PowerHouse Scales Up in the Southwest, Adding Top-Tier Development Team

MCLEAN, Va., April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its impressive growth streak in Dallas and Reno, PowerHouse Data Centers has enhanced its leadership team with the strategic addition of Dallas-based Jeff Parsons as Senior Vice President, Development & Construction. Parsons will lead its premier best-in-class team in the Southwest region, driving development and expanding PowerHouse's presence in this key market.

Parsons, a Texas A&M graduate with over 30 years of operational and technical experience, is recognized as one of the industry's top construction and development leaders and ideally suited to spearhead PowerHouse's continued Southwest expansion. He spent over a decade at DPR Construction leading high-profile projects and was instrumental in scaling operations and establishing a strong regional presence, overseeing a construction team of 800 people.  Known for his strategic acumen, collaborative mindset, and ability to develop high-performing teams, Parsons brings a comprehensive understanding of the Southwest market. His addition further cements PowerHouse's expansion strategy, reinforcing its ability to scale efficiently while maintaining the speed and precision hyperscale clients expect.

"Jeff's leadership experience, extensive industry relationships, and track record of delivering sophisticated, mission-critical data centers on time and budget make him the ideal leader to drive our Southwest expansion," said Doug Fleit, Co-founder and CEO of Powerhouse Data Centers. "We take a very focused and precise approach to our data center development, and Jeff's attention to detail and leadership will continue to strengthen PowerHouse's ability to serve the needs of hyperscale users in a very rapidly growing Southwest market."  

With its Southwest leadership team, PowerHouse builds on its success in six major U.S. markets to deliver scalable capacity where hyperscalers need it most.

A Team Built to Lead and Shape the Future 

Reporting directly to Luke Kipfer, PowerHouse's Managing Director, Parsons rounds out the firm's exceptional leadership team, and works in parallel with Pete McGrath, Senior Vice President, Development & Construction for the Northeast, aligning national strategies to support PowerHouse's continued expansion.

With Parsons at the helm, the Southwest team collaborates closely with Karen Petersburg, Vice President, Development & Construction, who has been instrumental in expanding PowerHouse's footprint in the Southwest, with sites in Reno and Texas. Petersburg, who also leads Sustainability and ESG initiatives for PowerHouse, will continue driving sustainability efforts in the company's growing portfolio.

Surrounding Parsons is a team of seasoned professionals with rich expertise in large-scale data center development, including

• BK Hatcher, Director Data Center Development & Construction, brings over a decade of experience in mission-critical development, having overseen large-scale data center projects exceeding 300 MW. Before joining PowerHouse, he served as Senior Project Manager at Worldwide Mission Critical, where he led end-to-end development of multi-building campuses for some of the world's largest cloud and colocation providers. Hatcher's expertise in site selection, budgeting, and large-scale execution positions PowerHouse to seamlessly deliver complex projects across the Southwest.
• Jeff Tharp, Director Data Center Development & Construction, has delivered 200+ MW of hyperscale capacity throughout his 11-year career in the industry. As a Senior Project Manager at McCarthy Building Companies, he played an important role in executing high-density data centers for leading hyperscalers, ensuring cost efficiency, schedule certainty and technical precision. His experience in construction management and multi-site coordination adds to PowerHouse's ability to execute at scale.
• Zac Vincent, Assistant Project Manager, specializes in modular and prefabricated construction, a critical component of modern hyperscale deployment. Previously with Holder Construction, he led the development of an industry-first modular data center program and managed $138 million in electrical subcontracts—all delivered on time and under budget. His focus on efficiency and innovation will further enhance PowerHouse's ability to provide fast, scalable data center solutions.

"PowerHouse's team is a world class group of highly experienced professionals, developing both mid-sized and large scale campuses, raising the bar for rapid data center development," said Luke Kipfer, Managing Director of PowerHouse Data Centers. "This team has led some of the most complex hyperscale developments for the biggest names in the industry. Their expertise ensures we deliver with precision, and at the highest standards."

About PowerHouse Data Centers 
PowerHouse Data Centers, a wholly owned division of American Real Estate Partners (AREP), is a developer and owner of next-generation data centers and provides technical real estate solutions for hyperscalers across the country. Starting in Northern Virginia's Data Center Alley, the world's largest data center market, before strategically expanding to key markets across the United States, PowerHouse owns its land sites, offering unparalleled fast-track approvals and zoning approvals in its full suite of development services. As an industry disruptor, PowerHouse provides flexible next-generation data center models with the quickest speed to market of any data center while meeting hyperscalers' growing market, data, utility, and space demands. The company has 87 buildings and 25.5M sq. ft. currently in planning, underway or completed, representing over 5.9 GW of power in six major US markets. Operating as the data center division of AREP, PowerHouse is uniquely positioned as a leader in world-class data center development. With some of the industry's deepest real estate relationships, PowerHouse leverages its strategic joint venture partnerships, proven leadership, and best-in-class technical expertise to deliver innovative real estate solutions nationwide. Visit our newsroom for more information, and follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X.

SOURCE PowerHouse Data Centers