boltKey Takeaways
- Career Journey: Joe Capes began his career in electrical engineering and industrial automation during the 1990s, eventually joining APC (American Power Conversion) before founding three startups: Premium Power, CoolCentric (a pioneer in rear-door heat exchangers), and LiquidStack.
- Building High-Performing Teams: Capes emphasizes that beyond technical skills, the most important intangible quality he looks for in team members is grit and the ability to operate effectively within ambiguity.
- Leadership Philosophy: A core aspect of his management style is empathy and genuine connection with team members, noting that the ability to support colleagues personally creates a unified vision and team culture.
- Industry Challenges: Capes highlights the significant talent gap in the data center industry, particularly regarding liquid cooling expertise, where only a small number of professionals possess the necessary knowledge to avoid costly deployment errors.
- The Future of Data Centers: Despite his previous success, Capes remains fully committed to the industry, citing the current era as a "historical" period for tech and AI. He believes the transition to liquid cooling is a critical sustainability effort to reduce global energy and water consumption.
- Core Leadership Trait: When asked about the most vital trait for leaders in 2026, he identifies risk tolerance, given the complexities of global supply chains and the rapid infrastructure growth required for AI.
Written by
George Bacon
Business Development Manager · Metric DCX
George is a specialist recruitment partner working with leading Data Center developers to build teams across all functions up to Senior Executive/C-level.
