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
Group Business Manager · Metric DCX
George is a Group Business Manager within Metric DCX, specializing in senior appointments across data center development in North America. He partners with leading developers on the hires that carry a project from site selection through to energization and operation or handover.
George knows this market because he’s in it every day, talking to the people who build it. That means clients get a shortlist built on relationships rather than a database search, and candidates get an honest read on where an opportunity actually sits.
Reach out to George for a confidential conversation about a search or a move.
