8:00 am Registration & Networking
8:30 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Building & Sustaining the Future Workforce
8:40 am Panel: Tackling Data Center Labor Shortages With Different Strategies for Hiring, Training & Retention Across Midwestern States
Synopsis
- Evaluating labor availability across different midwestern states and how that is impacting project delivery
- Discussing the various strategies and approaches to solving the talent shortages in different states, depending on current availability, unionisation and stakeholder collaboration
- Assessing how clients, general contractors and trades can more effectively partner to drive solutions and mitigate project delays
- Highlighting successful retention strategies focused on culture, leadership, team camaraderie, and avoiding burnout
9:20 am Case Study: Forging Strategic Local Partnerships to Ease Entry into New States & Strengthen Execution Capabilities in Unfamiliar Regions
Synopsis
- Understanding how to better collaborate with public policy teams to align legislative goals and reduce barriers to market entry
- Exploring strategies that worked in early market penetration for clients and their teams, and how those informed future expansion
- Building long-term execution capability by fostering trust with local contractors and municipalities to improve approvals, timelines, and access to skilled labor
10:30 am Morning Refreshments & Networking
11:00 am Case Study: Working with Union & Non-Union Labor Forces to Ensure Reliable & Scalable Manpower on Our Project
Synopsis
- Evaluating the differing concerns of using union vs non-union labor on projects and strategies to mitigate potential disruption upfront
- Calculating how many workers you require when operating multiple projects simultaneously to more effectively share crews when labor capacity falls short
- Integrating non-union contractors into union-friendly ecosystems to support shortages in certain areas: What conversations and provisions have been required to integrate workers?
- Navigating lessons learned from managing jurisdictional disputes and exploring if regional or standardized labor agreements is a viable solution
Driving Consistent, High-Quality Project Execution
11:40 am Maintaining Quality Control & Continuity to Minimize Risk from Project to Project
Synopsis
- Integrating quality oversight that balances thoroughness with speed to keep pace with demanding construction schedules
- Exploring strategies to maintain consistency in execution and expectations when project teams shift
- Discussing commissioning approaches for modularized systems and how workflows must adapt to support modular integration
- Exploring how quality programs, documentation, and communication protocols can be standardized to ensure lessons learned and successful strategies are carried from one project to the next
12:20 pm Fireside Chat: Benchmarking Strategies to Mitigate Long Lead Times & Safeguard Schedules & Budgets
Synopsis
- Evaluating long lead equipment still having significant project impact and benchmarking current lead time expectations
- Exploring strategies to better align equipment procurement with project timelines and secure early funding approvals to front-load long-lead orders
- Developing preferred vendor relationships and MOUs for prioritized production and delivery
- Establishing internal communication protocols from design through field execution to efficiently track equipment status and anticipate delivery risks
1:00 pm Networking Lunch
Exploring Strategic Growth in the Data Center Landscape
2:30 pm Audience Discussion: Navigating Evolving Trade Partner Roles Across Design & Construction to Strengthen Collaboration & Project Delivery
Synopsis
- Exploring the growing reality of trade contractors assuming design responsibilities traditionally held by the engineer of record, and what that means for project risk and coordination
- Gain insights into how these trends effect contract structures, project management workflows, and collaboration across trades
- Discussing examples of when integrators have realised more direct collaboration with clients, the benefits realised, and how this may impact the future of partnering within the ecosystem
3:10 pm Panel: Reviewing the Trajectory of Data Center Growth to Understand How Your Business Can Capitalise on Industry Expansion
Synopsis
- Assessing how tightening credit conditions and lender overexposure are impacting capital availability, and what that means for future data center builds
- Evaluating the potential shifts in the type of work entering the project pipeline, such as retrofit and reuse, as greenfield land and power availability tightens: How can you prepare your business to maximize on every opportunity?
- Discussing whether contractors should explore market diversification strategies to reduce dependence on hyperscale and colocation amid potential market slowdowns or consolidation