Wordpress Header 991139 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum
In-Person
  • Design + Construction

Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

October 6, 2026 at 8:00AM – 12:30PM ET CUNY Graduate Center Proshansky Auditorium 365 5th Avenue New York, NY 10016
Register

Speakers

Amir Abdu 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

amir abdu

Managing Director,

BGO, U.S. Investments Team

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Amir Abdu

Managing Director, BGO, U.S. Investments Team

Amir Abdu is a Managing Director on BGO’s U.S. Investments Team. Amir leads the firm’s Digital Infrastructure and Powered Land strategy in the U.S. and is responsible for the sourcing, structuring, and execution of new investment opportunities. Amir has been with BGO since 2015 and has over 13 years of experience in the real estate industry.n nPrior to joining BGO, Amir began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Real Estate Group at Goldman Sachs, where he focused on corporate Mu0026amp;A and capital raising on behalf of publicly traded clients. Amir graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a BA in History.nn

Peter Lewis 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

Peter c. Lewis

Founder, Chairman

Wharton Equity Partners

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Peter C. Lewis

Founder, Chairman, Wharton Equity Partners

Mr. Lewis is Chairman and Founder of New York–based Wharton Equity Partners, a real estate and private equity investment firm established in 1987. Since inception, he has beennthe driving force behind the firm’s evolution as a forward-thinking, opportunistic investor,nconsistently positioning capital ahead of major technological and macroeconomic shiftsnacross both real estate and private equity.nnFor nearly four decades, Mr. Lewis has led investments in a broad range of real estate asset classes, including industrial, office, hospitality, residential, and self-storage. The firm combines deep operational expertise with institutional capital-markets discipline, guided by a consistent philosophy of pursuing differentiated strategies outside of prevailing marketnconsensus. In parallel, Mr. Lewis expanded the firm’s private equity activities into growth investments in companies focused on logistics, automation, and big-data analytics.nnMore recently, Mr. Lewis founded Wharton Digital, a platform which invests across real estate,nprivate equity, and venture capital with a common focus on opportunities that are being materiallynshaped by the rapid advancement and adoption of artificial intelligence. Through Wharton Digital,nthe firm co-founded LightHouse Data Centers, a turnkey data center development companynled by two former senior executives from Amazon Web Services, where they collectively executed more than $10 billion of transactions. An affiliate of Wharton Digital is a major shareholder of LightHouse Data Centers, and Mr. Lewis serves as Chairman of the Board.nnMr. Lewis received a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He is anfrequent industry speaker and guest lecturer and is actively involved as a mentor with organizations including the Urban Land Institute, Columbia University, and the WhartonnSchool.

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brian schafer

Principal

Highland Associates

Sam Stockdale 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

Sam Stockdale

Managing Director, Power & Infrastructure

Link Logistics

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Sam Stockdale

Managing Director, Power & Infrastructure, Link Logistics

Sam is managing director, Power & Infrastructure at Link Logistics. He is responsible for power entitlements and infrastructure development in collaboration with utilities to support the evolving needs of the company’s properties and customers. Sam previously served as Link Logistics’ managing director, Energy & Sustainability.

Sam joined Link Logistics in 2020 from JPMorgan Chase, where he was vice president of global energy and sustainability. In that role, he managed a real estate portfolio of approximately 7,000 properties across 63 countries and was responsible for developing JPMorgan Chase’s operational sustainability strategy and carbon strategy and procurement. Also at JPMorgan Chase, he led execution of one of the world’s largest energy efficiency campaigns and its associated $700 million green bond raise, and he developed more than 300 megawatts in solar, fuel cell and distributed energy-generation projects. ​

Sam holds a Master of Science degree in Sustainable Finance from Columbia University and possesses professional designations including LEED AP, CEM and CEP. In his spare time, he enjoys crafting reclaimed wooden furniture from discarded materials.

Andrew Warin 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

andrew warin

Executive Managing Director

Newmark

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Andrew Warin

Executive Managing Director, Newmark

Andrew Warin is an Executive Managing Director at Newmark and leads their Strategic Advisory and Liquidity Solutions group. He has advised on a broad range of assignments including Mu0026amp;A, programmatic joint ventures, recapitalizations, GP led secondaries, GP stakes, fairness opinions, IPOs, and capital raising efforts for clients. Prior to joining Newmark, Warin worked at Citigroup’s Real Estate u0026amp; Lodging Investment Banking Group and Sera Global, a subsidiary of Brookfield Financial. Warin started his career his career as a management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton in the Strategy u0026amp; Organization group.n

Nicole Fenton 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

MODERATOR

nicole fenton

Partner

HSF Kramer

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Nicole Fenton

Partner, HSF Kramer

Nicole Fenton brings more than 25 years of experience to her work advising U.S. and international investors in real estate transactions across the country involving virtually every type of asset class, including multifamily, mixed-use, retail, office and hospitality projects.nnNicole’s clients include owners, developers, investors and lenders, and she counsels and represents them in acquisitions and dispositions, development, construction and mezzanine financing, joint ventures, and preferred equity investments. Nicole also advises developers, family offices, private equity funds and institutional investors through every stage of financing, from capital raise to development, leasing, marketing and disposition.nnNicole’s work often involves ground-up development transactions, advising on all aspects, including structuring, acquisition, joint venture, financing (including acquisition/land loans, construction loans and permanent financing) and construction management agreements. She regularly deals with complicated development issues, including development agreements, entitlements and related issues.

