Tony Qorri Talks DataBank’s High-Speed Growth

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The last time we spoke with Tony Qorri in 2023, the DataBank vice president of construction noted the challenging supply chain environment, especially for an organization that was growing as quickly as his. The reflection almost seems quaint now, because whether Qorri knew it or not, DataBank was poised to triple in size in less than a year. The scale of absolutely everything has changed.

“We’re now talking about full campuses—20 to 40 acres used to be a big deal for us,” Qorri says. “Now we’re doing between 90 and 300 [acres]. We have evolved into a whole different level of building.”

The pace of DataBank’s expansion is unusual. It’s one of Deloitte’s Fast 500, a list of the fastest-growing companies in North America, at a time when many organizations are “strategically rightsizing.” Meanwhile, Qorri’s internal team has grown from 3 to 14 and continues to grow. The team is still very lean given how quickly the company is stretching, but that’s intentional.

“There are some organizations where work/life balance is clear, but that’s not the way we work here,” Qorri explains. “Our culture here is our biggest selling point, but that means your work is something you take home with you. It becomes part of your life. We pick up our phones at nine at night because that’s the nature of the business. And I can guarantee that everyone on my team loves coming to work. The reward of pulling off these builds is precious to all of us.”

The strength of DataBank’s internal teams hasn’t gone unnoticed by the company’s external partners. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to partner with Tony and his team on numerous DataBank projects over the years,” says Scott Wages, a senior electric power sales engineer at Yancey Bros. Co. “They are an absolute pleasure to work with, consistently demonstrating exceptional communication that sets them apart from any other partners we collaborate with. We’re excited about the future and are eager to continue building a long-lasting partnership with Team DataBank and Caterpillar.”

Sal Rinaldi, president and CEO of East Coast Power Systems, echoes these sentiments. “Working with Tony Qorri—from the early days of electrical contracting to where we are now—has been nothing short of incredible,” Rinaldi enthuses. “About 12 years ago, we were excited to land our first data center project in Las Vegas. It was a fast-track job with a lot of pressure to deliver. That’s where it all started. From that moment on, we clicked. We found our groove and ran the perfect two-minute offense.

“Tony and I were always on the same page,” he continues. “You could tell right away that he was built different—disciplined, competitive, and locked in. It wasn’t surprising to later learn he played basketball at a high level. He brought that same drive, leadership, and commitment to every project. We’re proud to be one of the four guys on the court with him. He trusts us, and more importantly, he leads us to wins, time and time again. TQ is the guy you want running your project at any level.”

DataBank’s projects encompass multibuilding builds across the US for all manner of companies that require data infrastructure. Throw a dart at a map, and DataBank is probably building something big there.

In Atlanta, the company completed a 40-megawatt, two-story Lithia Springs data center for a single customer in just one year. Qorri says his team blew the project “out of the water.” He explains, “We’re talking about demoing the entirety of an old factory and turning over the keys a month early. It was incredible. Everything was perfectly in line, and we had all the equipment timed and planned ahead of time.”

The company also recently purchased 90 acres that will house two massive, three-story buildings that total 120 megawatts and include a power substation on campus just a couple blocks away from the ATL4 building. Somehow, his team is over a month ahead of schedule on the project.

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The supply chain crunches Qorri mentioned the last time he spoke with ABQ haven’t disappeared, but his team has navigated through them. By working strategically with investors and partners, DataBank has hedged its bets, embraced more speculative planning, and locked in orders earlier based on expected expansions.

“That planning has allowed us to hit every project timeline perfectly so far, COVID aside, and our planning has us built out through 2030 at present,” the VP says.

In Denver, DataBank just finished its fifth build, a fully commissioned, 16-megawatt site that is nearly completely leased already. The 18-month project required a retrofit for an old industrial building, including structural upgrades, a new roof, two new utility feeds, and an expansion of a new infrastructure yard.

“Our culture here is our biggest selling point, but that means your work is something you take home with you. It becomes part of your life.”

Tony Qorri

Meanwhile, down south, the Dallas-Fort Worth DFW3 added 7.5 megawatts of new capacity. Another adjacent three-story, 40-megawatt DFW8 building is also under construction at the time of writing. But that’s just the warmup.

“We also closed on 300 acres of property just south of Dallas, in which we’ve planned a development of eight buildings, a substation, a switching station, and 480 megawatts of IT capacity,” Qorri says. “In the history of DataBank, this will be a landmark.”

These are just a smattering of the builds Qorri mentions. Other projects span cities like Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Kansas City and less densely populated areas in New York, Virginia, and Minnesota.

If you’re interested in joining Qorri’s team, the cultural fit is absolutely imperative.

“I’ve learned during this process that it’s not enough to add someone to your team who has a great résumé and seems like a good pick,” Qorri explains. “Frankly, I’ve learned the hard way that that’s not how we’re going to be successful here. I want our teammates interviewing people and working through a set of interviews. Anyone can look good on paper, but I’ve seen my team let down, and that’s not a process I’m willing to repeat.”

Qorri says he’d rather interview 40 candidates to find the right person than hire someone quickly and then just as quickly replace them when they don’t work out. At the pace DataBank is growing, the VP can’t afford to lose time on poor hires.

Despite some of tough lesson learning, Qorri and his team are accomplishing something truly amazing, at a scale rarely seen. It’s the kind of team they talk about when they say, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

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