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Hands On Heroes with Valerie Crafton
Val Crafton
27 episodes
2 days ago
As the Voice for the people who build, innovate, and sustain mission-critical infrastructure, Hands-On Heroes introduces the Podcast Host, Val Crafton who is The Voice of Grit — a trailblazer at the intersection of technology, trades, and transformation. With over two decades in mission-critical construction, she’s made it her purpose to amplify the people behind the progress — the builders, engineers, and innovators shaping our digital world. Val bridges the gap between boardrooms and jobsites, showing that the future of infrastructure isn’t just powered by data, it’s built by people.
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Technology
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As the Voice for the people who build, innovate, and sustain mission-critical infrastructure, Hands-On Heroes introduces the Podcast Host, Val Crafton who is The Voice of Grit — a trailblazer at the intersection of technology, trades, and transformation. With over two decades in mission-critical construction, she’s made it her purpose to amplify the people behind the progress — the builders, engineers, and innovators shaping our digital world. Val bridges the gap between boardrooms and jobsites, showing that the future of infrastructure isn’t just powered by data, it’s built by people.
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Technology
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Redefining What’s Possible in Data Center Development
Hands On Heroes with Valerie Crafton
57 minutes 42 seconds
1 week ago
Redefining What’s Possible in Data Center Development

Luke Kipfer's career path reads like a blueprint for the future of infrastructure leadership—starting at 18 cleaning condenser coils on Liebert units, pivoting through operations, retail colo, and hyperscale development, and now shaping strategy in one of the industry's fastest-growing platforms. His story isn't just about climbing the ladder. It's about understanding every rung—and knowing when to step off and build something better.


In this conversation, Luke opens up about the power of non-traditional pathways, the underrated skill of grit, and why the biggest constraint facing the industry today—workforce development—might actually be the thing that forces us to get smarter, faster, and more sustainable. From building diverse teams to navigating the unknowns of nuclear-powered sites and megawatt-scale racks, this episode digs into what it really takes to lead through constant change.


Key Themes:

  • Why going into the trades after high school was the best decision Luke ever made—and how taking care of the basics (sleep, exercise, mental health) sets you up to show up fully at work
  • The myth of the "secret formula" in hyperscale development—and why total transparency across projects could revolutionize how the industry learns and scales
  • How building teams with diverse backgrounds (from hyperscalers, developers, contractors, and operators) creates the "secret sauce" for innovation
  • Why culture isn't a perk—it's a retention strategy, and in a hiring market where everyone is looking for talent, it's the deciding factor
  • The radical shifts happening in site selection, power strategies, and community engagement as data centers move into rural markets that have never seen this kind of infrastructure before


Connect with Luke Kipfer:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lukekipfer/


This episode is powered by Black Hydrovac, experts in non-destructive digging and utility protection for mission-critical sites. Learn more at blackhydrovac.com.


Powered by Mod42, Modular, efficient, and rapidly deployable data center buildings designed for the modern enterprise


Apply to be a Guest or Sponsor and follow along:

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Connect with Mara:

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Connect with Val:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-crafton-mba-0362b816/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Hands On Heroes with Valerie Crafton
As the Voice for the people who build, innovate, and sustain mission-critical infrastructure, Hands-On Heroes introduces the Podcast Host, Val Crafton who is The Voice of Grit — a trailblazer at the intersection of technology, trades, and transformation. With over two decades in mission-critical construction, she’s made it her purpose to amplify the people behind the progress — the builders, engineers, and innovators shaping our digital world. Val bridges the gap between boardrooms and jobsites, showing that the future of infrastructure isn’t just powered by data, it’s built by people.