DCAC Spotlights Military Veterans as Solution to Data Center Talent Shortage

AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Data Center Austin Conference (DCAC) announces today several breakout sessions focused on the advantages of sourcing data center talent from the ranks of U.S. military veterans. Increasing market demand for data centers and an aging workforce retiring in greater numbers from the industry have created a talent shortage. As representatives from Salute Mission Critical, Orion Talent, Bradley-Morris and RecruitMilitary will explore in a number of presentations, veterans are very often the best source of talent available to the data center industry because military experience produces individuals with strong leadership skills, performance excellence and problem-solving abilities. DCAC will take place September 24-25, in Austin, Texas.

"Military veterans who've had the experience of shouldering enormous responsibility in extremely stressful, high stakes environments — where mission-critical is commonly a matter of mortality — are pressure-tested to embark on successful data center industry careers," states DCAC founder Kirk Offel, who in addition to being the Executive Vice President of Platform Delivery at Aligned Energy, served in the U.S. Navy aboard a nuclear submarine. "Having observed and come to know the military veterans who work across Aligned Energy's security and operations teams, I know firsthand that they bring the same discipline and integrity to serving our data center customers as they once brought to serving our country."

Among the speakers who will appear in breakout sessions focused on hiring military veterans is Lee Kirby, Co-Founder and Chairman of Salute Mission Critical, a premier IT data center lifecycle services company that recruits, trains and transforms veterans into world class data center technicians. Mr. Kirby is a former President of the Uptime Institute and a 36-year military career veteran who retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve. He saw active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan while serving with distinction as a platoon leader, brigade commander and ultimately as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Civil Capacity, Multi-National Corps Iraq.

"Veterans represent a unique opportunity for our industry in that no other resource pool has as much leadership training and problem-solving experience," comments Kirby, who will lead a DCAC panel featuring executives from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Google and T5 Data Centers. "Salute has proven that you can take veterans with any background and turn them into world class data center technicians, and any company willing to invest in a comprehensive training program can do the same or partner with Salute."

Also helming a breakout session is Michael Arsenault, Senior Vice President of Organizational Development at Bradley Morris and RecruitMilitary, who leads strategy around all elements of administration and operations support, which includes human resources, technology, process improvement, hiring initiatives and the exploration of strategic partnerships specializing in former military candidates. He served as platoon leader, executive officer, fire direction officer and fire support officer in the 4-42 Field Artillery, 4^th Infantry Division.

"Each year, more than 200,000 military service members transition into the civilian workforce, bringing a wealth of talent and expertise suitable to the tech industry," remarks Arsenault. "Military-trained talent possess an inherent skill set that allows for seamless transition into roles that involve analytical thinking, structured application and innovation. The data center industry is an ideal setting for job seekers with a military background."

David Coe, Senior Vice President of Strategic Programs at Orion Talent, which provides military talent programs to publicly-traded and privately-held businesses in the U.S. and abroad, will also be a featured speaker. He is a former U.S. Marine Corps Officer and was Commanding Officer of Lima Company, 3^rd  Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment. Coe agrees that the military talent community adds great value to the data center industry.

"Military veterans possess many skills that have been transferrable to the data center industry, including technical expertise, communication, hands-on leadership and team-building experience," says Coe. "We are looking forward to presenting at DCAC's upcoming conference to help educate the data center industry on the military talent community, and how they can leverage veteran talent to address labor demands and grow their business."

Eaton, the global power management company, is DCAC's title sponsor. Discounted registration is available for all active and retired military personnel. To learn more about DCAC and reserve tickets to the event, visit www.dcac-live.com.

About DCAC
Since 2014, the Data Center Austin Conference (DCAC) has been bringing the most relevant thought leaders in the data center industry together to discuss what they are doing to support the technological developments that are changing the world. For more information about the 2019 conference, visit www.dcac-live.com.

SOURCE DCAC