HONOLULU, Hawaii U.S.A. – December 11, 2006 – DR Fortress, LLC today announced the launch of the Company, its management team, its initial investors and the acquisition of Equinix’s (Nasdaq: EQIX) Hawaii operations. The Company, formed earlier this year after an extensive analysis of the market, will provide local datacenter and commercial colocation services in the State of Hawaii. DR Fortress also announced its intention to aggressively expand operations to meet the growing demand in this underserved market.
Led by longtime industry veterans and former employees of Equinix, DR Fortress was founded by Jeff Brown, Fred Rodi, Rosa White and Vinh Do. As the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Brown drives the strategic direction of the Company. Mr. Rodi serves as the Company’s President and is focused primarily on sales and Customer support operations. Ms. White, Chief Financial Officer, manages the Company’s accounting and investment activities. Chief Technology Officer, Mr. Do, is responsible for product development and innovation.
According to Mr. Brown, “This is a strong leadership team that has the passion and experience to deliver high value services to our Customers and high value returns to our investors.”
The Company recently completed its initial round of financing raising more than $11 million USD from a diverse group of debt and equity supporters. Institutional backers include such respected organizations as SevenSeas Asset Management Co., Ltd., AIPA Properties, LLC and First Hawaiian Bank. DR Fortress also attracted a distinguished list of private investors from Hawaii, the US mainland and Japan.
“DR Fortress pairs a strong business plan with determined leadership in a market ripe for expansion,” said Sam Chung, a Principle at Peninsula Real Estate Partners and member of the DR\ Fortress Board of Directors. “That combination is a magnet for sophisticated investors.”
The Company also announced the acquisition of all Hawaii business operations from Equinix. Equinix is the leading provider of network-neutral datacenters and Internet exchange services in the continental US and Asia. Included in the transaction are a fully-leased, 11,800 square foot, purpose-built datacenter located in Honolulu and the only commercial Internet peering exchange in the State of Hawaii. All current Customers of the facility will be transitioned from Equinix to DR Fortress.
“The applications we host at DR Fortress are critical to our ability to provide our unique, unlimited wireless services to Hawaii consumers” said Bill Jarvis, President and CEO of Mobi PCS. “And as one of Hawaii’s fastest growing companies, we are very pleased that DR Fortress is focused on the local market and paving a path forward to support our ever-increasing technology needs. We look forward to a long relationship with this innovative and talented team.”
The datacenter will be managed locally by Mr. Rodi, Ms. White and Brian Cox. As the Company’s Vice President of Operations, Mr. Cox will supervise the daily activities of the datacenter as he has done since the facility was originally built in July 2000. Furthermore, to ensure complete operational continuity, all of the Equinix staff have been retained and will continue to administer the security, engineering and technology functions of the facility.
“This facility is vital to the State’s economy and technology initiatives,” said Mr. Rodi. Dozens of the area’s leading enterprises, network providers and eCommerce companies maintain their applications here. Similarly, several organizations outside of Hawaii also use the datacenter to reach audiences throughout the Pacific region. Equinix has prepared a solid foundation from which we can build a local growth business.”
DR Fortress also announced its plans to immediately increase the current capacity of the Honolulu datacenter in order to meet growing Customer demands for quality colocation space, electrical power and access to the core networks serving the State. The Company will add 75kW of critical electrical power to the colocation facility and increase cabinet capacity by 15% in the first quarter of 2007. Additional expansion opportunities are also being evaluated.
About DR Fortress
DR Fortress is a managed colocation provider focused on providing premium datacenter and Internet exchange services to enterprises, network providers and eCommerce companies from its flagship facility in Honolulu, Hawaii. Locally managed and privately financed, DR Fortress was founded in March 2006. Institutional investors include First Hawaiian Bank and SevenSeas Asset Management Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of SevenSeas Holdings Co., Ltd. (TSE: 3750). Additional information is available at www.drfortress.com
Press Contact
Fred Rodi
DR Fortress
Telephone: 808.528.7500
Email: fred@drfortress.com