selects campuses and designs its data center buildings to offer customers the upmost versatility when implementing their exacting specifications.
– Resilient & Reliable: EdgeCore offers a 100% uptime SLA and concurrently maintainable electrical and mechanical infrastructure designs that support 2N, N+1, and N customer requirements.
– Safe: From site selection to design, construction, and operations, EdgeCore is committed to safeguarding the well-being of its employees, partners, customers, and communities. ASsame of its partners and vendors.
– Secure: To align with the rigorous security requirements of our customers, EdgeCore’s standard design includes 24 X 7 security shifts, robust access and video monitoring systems, reporting, and operational excellence.
– Sustainable: EdgeCore evidences its commitment to established Environmental, Social, and Governance goals in every stage of the data center lifecycle, from development to operations.
DATA CENTER CAMPUS LOCATIONS
EdgeCore has proactively invested in scalable campuses across the United States and has made investments in land, permitting, entitlements, and utility infrastructure to enable speed-to-market solutions in accordance with our clients’ requirements.
EdgeCore’s two Ashburn campuses are located less than two miles from one another in the data center capital of the world. Situated on Maries Road and Moran Road in Sterling, our Northern Virginia sites are planned to accommodate a total of 608,000 sq. ft. of space and have the capacity to support a combined 114 MW of critical IT load between the two facilities. Press Release
Located in the Elliot Road Technology Corridor, our water neutral data center campus in Mesa, Arizona represents the future design of EdgeCore facilities. With over 3.1 million sq. ft. of space and the capability to support up to 450 MW of critical IT load, this LEED designed campus with Green Globes certification is being built with density and low water usage at the forefront of our development processes. Press Release
EdgeCore invested early in the Reno, Nevada market to provide scalable, cost-efficient, low latency access to the Bay Area. Located just 250 miles east and three milliseconds from Silicon Valley in the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, our initial Reno campus will include a minimum of 1.5 million sq. ft. of space and the capability to support up to 216 MW of critical IT load at full build-out. Future expansion is planned for Reno, given its excellent compatibility with EdgeCore’s high density data center campus design. Press Release
SILICON VALLEY DATA CENTER CAMPUS
EdgeCore’s Silicon Valley campus, strategically-located in Santa Clara, California, is capable of supporting 72 MW of critical load, across 540,000 square feet of space. The EdgeCore campus in Silicon Valley is purpose-built with options for powered shell, infrastructured shell and turn-key deployments. The LEED designed campus offers N, N+1, and 2N configurations. Press Release
CULTURE
Purpose –
EdgeCore’s mission is to develop high-density scalable data center campuses and deliver safe and sustainable solutions for our customers.
Vision –
EdgeCore aspires to lead the evolving digital economy by creating long-term value for our stakeholders through the successful execution of our responsibilities as a critical infrastructure provider.
Values –
– Prioritize people. Our people are our strength and we strive to attract and retain the best talent by enabling our employees to thrive and grow. We value diversity of experience and perspective and collaboration among and across our teams, customers, partners, and communities. We prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our stakeholders.
– Operate like an owner. We are all owners. We make decisions designed to enable the success of our employees, customers, partners, investors, and the communities in which we do business. We make ethical decisions and operate with an entrepreneurial mindset. We reward and encourage shared responsibility, accountability, initiative, a strong work ethic, strategic thinking, continuous improvement, and successful execution, believing that this behavior will lead to EdgeCore’s long-term growth and profitability.
– Commit to customers. Each day we strive to earn the trust of our customers by understanding their unique and evolving needs and meeting those needs in a timely, comprehensive, and efficient way. To exceed our customers’ expectations and make every interaction exceptional, we honestly self-evaluate, seek feedback, and apply learnings from that feedback to continuously improve.
