We are Data Center, Real Estate experts & Innovators

Ernest Popescu currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of metrobloks.  Ernest founded metrobloks with the vision and ambition to create the data center company that customers wish existed; that he, as a former customer, wished existed. The datacenter industry is commoditizing. Many companies in the industry follow the pack and suffer from collective group-think. They treat responsiveness to customer needs without urgency. Few possess the long-term creative thinking and even fewer are flexible and adaptable to stay ahead of dynamic and evolving customer requirements in a resource-constrained environment. In founding metrobloks, Ernest plans to upend this model by harnessing the invaluable experience of a passionate industry team of experts who will buy, build, andoperate data centers with a relentless focus on reliability, efficiency,sustainability, costs, and an obsession over earning and retaining customer trust.

Prior to metrobloks, Ernest worked for AWS where he planned global data center capacity, converting customer demand in the form of reserved and normalized instances (Ri & Ni) into servers, server types and ultimately the space, power, cooling/water, and network connectivity required to deliver the data center supply needed to meet AWS’ demand signal. That experience was formative, and it allowed him to understand data center development from a first principles perspective. He then went on to manage the Americas colocation team for AWS, evaluating, working with, and buying capacity from most of the third-party developers in the industry for both core and edge needs across all Tier I and “football city” Tier II/III markets – he knows what good looks like and what great should look like. He then took on the management of the entire AWS Americas data center development team, including the Built-to-Suit (BTS) program and the greenfield land acquisition and development program – managing a team of over 50 real estate transaction managers and technical business development managers procuring, buying, and developing over 10GWs (10,000MWs) of capacity in the three years he was at the helm of the team over a five to ten year horizon – nearly 75% of AWS’ global data center infrastructure capacity.

Ernest left AWS for Facebook (now Meta) where he took on the management of the global data center development team comprised of 100 senior leaders tasked with meeting Meta’s exponential need for AI/ML data center infrastructure demand - including water/sewer, power, environmental, and site design/planning responsibilities. Ernest introduced a third-party program to complement the organization’s self-perform capabilities to allow them to scale quickly. In his relentless pursuit of learning and professional development, Ernest then went on to work for Iron Mountain Data Centers, wanting to experience the industry from a “develop and sell” perspective to round out his “develop and buy” experience and further allow him to differentiate himself from his peers.

At Iron Mountain, Ernest developed a pipeline of opportunities in excess of 2GWs (2,000 MWs) across the US and European markets, closing on 79MWs CIT in Madrid and converting the first Records Management (RM) facility into a data center in Miami.

Ernest has routinely appeared on various industry podcasts and contributed to numerous industry articles, he is viewed as an industry expert and occasionally consults with expert networks who seek his perspective on all things data center related.

Before delving into the data center development industry, Ernest started his professional career in the automotive and aerospace industries working in supply chain, logistics, forecasting (Material Requirements Planning and Master Scheduling), warehouse management for some industry leaders in Canada (General Motors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Safelite/Belron) and Amazon.com.

Ernest holds a Mechanical Engineering degree (B. Eng). from the University of McGill, Montreal. Ernest splits time between Seattle and Montreal with his wife and four children: Esme, his twin boys Elijah and Ezra,and Eva, his youngest. Ernest speaks Romanian, French, and English.

Scott Couzens is a versatile operations, product, and technology leader based in Seattle, WA. With a strong track record of delivering innovative and scalable solutions, Scott has played key roles in enabling successful, high-growth businesses throughout his career. His background spans operations, supply chain management, strategic planning, automation, product management, and technical program management.

As the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer for metrobloks, Scott is dedicated to developing and leveraging technology to bring next-generation data centers to underserved metro markets. Prior to co-founding metrobloks, Scott held various leadership positions at Amazon Web Services(AWS). As the Director of Product Management for Supply Chain Automation, he led a team in developing enterprise-grade software and analytics solutions for AWS Infrastructure's supply chain with over $20 billion in annual CapEx spend, streamlining internal processes and increasing productivity. As Director of Data Center Planning, he led the team responsible for AWS’s annual data center CapEx and OpEx budgets, triggering gigawatts of data center capacity expansion investments around the globe. Additionally, throughout his 9-year tenure at AWS, Scott and his teams spearheaded initiatives that led to significant cost savings, operational efficiencies, and improvements in inventory control and quality assurance. Scott's contributions in data center planning, analytics, and automation played a crucial role in optimizing operations and driving sustainable growth for AWS Infrastructure.

