AFCOM Member Spotlight: Thom Jackson, Partner and Mechanical Engineer, Dunham Associates

Thom Jackson isn't just a data center guru and mechanical engineer at Dunham Associates in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he's also the President of AFCOM's Greater Minnesota Chapter. We sat down with Thom (virtually) and peppered him with questions.

What’s your favorite AFCOM experience or story?

"I absolutely love our annual golf tournament. I started the event 10 years ago because AFCOM is a place to network with other industry professionals and what better way to do that than a golf tournament!  For the last 8 years we’ve sold out registration and we’ve been receiving enough sponsorships to provide scholarships to the next generation of local data center experts!"

What is the best part of your job?

"The engineer in me loves working through challenging problems to provide clients the resilient data centers they need. The coworker in me loves working with newer staff to discuss the intricate systems needed to power and cool data centers while sharing the mistakes I’ve made over the years!"

Who are the most important internal partners you have professionally? Why?

"Our data center business unit at Dunham is a close knit group each with decades of mechanical and electrical experience. Working together in an option nature allows us to share experiences, perform honest QC checks and discuss new technologies with an open mind on how they can benefit us."

What’s the best vacation you’ve taken and what made it so awesome?

"I’ve been very fortunate to grow up in a family that loves to travel and continued that tradition with my wife and kids. From European vacations, to an educational trip to China, to family vacations in Northern Minnesota to fish in the quiet, I love the experience every vacation brings. What makes travel so fun for me these days is to watch people experience history for the first time.  Stepping into a huge cathedral, walking the Great Wall or setting foot on the beaches of Normandy are all very humbling experiences to help us understand where we’ve been and what’s important in life." 

Talk about your journey to your career today – how did you get this awesome job?

"I’ve always loved the construction industry and seeing how buildings come together. In high school and college I took HVAC classes and worked at HVAC design firms and I’ve enjoyed it ever since. My family makes fun of me for looking at the ceiling first in every building I ever enter but when you love what you do, it’s hard not to."

What’s the biggest trend you’re seeing in the data center space, outside of AI?

"Because of lead times, project size and staffing shortages, the biggest trend we see hitting almost all data center types is pre-fabrication. While this isn’t new, it has become the norm with pipe racks, cable trays, electrical rooms, and chiller plants. There are so many more contractors performing this work, so many more manufacturers offering this product and data centers of all sizes are seeing its benefits. When things are built in a flat, well lit factory, the quality increases and the people on site working on top of each other is reduces."

What do you think the data center will look like in five years?

Hyperscalers will continue to grow, new colocation providers will be created and offer the missing smaller footprints and enterprise data centers will be implementing small to medium sized AI deployments into their existing overbuilt data centers. At the end of the day a data center is still a room full of computers!!

What’s the best career advice you’ve ever been given?

"Listen. Be yourself. Communicate with everyone. Be a friend not a coworker or client"

Have you had any jobs outside of IT? If so, doing what?

"In high school I worked at a landscape nursery but ever since I’ve been in the HVAC design industry and don’t see me doing anything else for many years!"

Where is the next big data center region?

"Minnesota!!"

What is a project or initiative that you’re especially proud of in your current role? What was the impact of that project?

"Our MN chapter of AFCOM has been doing more and more outreach with Hennepin Technical College and the local workforce. It has been great to see their data center and facilities programs grown including an on-site data center for hands on rack and stack education. Our chapter has been providing scholarships and student outreach to continue supporting the next generation of experts to serve the increasing data center demand. 

In addition to student outreach, I’ve been meeting with city councils, mayors, legislators and communities to discuss what data centers are and how they benefit the people of Minnesota. I’ve enjoyed sharing my experience to debunk myths and have real conversations about these buildings that as an industry we’ve kept secret for way too long."

What does your typical day at work look like right now?

"Buried in emails!! Each day brings new challenges and successes.  From project calls to construction site visits to commissioning tasks to client calls to internal mentorship meetings, no day is the same."

What inspires you to come into work every day?

"I love what I do. Each project is different, each state we work in is different, and each owner is different and I enjoy working with the team to create the right solutions. Even when things get stressful, overwhelming or the to-do list grows to long, I know I am supported by a great team and wonderful clients."

If you could design a leadership workshop, what would you want participants to learn or walk away with?

"How to recruit volunteers

How to make company paperwork easier – taxes, insurance, etc.

How to obtain feedback from members and shape your chapter to fit their needs"

What is a non-technical skill that you use more than you ever expected?

"Communication. As an introverted engineer I’m supposed to be hiding in my cubical not giving presentations across the country!

What tips would you share with your fellow AFCOM members?

"Volunteer your time to make your local chapter better. Because each chapter event and presentation takes countless hours of planning, more hands make light work. You don’t have to give 20 hours a week but volunteer to do things you enjoy and you’re good at to make AFCOM benefit your goals."