Seasoned digital infrastructure executive will accelerate CENTRA’s next phase of growth
DALLAS, TX, UNITED STATES, August 18, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — CENTRA, a Columbia Capital backed data center developer and operator building a next generation digital infrastructure platform, today announced that Robert Crespi has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, effective July 27, 2026.
Crespi has spent his career building data center companies. He co-founded Cervalis in 2001 and built it over 15 years into a business CyrusOne acquired for approximately $400 million. At CyrusOne, he then ran portfolio management and interconnection for the company’s U.S. business through a decade of rapid expansion, responsible for how the platform performed and how it connected customers as it grew into one of the industry’s largest operators.
Crespi joins CENTRA as demand for data center capacity continues to accelerate, driven by the growth of cloud and AI. CENTRA is building interconnection into the foundation of its data centers, creating highly connected campuses designed around the growing infrastructure needs of its customers.
“Very few people know how to build a company from nothing and also run one at real scale,” said Bill Cook, Executive Chairman of CENTRA. “Bob’s done both. He built Cervalis into something CyrusOne wanted to own, then ran the interconnection and asset side of CyrusOne itself as it became one of the largest platforms in the world. That’s the leadership he’s bringing to CENTRA.”
“Interconnection is what determines whether a campus is a commodity or a destination,” said Karl Strohmeyer, CENTRA board member and former Chief Customer and Revenue Officer at Equinix.” Bob understands that as well as anyone in this business. Building that into CENTRA’s foundation, with an operator of his caliber running it, is exactly how you build a platform customers choose to grow with.”
“I’ve spent most of my career in this industry, and I see something special in CENTRA,” said Crespi. “We have strong assets, interconnection built into the foundation of what we’re building, a board that knows this business, and a team that executes. The demand in front of our industry is extraordinary, and how we meet that demand matters. We have an opportunity to build a great company, serve our customers and be a good partner to the communities where we operate. That’s what we’re going to do.”
CENTRA is developing a growing portfolio of highly connected data centers designed to serve cloud, AI, network, content and enterprise customers.
Kate Rozen
CENTRA
media@centradigital.com
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Media gallery
