Chris and Jamie first met in college while studying Architecture and Engineering and immediately discovered a common interest for Real Estate Development and Construction.  After college, they both began their professional careers in the construction industry.  Chris went to work for a large general contractor in the Metropolitan DC area and Jamie went to work for a large national real estate developer.  While they both had an eager entrepreneurial state of mind, they were advised by an early mentor in the industry to gain experience with established companies and then reconnect in 10 years’ time.  This turned out to be the best early advice they could have received.  While it wasn’t 10 years exactly, they reconnected after 5 years and Chris moved to California convincing Jamie to do the same. This was the catalyst that began their success in data centers.  Still at a young age, while working for a start-up company, they were given the management responsibility along with $1.1b of capital to commercialize the design and development of large-scale data centers. On the heels of the dot-com fall out, Chris and Jamie had the vision to start 365 Main by taking over a distressed data center asset that they had previously designed and built.  The timing of this venture proved to be monumental.  It was their drive and perseverance during the industries economic downturn that enabled them to forge their partnership and enhance their business acumen.  Their leadership in data centers resulted in the adoption of many design and operational best practices across the industry that are still used today. This solid foundation allowed them to develop and operate a top-tier portfolio of data center assets under one of the most respected brands in the industry, 365 Main.  Ahead of filing their IPO the 365 Main assets were sold to Digital Realty for $725 million.

 

Chris and Jamie have been able to solidify a successful working relationship.  They found that by simply understanding respective roles in a partnership will allow for positive and continued growth.  Chris’ leadership and vision complemented by Jamie’s operational expertise have allowed their ventures to succeed.  Their network is deep, and they continue to surround themselves with some of the brightest people. This has allowed them to continue on after the sale of 365 Main and create ongoing opportunities through the 365 Partners platform.