Prior to joining AWS, Scott held various leadership roles at Amazon in North American transportation and supply chain. He led several major efforts for Amazon’s forward integration into transportation, including founding a transportation operations center to provide 24x7 tactical support as well as designing and implementing logistics solutions that enabled Sunday delivery and last-mile-delivery by Amazon. Prior to Amazon, Scott's career journey also includes impactful roles at General Motors, Motorola, and Intel, where he honed his skills in business analysis, global operations management, and process engineering. With a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Science (MS) in Chemical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Scott Couzens brings a unique blend of technical expertise and business acumen to every endeavor he undertakes.

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Ryan Shea is the Senior Vice-president of Real Estate and co-founder at Metrobloks. With over 18 years of experience in acquisitions, development, and asset management within the commercial real estate sector, Ryan has established himself as a respected dealmaker in the commercial real estate sector. In his prior position at The Festival Companies, and as a co-founder and partner at Calbay Development, Ryan has specialized in the strategic acquisition and development of net leased properties for major brands, boasting a deal portfolio of over 100 transactions on both the buy and sell sides of the market. His meticulous approach and deep understanding of market dynamics have consistently delivered value and success for partners and tenants alike.

Ryan plays a pivotal role in driving Metrobloks success. By identifying prime site acquisition opportunities and orchestrating the business plan for transformation into thriving data center assets. He has cultivated strong relationships across brokerage houses, land sellers, and municipal stakeholders, earning a reputation for reliability and integrity across the commercial real estate industry.
Looking ahead,  Ryan remains dedicated to pushing the boundaries of commercial real estate development by revitalizing under-utilized commercial real estate sites into first in class data center projects.

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Alejandro Maldonado is a serial entrepreneur with a few exits under his belt. He wields a dynamic blend of expertise as a founder, investor, mentor, and strategic advisor. As the Chief Marketing Officer and co-founder for metrobloks, Alejandro brings over two decades of experience as a strategist and generalist, guiding from fundraising and investor relation efforts to marketing, financial and innovation strategies.

His main professional passion resides in guiding early-stage companies through their entire lifecycle — from the nascent stages of incorporation to the pivotal moments of exit. In order to support other founders and the general startup ecosystem is marked he founded Venturemint, a venture studio, and angel fund that has fortified dozens of startups across multiple sectors and latitudes, as well as Venture Capital Firms, Accelerators and CVCs.

He holds an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Marketing from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, where he’s originally from.

His approach to company-wide strategy is infused with a deep understanding of technological innovation and software and AI development, honed through years of hands-on involvement in the tech startup space. Alejandro's thought leadership is recognized on international platforms, highlighted by his contribution as a TEDx speaker, focused on Generative Artificial Intelligence at MIT in 2023.

At the heart of Alejandro's philosophy lies a commitment to mentorship and investment in human capital. He leverages his extensive knowledge to coach and advise burgeoning companies and entrepreneurs, ensuring they are strategically positioned to navigate the complex tech landscape.

Jeff is an experienced leader in real assets private equity with a 20-plus year track record of innovation in both the private and public sectors.  Prior to co-joining Metrobloks, he was a Senior Managing Director and member of the Global Investment Committee at Tishman Speyer. There, he spearheaded the diversification of the company’s U.S. business, including growing its geographic footprint to non-gateway markets and establishing major new business lines in: life science; mixed-use development partnerships with Universities including Carnegie Mellon and Harvard; and affordable housing.

As co-head of U.S. Acquisitions, he was jointly responsible for a national investment and development platform that deployed more than $15 billion in fully capitalized project value across product types and markets.
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Prior to that, he was a senior advisor to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Tax associate at Cravath, and an investment banking analyst at Lehman Brothers.  He earned his BA, JD, and MBA at Columbia University where he has guest lectured on project finance and transaction management.

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Darcy Nothnagle brings expertise in policy, economic development and community affairs.  She has served as Vice President of External Affairs for Crown Castle, as Global Director of Data Center Economic and Community Development at Meta, and headed Global Data Center Policy and Community Affairs programs at Google.  She has a wealth of experience working for elected officials at the local, state and national level, and provides domain expertise in economic development, telecom policy, and a wide range of tech policy issues.  She holds a Masters Degree from the University of Bath, UK.

P.J. co-founded Current Equity Partners alongside J.C. Frey after over a decade in both private and public markets at Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors. P.J. leads Current's investing efforts and sits on the Board of Directors and Investment Committee of both metrobloks and Renewable Land Advisors. At Kayne, he served as portfolio manager of a renewable infrastructure fund and an energy transition fund. He graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania.

Rich Fletcher brings nearly 25 years of experience in the colocation, managed services, storage, hardware, and interconnectivity sectors worldwide. His data center career began just before the dot-com crash of 2000, making him a seasoned veteran in the industry.

