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Speakers

Clay Macfarlane

Clay Macfarlane

Principal, Blackstone

Matt Wanderer

Managing Partner, 98six Redevelopment Partners

Matt Wanderer

Matt Wanderer

Managing Partner, 98six Redevelopment Partners

With over $150MM commercial real estate experience as a principal investor, Matt Wanderer is an experienced founder, CEO, and member of multiple private equity and venture capital portfolio companies.​ Matt is a five-time “500 Fastest Growing Private Company Award” recipient. Matt is a proud Oregon Duck having earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. He later earned his M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business, the London School of Economics, and HEC Paris.

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Joe Bush

Joe Bush

Director of Investments, Edged Energy

Buddy Rizer

Executive Director, Loudoun County Department of Economic Development

BuddyRizer, New Headshot, 180

Buddy Rizer

Executive Director, Loudoun County Department of Economic Development

Buddy Rizer serves as the Executive Director for economic development in Loudoun County, Virginia, which was named the 2021 Economic Development Organization of the Year by the International Economic Development Council. He leads the agency responsible for encouraging growth and developing relationships with Loudoun’s business community in both the commercial and agricultural-based business sectors. During his tenure, Rizer and his team have attracted more than $60 billion in new commercial investment and more than 50 thousand new jobs. During this time, the growth in the commercial based has help lower the tax rate in Loudoun by more than 41 cents on the dollar, saving residents thousands of dollars annually on their tax bill.

In 2007, Mr. Rizer joined Loudoun County and helped build “Data Center Alley” into the largest concentration of data centers in the world. He also has extensive international business development experience in China, France, Germany, Russia, Ireland, United Kingdom, Finland, Taiwan, Japan, India, Korea, Ghana, Uruguay, and the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Rizer has been named a Tech Titan 7 times by Washingtonian Magazine (2017 – 2023), has been named one of the 50 most influential Virginians 6 times by Virginia Business Magazine (2018 – 2023), a 4-time member of Virginia’s Power 500 (2020 – 2023) and was three times named to the Washington Business Journal’s Power 100 as one of the most influential businesspeople in Washington, DC (2020, 2022, 2023).

Mr. Rizer serves as the Past-Chair of the Northern Virginia Economic Development Alliance (NOVA EDA), is a member of the Board of Trustees for Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), Past-Chair of the Northern Virginia Community College Foundation Board, Secretary of the Go Virginia Region 7 Council. He is on the Board of Directors for the Northern Virginia Technology Council, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and the Washington Airports Task Force (WATF). He is also the Chair of the Rivana at Innovation Station Community Development Authority.

Mr. Rizer is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a certified Entrepreneurship Development Professional (EDP) and a graduate of Virginia Tech's Local Government Management Graduate Certificate Program.

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Securing reliable and sustainable power is one of the most pressing considerations in data center development today. With strained grids, rising costs, and growing sustainability pressures, traditional hubs are increasingly constrained, pushing developers and investors to explore new regions. But who is responsible for ensuring power availability? And how can collaboration across developers, utilities and investors create scalable solutions?

Attendees will gain insights into:

  • Industry collaboration: How can collaboration between developers, utilities, and investors streamline power acquisition and mitigate delays?
  • Investment strategies: How can investors deploy capital to address power shortages, support infrastructure upgrades, and drive innovation in energy solutions?
  • Emerging markets: Which secondary markets offer the best power availability, renewable energy potential, and infrastructure readiness, and how do these factors drive investment decisions?
  • Balancing sustainability and demand: How can the industry meet urgent power demands without compromising long-term environmental and sustainability goals?