EDGECORE LEADERSHIP TEAM
LEE KESTLER
CEO
JOHN BEAN
Chief Legal Officer
CLINT HEIDEN
Chief Commercial Officer
JULIE BREWER
EVP, Finance
THERESE KERFOOT
EVP, Operations
BOB BERLINSKY
EVP, Construction & Design
Learn More About The Edgecore Leadership Team – https://www.edgecore.com/about/team
FINANCIAL PARTNER
Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested $185B in private equity, private real estate, private debt, and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group seeks to generate strong returns through capitalizing on thematic growth trends and transforming attractive businesses and assets into market leaders. The firm is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create sustainable returns with lasting, positive impact for all its stakeholders. With $131B AUM as of 30 June 2022, Partners Group provides an innovative range of bespoke client solutions to institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,600 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN)
Ed Diffendal, Managing Director, Co-Head Private Infrastructure Americas, Partners Group, says: “We found rising demand for data centers in the US as service providers deploy more capacity to support businesses migrating to the cloud. EdgeCore is a unique next-generation infrastructure investment due to its strong portfolio of data center sites, advanced pipeline of shovel-ready assets in strategically important markets, and talented management team.”
Fentress Boyse, Member of Management, Private Infrastructure Americas, Partners Group, adds: “EdgeCore has strong infrastructure characteristics and is set to benefit from structural tailwinds across the data center sector. Businesses are increasingly shifting IT infrastructure to scaled outsourced cloud service provider data centers, which have more efficient power and cooling capabilities. The Company is at an inflexion point in its growth journey and our transformational value creation plan aims to build a best-in-class sustainable digital infrastructure platform for the largest demand users in this market.”
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS
This is a senior strategic leadership role, responsible for scaling the business and ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of current and future data center facilities. The person will help the CEO implement the company vision, supporting fundraising and investor management activities, and service as a relationship lead for key partners and vendors.
This role requires a blend of technical expertise, team leadership, customer focus, and financial acumen. The successful candidate will foster a strong safety culture, help drive a vision and strategy, drive operational excellence, and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction, ensuring the long-term success of the organization and its clients.
Reporting directly to the CEO, this role is responsible for maintaining optimal performance of data center facilities, ensuring safety, security, reliability, and efficiency – both current and future sites to come online. The successful candidate will work closely with engineering, construction, design and other teams to manage overall campus operations, workflow management, training plans, event management, customer communications, hiring, and performance management.
Responsibilities/Operational Excellence
– Maintain zero OSHA recordable incidents through rigorous safety protocols.
– Manage operations and engineering functions to ensure safe and effective operation of machinery and building systems.
– Implement efficiency and reliability improvements to achieve over 99% uptime.
– Establish key metrics for a 24×7 operation, ensuring availability and capacity targets are achieved for data centers and technical infrastructure.
– Develop and implement preventive maintenance and work order programs.
– Work with relevant teams to drive operational improvements, ensuring all maintenance activities comply with industry standards and internal processes.
– Establish and manage safety programs, championing a strong safety culture.
– Ensure compliance with city, state, and EPA regulations, as well as industry standards and certifications.
– Lead effective disaster recovery, business continuity planning, incident, and problem management.
Leadership and Team Development
– Hire, manage and develop a team, fostering a one-team environment through timely feedback and accountability, with a focus on retention and satisfaction.
– Ensure a robust training on electrical/mechanical equipment, system maintenance, repairs, and operating with a focus on safety.
– Conduct performance evaluations, provide feedback, and coach team members to high standards.
Customer Focus
– Drive high levels of customer satisfaction, addressing any service concerns quickly and efficiently.
– Establish Net Promoter Score (NPS) and identify and lead improvements through exceptional service delivery.
– Ensure operational activities meet or exceed customer-defined service levels.
– Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including vendors and partners.
– Ensure customer metrics align with related business priorities and objectives.
Strategic Initiatives
– Develop and manage key performance indicators (KPIs) to drive business results.
– Lead the deployment of new sites, ensuring a consistent and high-quality experience for customers and employees.
– Assess and implement advanced technology to optimize across facility operations.
Financial Performance
– Prepare operational and capital budgets for site operations, improving Net Operating Income (NOI) by driving operational efficiencies.
– Develop and execute five-year capital plans for maintenance and emergency capital expenditures.
