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.

Edmund Elizalde serves as Vice President of Data Center Engineering at Metrobloks, bringing more than four decades of experience designing, building, and operating mission-critical infrastructure across multiple generations of data center evolution.

Edmund began his career in 1984 at PRK Associates, where he entered the data center industry and quickly took on complex technical challenges. Over the course of his career, he has witnessed—and helped shape—the transformation of data centers from enterprise facilities to colocation, web hosting, cloud, and today’s high-power-density AI environments. He was an early innovator in branch circuit monitoring, collaborating with vendors to develop prototypes and advance the concept that remains widely used across the industry today.

Prior to Metrobloks, Edmund held senior engineering leadership roles at Goodman, Equinix, and Vantage. At Equinix, he served as Director of Strategic Engineering, where he drove innovation focused on high-performance, efficient, and cost-effective data center delivery. His work emphasized scalable, flexible system design to avoid stranded power, space, and cooling, ultimately maximizing capital efficiency. During his tenure, Edmund also spent nearly three years in Europe supporting Equinix’s EMEA operations, leading the development of facilities in Amsterdam and Paris and supporting operational improvements across multiple countries.

Earlier in his career, Edmund was a Managing Principal at EYP Mission Critical Engineering, where he provided consulting services for major enterprise and telecom clients including Wells Fargo, Shell Oil, Pacific Bell, Southwestern Bell, Global Center, and Exodus Communications. During the dot-com boom, his work took him around the world conducting site surveys, due diligence, feasibility studies, and data center designs, as well as training global consulting teams in London, Hong Kong, and Sydney.

Before specializing in data centers, Edmund worked at CF Braun as a Senior Engineer designing large-scale petrochemical facilities worldwide, including serving as lead electrical engineer for major international infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia and Trinidad and Tobago.

Edmund holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Electrical Option) from California State University, Los Angeles.

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.

Carl Fung is a seasoned engineering and business leader withover 30 years of experience in the development, design, and operation ofmission-critical infrastructure, with a strong focus on hyperscale data centersand AI-driven environments. He brings deep expertise across power and coolingsystems, liquid cooling, and next-generation architectures, combined with aproven ability to scale organizations and drive global product strategies.

Currently serving as VP, Data Center Solutions atMetrobloks, Carl leads the development of AI-ready infrastructure platforms,including advanced power architectures, high-density cooling systems, andintegrated solutions tailored for next-generation compute workloads. Prior toMetrobloks, he held leadership roles at Capstone Green Energy and CustomMechanical Systems, where he spearheaded AI-enabled microgrid solutions anddrove rapid revenue growth through innovative cooling and infrastructurestrategies.

Earlier in his career, Carl spent over a decade at Equinix,where he helped define global data center design standards, led master planningand site development, and managed large-scale capital projects. His backgroundalso includes leadership roles in semiconductor manufacturing, cleanroomdesign, and commercial HVAC, supported by a Professional Engineer (PE) licenseand a strong foundation in mechanical engineering.

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 data center development, site selection, and civil engineering. She has led multidisciplinary teams through the full lifecycle of site evaluation and design for large-scale data center campuses across the U.S.

Before joining Metrobloks, Hope led Site Due Diligence at Microsoft, where she oversaw engineering assessments, infrastructure analysis, and risk evaluations supporting the expansion of the company’s global data center portfolio. Earlier in her career, she worked for a Midwest-based engineering consultancy, delivering site designs for data centers and other complex industrial and commercial projects.

Hope brings a rare combination of technical depth and strategic insight to Metrobloks—translating complex site, utility, and permitting data into actionable development strategies.

Paul A. Corrado, PE, is a veteran electrical engineer with more than 35 years of experience shaping the global data center landscape. His career spans projects in 6 countries and 26 U.S. states, partnering with over a dozen major colocation providers and enterprise clients to deliver some of the industry’s most sophisticated and efficient facilities.

Paul has led the electrical design and strategy for more than a dozen large-scale data center campuses—ranging from compact 100MW sites to hyperscale developments exceeding 1GW and up to 16 buildings. His expertise encompasses resilient and scalable electrical infrastructure, high-reliability power distribution, and energy-efficient design supporting enterprise to hyperscale facilities reaching 300MW.

As a Professional Engineer, Paul is driven by a commitment to innovation, reliability, and sustainability in mission-critical environments. At e3i-Inc, he continues to pioneer advanced electrical solutions that power the world’s digital backbone and define the next generation of data center design.

Vince possesses extensive experience in real estate, particularly in acquisitions, development, and asset management across multifamily, office, mixed use, and data centers.

Co-Founder & Managing Partner at SP Real Estate Partners, a real estate investment firm, specializing in acquiring multifamily real estate in high-growth markets across the United States.

Before SP Real Estate Partners, Vince has significant expertise through his time at Tishman Speyer, a prominent global developer, owner, and operator. At Tishman Speyer, Vince worked on deals totaling over $5 billion. Additionally, Vince managed assets totaling over 4 million square feet.

Prior to Tishman Speyer, he was the lead global underwriting manager at Digital Realty, a data center developer and operator where he exceeded $2 billion of transactions across the US, EMEA, and APAC, in addition to managing 20 million SF.

Vince earned his B.S. from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University.

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Pete brings experience in real estate investment banking,with a track record in financings and acquisitions across office, residential,industrial, and infrastructure assets. Currently a Corporate DevelopmentAssociate at Metrobloks, where he underwrites data center developments andexecutes capital raises to drive portfolio growth across the US.

Prior to Metrobloks, Pete built his transactional foundationat Guotai Haitong Securities, one of China's top investment banks, where heworked on $1B+ in real estate and infrastructure transactions as a SeniorAssociate.

Pete earned his M.S. in Information Systems from JohnsHopkins University and his B.A. in Economics from Boston University.

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Entrepreneur and sales professional with 10+ years in real estate brokerage, skilled at identifying opportunities and driving strategic deals in the data center sector.

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