Data Center Careers for Trades, Women, Vets

Kelly Flowers with Service Express and founder of the Women Leading Technology Sorority discusses aftermarket service as a career option, but most importantly why she founded the WLT sorority, the outreach programs there and her work with the Girl Scouts.  WLT is a sponsor for the STEM camps in Dallas and provides scholarships for girls to participate.  They have a masquerade ball coming up as a fundraiser also discussed.  We talk about the power of networking, the right ways to network, and the values women bring to the table when we work together.   #womenintech #womenindatacenters #girlscouts #tradesintech #payitforward

Carrie Goetz interviews Nancy Novak, SVP of Construction at Compass Data Centers that provides custom, move-in-ready data centers from edge deployments to core facilities serving hyperscale, cloud and enterprise customers. Nancy frequently speaks on diversity and inclusion in construction and tech.  She discusses construction, the importance of creating an inclusionary environment for all trades, and the benefits of "outside of the box" thinking.  She sheds some highlights on how she, Chris Crosby, and Compass are changing the data center construction industry, in particular the actual build process.   #womenindatacenter #womeninintrades #womeininconstruction #womenintech #tradesintech #tradesindatacenters #mikeroweworks #datacenters

Today we interview Dameion Brown.  He is a security professional and the chapter president of ASIS in Jackson, MS. and a member of Infragard. He works for a multinational oil and gas company, champions veterans in the industry and is working with me to bring the message of job possibilities to colleges throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. We discuss some of the security challenges of a multinational with shipping and homeland security concerns that change often.

In this episode, we interview Wendy Stewart, VP with Databank data centers on being a woman VP, the Dallas Data Center women's group she started, WIMCO and diversity.  She discusses managing diverse and remote employees and how she motivates her team to be 1% better every day.  As a distinguished woman of color, Wendy discusses her pathway into the industry and unique challenges and words of wisdom to pay it forward.  

Today's interview with Jeff Clark, a Principal at Michaud, Cooley, Erickson Engineers.  Jeff talks about his path starting as a draftsman, to becoming a Principal at the firm.   We discuss the importance of CAD and how 3D is changing the industry. Trades and 2 year degrees are a valuable part of this industry. Jeff started via a two-year degree and through diligence earned his degree and a spot as a company owner.   We discuss his projects, passion, and journey.

Trades are needed!  In this informative episode with industry veteran Greg Crumpton of Service Logic, he discusses his career and work as a tradesman in the data center, HVAC, Electrical, mechanical realms and creating apprenticeships to reach the younger generations.  Greg also discusses the human and family impact of reaching out and embracing the talent that trades bring to the industry. From the massive data center to the Edge and the challenges that they bring, Greg offers great insight through his experiences.  

Today's episode includes a frank discussion with former Marine, Michael Evans, VP at Salute Mission Critical discussing sales, customer relationship management and why he loves the industry.  Michael didn't start in the industry, but once he got here, he found a home. He has had various positions in sales and discusses the different roles, working with global customers, and putting the customer first.  

Today's episode provides insight from Shelley Armato, CEO of MySmartPlans, a construction documentation management platform.  Shelley discusses her journey into the industry (spoiler alert, not what you would think!) and how the company was founded out of necessity to solve the problems surrounding document management and accountability in the construction industry.  She also discusses being a woman-owned enterprise and a woman in the construction industry. 

Today we have a great interview with Bill Kleyman from Switch and Kacey Armstrong with Vertiv who collectively lead the Millenials and GenZ group within IMasons.  Kacey comes from construction to the modular world, and Bill operates within the data centers.  Both have a unique perspective on the next generation of talent and inclusion along with insights into their jobs.  #tradesintech #womenintech #vetsintech #tradesindatacenters #womenindatacenters #vetsindatacenters #mikeroweworks

In this episode, we interview Melissa Chambal with Cnet-Training discussing Cnet's Master's degree program and the power of their various certifications as a path into the industry.  Melissa explains the importance of certifications for individuals with and without degrees.  Learn her path into the industry from her beginnings as a card-carrying member of the electrical union, to now an industry trainer and influencer.  She discusses the various certifications offered and some of the jobs that they enable.

Today we interview Dr. Terri Simpkin a renowned expert with several years' worth of work on diversity and inclusion found here:  Braver Stronger Smarter www.braverstrongersmarter.com and www.forfakesake.org. She addresses the differences between diversity and inclusion and the imposter phenomenon in this podcast.  We also discuss the rapidly changing industry and how education must adapt for trades and higher education.   We discuss a master's level degree available via distance learning.  Terri sheds insight into how STEM needs to be addressed early in the process and ways in which HR can improve to attract the finest talent.    

Episode 5 and number 2 from the great folks at Salute Mission Critical. and Carrie Goetz from StrategITcom. Continuing with the introduction from Lee, Scott discusses what it's like to be an area manager, his past in cybersecurity, and what brought him to this role.  As a manager, Scott discusses his management style and what it's like working with servicemen and servicewomen in the data center industry.  As an area manager, he oversees various types of projects from cleaning to security and a lot in between.  Scott discusses his journey; well worth the listen.  He highlights the importance of being nimble, agile and open to new opportunities as you progress through your career.  Scott got his degree while in the military and it translated very well into civilian life.   Thank you for your service, Scott!

Thank you for your service, first! For the kick-off of our veterans' talent initiative, we start with the great work being done by Salute Mission Critical.  In their words, "Clients worldwide turn to Salute Mission Critical they need precise execution in their data center environments.  Whether building new, deploying into a leased facility, managing an existing site or refreshing/moving sites, we provide highly trained, disciplined personnel and teams to fulfill your needs."   In this portion of our series on data center careers, we look at some of the options for vets returning from service and how their deployments can equate to civilian careers in data centers (and others).  We will discuss scholarships, apprenticeships, and the work Salute is doing with Infrastructure Masons and ways in which they are helping with homeless vets.

Today's episode, we hear from Inge Woudstra.  Inge is a diversity expert and author of, "Be Gender Smart -The Key to Career Success for Women,"  This informative session discusses ways to help increase diversity and women's percentages in the workforce and ways in which to help retention.  Inge has done extensive research on the subject.  Coming from a technical background in engineering, she lends a fresh perspective based on her work with several companies around these topics.  Inge is part of the Infrastructures Masons and helps engineering, tech and professional service firms with gender diversity and improved retention, engagement and advancement of women. We apply my deep expertise in gender difference so you can create a culture that works for both men&women and increase performance through the creation of: # inclusive recruitment # inclusive appraisal # inclusive promotion # inclusive succession # inclusive leadership WHY IT MATTERS: Better gender diversity helps you improve retention, increase

Join Carrie Goetz as while we chat with 3 amazing women in episode 2 of our careers podcast series, we interview Emily Sullivan, Brandy Byrd and Stephanie Roberts about careers in physical security. We discuss how they got into this industry, their impressions of being a woman in this industry, their typical day and other questions.  Learn from a former Trainer now Business Development Specialist for the Mission Critical Market (Brandy), Director of Business Development (Emily) and a business owner (Stephanie) all women in the physical security space.    

This podcast series discusses jobs within and supporting the data center industry with a focus on trades and opportunities for women and vets that may not require a 4-year degree. Episode 1 discusses what trades are applicable and provides brief descriptions of the types of data centers and moves on to the trades and possible jobs once the facility is built. Further episodes include interviews with people that are currently working in the industry giving listeners a view into the daily duties of the jobs.