– Evaluate and propose cost-effective improvements to enhance service and operational efficiency.
– Manage vendor contracts, streamlining services required and optimizing overall costs.
Qualifications & Experience
– Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, related field, or equivalent work experience.
– 15+ years in hyperscale data center infrastructure, including engineering, security, and customer experience.
– 10+ years of direct managerial experience, demonstrating success in achieving operational and financial goals.
– Proven track record of leading large-scale, multi-site operations in a fast-paced, high-growth environment. Must have prior demonstrable experience in delivering large initiatives through cross functional collaboration.
– Adaptable to the dynamics of a growing, entrepreneurial environment.
– Exceptional relationship management, stakeholder influence, and negotiation skills.
– Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, building automation systems, and related IT technologies.
– Data-driven with strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
– Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of presenting to diverse audiences.
KEY QUALIFYING CRITERIA
Data Center Portfolio Operations Management – Demonstrated history of standardizing data center asset and platform operational performance excellence across significant sized, geographically dispersed data centers.
Data Center Operations Playbook – Both a history of authoring the playbook but also implementing the necessary MOPs, SOPs, & KPI’s to normalize behaviors that increase performance, effectiveness, efficiency and predictability.
Customer & Scale – Demonstrated history of engagement and command of hyperscale customer requirements to include the anticipated growth and scale to hundreds of MW’s of capacity.
Data Center Business & Personnel Leadership – Experience integrating disparate assets to a common platform, a history of hiring and training to an ideal organization structure, etc. Servant leadership to align a vision and build an empowered culture.
Development & Capital Planning – History of engagement and knowledge of the capital planning and resulting development process leading up to turnover to operations. Business and financial acumen to consider asset and portfolio management value also highly desired.
Entrepreneurial – Ambition, courage, & eagerness to take action and be impactful. Embrace a lean, attentive, and energetic environment where ideas and daily activities impact the firm’s value.
WHY CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY WITH EDGECORE?
Mission – EdgeCore is focused on building a great company with a vision to align investors, assets, operating approach, and customer needs. Each member of this team makes decisions every day resulting in career advancement, financial gain, lasting personal and professional relationships, and some fun along the way.
Culture – EdgeCore’s culture embodies both start-up entrepreneurialism and institutional knowledge and capabilities. EdgeCore is mission-focused and collegial, believing strongly in affording dignity and decency to all stakeholders while appreciating that accountability is a requisite component of leading a workplace rooted in justice. EdgeCore operates in principles of intense sense of commitment, customer intimacy, and energy.
Impact – This is an opportunity to put a fingerprint on a still emerging company facing unprecedented growth and scale, and an opportunity to interface with some of the largest companies in the world. The SVP Operations will meaningfully impact the organization’s health, welfare, and safety initiatives and how they dovetail with profitability, growth, and valuation.
Leadership – EdgeCore’s executive leadership team’s success speaks for itself with precedent experience of how new talent and perspectives support growth to date and in the near future. The whole of the team keenly enjoys exceeding growth expectations resulting in their collective personal, professional, and financial growth.
Focus – EdgeCore’s ability to focus on and achieve short term goals has been recognized and rewarded with the recent international recognition and sponsorship. Their goal is to remain nimble, scalable, and quick to respond, but at scale. The business model focuses on being the absolute best at what they do, and they see remarkable upside near and long term.
Financial Strength – Partners Group is simply one of the world’s most capable and sophisticated investors. Collectively they are excited to execute upon a shared vision of creating a scalable North American data center platform and look forward to sustainable expansion far beyond the initial rollout.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
EdgeCore offers a comprehensive compensation package to include base salary (determined on a case by case basis relative to each candidate’s specific experience and qualifications,) performance bonus, long term incentive compensation in the form of equity, and a comprehensive benefits package.
SEARCH PROCESS
Following a thorough exchange of information relating to company information, resume, and key qualifying criteria, CFS Partners anticipates recommending a short list of candidates to select members of the Executive Leadership Team in late September. Finalists will meet with Lee Kestler in early October.