Following a string of new construction news from Ashburn and Sterling in Data Center Alley, PowerHouse Data Centers has taken another step forward by welcoming Karen Petersburg as its new Vice President of Development and Construction. With a rich background spanning 17 years in the mission-critical industry, Petersburg brings a wealth of knowledge and innovative abilities to the executive team.
A Vision for the Future
Petersburg’s addition to the PowerHouse team marks another important moment for the progress of the company. As per Douglas Fleit, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PowerHouse Data Centers: “PowerHouse has established a team of innovative and highly strategic practitioners, to which we credit our fast rise in the industry and recent major successes. Adding Karen’s expertise and dynamism further expands the strong leadership capabilities that give us our competitive edge.” With Petersburg’s leadership, PowerHouse Data Centers anticipates unlocking a new dimension of expertise in data center development, as Fleit expects her passion, experience, and commitment to innovation to align seamlessly with PowerHouse’s vision for the future.
For Petersburg, joining PowerHouse represents a response to market factors in the data center industry. “The data center sector is at a crossroads in terms of technological advancement, sustainability, and exponential growth. I joined PowerHouse because they have positioned themselves as a leader in the hyperscale and AI space, proving themselves to be the powered building solution for our connected future,” she explains.
A Journey of Expertise
Petersburg’s journey in the data center industry reflects a relentless pursuit of excellence. Her career commenced in the construction sector, where she gained expertise in high-end commercial building fit-outs. However, it was her foray into the world of data centers that kindled her enthusiasm for all things technical.
Over the years, Petersburg’s path led her to become a commissioning engineer, dedicated to ensuring the reliability of mission-critical data center equipment. Building a strong foundation in the intricate collaboration required between critical data center components, she then transitioned to managing the design and commissioning of data center projects along the East Coast for Digital Realty.
Her noteworthy projects include the transformation of the Toronto Star printing facility into a modern, LEED Silver multi-story colocation data center. This project, featuring an impressive 46-megawatt capacity, has elevated the facility to become one of the largest in Canada. Additionally, her contributions to a large-scale land development project near Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia have positioned it to provide over one gigawatt of available capacity and over 7 million square feet of new data center space, effectively becoming the world’s largest multi-tenant data center campus. Now, she is applying that hard-earned expertise to new projects at PowerHouse. “I couldn’t be more excited to work with such a talented and experienced team,” says Petersburg.
As her first public event as a member of the PowerHouse team, Petersburg will be speaking at DCD Connect Virginia on November 7 as part of a major panel called “Supply chain resilience, workforce constraints & land availability – what’s next for building at scale?”. The session will cover topics like construction innovation, project management best practices, and workforce challenges.