Rich's early career included significant roles at Alchemy Communications and Net Data Centers in Los Angeles. In 2010, he relocated to New York City to capitalize on the commercial data center boom in New Jersey. He then joined Telx, which was later acquired by Digital Realty, one of the world's largest data center operators. During his tenure at Telx, Rich earned five-time recognition in Digital Realty's CEO Circle as both a Sales Director and Channel Manager.

Following this, Rich joined Rackspace, a leading managed service provider, as their first Colocation Specialist. In this role, he assisted sellers with creative solutions, proposals, and closing opportunities. Over his six-year stint, he helped secured over 100 contracts, generating more than $6 million in Monthly Recurring Revenue.

At Metrobloks, Rich contributes to pre-leasing success for wholesale opportunities, retail colocation & hybrid cloud. Leveraging his extensive social selling network, channel relationships, and industry knowledge, his goal is to drive successful sales for Metrobloks. With the renaissance of artificial intelligence and strong ties to Metrobloks' initial target markets, Rich is enthusiastic about the future.

Sharif Fotouh is a technology leader with over 20 years of experience leading global network and data center infrastructure teams. At metrobloks, Sharif is responsible for leading connectivity strategy; including product development, interconnection design, and go to market planning.

Currently VP of Network Engineering at Crown Castle, Sharif is responsible for Crown’s 100+ managed datacenters and an active network that spans over 1000 sites across the United States. Previously, Sharif served as VP of Technical Infrastructure at 2K Games, where he established a global team that supported both internal development and fan-facing environments.

Earlier in his career, Sharif founded EdgePoint, a pioneering edge data center company, and led it through acquisition by Compass Datacenters. He also held leadership roles at Google and Data Foundry, where he managed and scaled critical network and datacenter deployment programs.

Based in Austin Texas, Sharif is a sought-after speaker and contributor to industry conferences, podcasts, and publications. A thought leader in the cloud and data center industry, Sharif was recognized in Data Center Economy’s ‘Power 200’ and ‘Edge 50’ lists.

Jon Prater joined Metrobloks in 2024 bringing a decade of experience in acquisitions, development, advisory, and asset management within the commercial real estate sector. He previously served as the Director of Acquisitions for Calbay Development where he was responsible for the strategic identification, evaluation, negotiation, and acquisition of retail sites. Before Calbay, Jon worked at Berkeley Capital Advisors, a premier boutique retail investment brokerage, as a Director in the West Coast office where he successfully managed over $100 million in transactions for institutional and private clients.

At Metrobloks, Jon leverages his experience to help identify under-utilized commercial real estate sites for first-in-class data center developments. Jon’s market knowledge and ability to cultivate strong relationships across brokers, land sellers, and municipal stakeholders is key in propelling the success of Metrobloks.

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Hope Martin is a seasoned Due Diligence Engineer with over 13 years of experience in land development and civil engineering, including a specialized focus on data center design. Prior to joining Metrobloks, Hope led Site Due Diligence teams at Microsoft, where she played a critical role in site selection and engineering design for multi-million-dollar data center projects across the U.S.  Before working for Microsoft, Hope worked for a Midwest-based engineering consultant, delivering designs for data centers, as well as other development projects in the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. Hope brings both large-scale rigor and practical insight to our work.

Hope’s deep technical expertise in civil engineering, coupled with her proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, makes her a key addition to the Metrobloks team. Hope’s work is integral to elevating Metrobloks’ due diligence processes, ensuring speed and precision as we continue to develop world-class data centers in underserved metropolitan areas.

Eric Nickla is a seasoned technology executive with over 33 years of experience driving innovation, strategic growth, and revenue acceleration. Currently, Eric is Chief Revenue Officer at Crosstown Fiber, a dark fiber provider leading the company’s revenue strategy, leveraging his deep industry expertise to fuel expansion and market leadership. At Metrobloks Eric serves as a Strategic Advisor, supporting the Sales and Connectivity teams.

Before joining Crosstown Fiber, Eric served as Vice President of National Sales at Crown Castle’s Fiber Division, where he was responsible for all Wholesale revenue growth across all Carriers, Hyperscalers, and Data Centers. He also led the Edge Strategy, Managed Services, and the National Channel teams.

Eric’s career began at MCI and MFS UNNET Communications—now part of Verizon Business—before advancing into leadership roles at industry giants like Level 3 Communications, AboveNet, and Equinix, where he led the West Region Financial Vertical in the data center sector.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Behavior with a focus on Leadership from Northwestern University.

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