Gregory Jaske 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

MODERATOR

gregory H. jaske

Partner

Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP

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Gregory H. Jaske

Partner, Olshan Frome Wolosky LLP

Greg maintains a broad-based real estate practice that includes negotiating and structuring LLC and other joint ventures, acquisitions, purchase and sale agreements, development agreements, ground leasing and borrower-side financings.nnWith extensive experience in New York City and nationwide, Greg has guided clients through multimillion dollar joint venture agreements, representing both operators and investors in significant multifamily, commercial, and mixed-use properties and development projects. He also regularly counsels clients in telecommunications real estate matters, including data center development and leasing and rooftop facility leases, as well as tenant-side retail healthcare leasing. In addition, Greg has substantial experience in commercial real estate financing matters, from loans to purchases of co-lending interests and loan participations totaling billions of dollars in loan originations.nnGreg frequently serves as lead counsel in high-stakes real estate matters, including representing a multi-billion-dollar family office in its negotiation of real estate joint ventures with sponsors for horizontal and vertical phases of development. Clients rely on him for his ability to structure and negotiate joint venture agreements, purchase and sale agreements, development agreements, property and asset management agreements, office and retail leases, telecom-related real estate agreements and real estate-related corporate matters.nnPrior to joining Olshan, Greg worked at Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. and other prominent New York law firms, where he handled a wide array of real estate matters, including complex joint ventures and development projects. He began his career as an analyst at a leading international financial services institution and a hedge fund.nnGreg grew up and resides on Long Island. He enjoys spending family time skiing, hiking and exploring the Catskills.

michael j vardaro 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

MODERATOR

michael j. vardaro

Managing Partner

Zetlin & De Chiara LLP

Natalie Sachmechi 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

EMCEE

natalie Sachmechi

Associate, Nonprofit, Education & Government Practice

JLL

Sean Scuderi 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

MODERATOR

sean t. scuderi

Partner

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin

Hear from the Leaders Developing the Future of Data Centers

AI is driving unprecedented demand for data centers, power infrastructure and mission-critical developments. As developers, operators, engineers and investors race to scale capacity, the decisions driving the next generation of digital infrastructure are being made in rooms like this.

Why Attend:

  • Connect with the developers, capital providers, and policymakers shaping the infrastructure powering AI.
  • Learn how AI is shifting capital flows, redefining asset value, and creating new opportunities for investors and developers in the Northeast.
  • Hear how industry leaders are balancing AI power and water requirements with community impact and sustainability mandates.
  • Get expert insights into the full mission-critical development cycle, from navigating grid strain to underwriting the future of urban edge facilities.

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Agenda

Real Estate Meets AI: Investing in the Future of Digital Infrastructure
Building the Brain: How AI is Driving Data Center Demand and Development
Scaling Up: The Geographic Markets Leveraging Data Centers as an Economic Engine
The AI Resource Equation: Power, Water & Community Impact

Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

Tuesday, October 6, 2026
CUNY Graduate Center Proshansky Auditoriumu003cbru003e365 5th Avenue u003cbru003eNew York, NY 10016
…
Register Now

Who Should Attend

  • Developers
  • Investors
  • Lenders
  • Engineers
  • Architects
  • Policymakers
  • Tech Operators

Presenting Sponsor

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highland associates

Sponsors

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hsf kramer

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jll

Link Logistics logo 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

link logistics

Link Logistics is a leading operator of last-mile industrial real estate and warehouse properties.
Established by Blackstone in 2019, Link Logistics supports the delivery of essential goods
through a half-billion-square-foot portfolio of modern warehouses across the U.S. By connecting
consumption, technology and e-commerce, we play a vital role in how businesses reach their
customers. We leverage our scale, proprietary data, and focus on sustainability and power to
help customers run smarter operations and deliver value for stakeholders. At the same time, we prioritize our people and communities, making a positive difference where we live and work.

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newmark

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zetlin & de chiara LLP

OlshanLogoNames RGB 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

olshan frome wolosky llp

Olshan is a leading New York law firm representing clients ranging from public companies, hedge, venture capital, private equity and other investment funds to entrepreneurs and private companies. We have been consistently recognized for our expertise in corporate and securities law, shareholder activism, real estate, litigation, intellectual property, advertising and marketing, tax, and bankruptcy. In addition, we have significant practices dealing with employment matters and insurance coverage. Although based in New York, our lawyers represent clients nationally and internationally.

At Olshan, the mix of clients combined with the range of our practice groups and an extremely collegial atmosphere result in a tremendous advantage. Our attorneys work closely with each other and in teams to find solutions for our clients. We offer broad and specialized services for large clients while at the same time serving smaller clients effectively on business transactions and litigation.

Olshan attorneys and practices are nationally and internationally recognized by client and peer-reviewed by Chambers USA, Legal 500 U.S., Best Lawyers®, Best Law Firms®, Lawdragon, Super Lawyers and Martindale-Hubbell.

For more information please visit https://www.olshanlaw.com/.

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tarter krinsky & drogin

Association Partner

NY Building Congress 2026 Data Centers Development & Infrastructure Forum

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