Mike McDaniel, pilot, and project manager

Mike McDaniel serves as a Senior Project Development Manager on the Diode Ventures team.  Mike’s background in business and administration, real estate, operations, and even private piloting helps him excel in his day-to-day responsibilities at Diode.

Mike began his career at H&R Block assisting in the development of one of the company's enterprise data centers, which piqued his interest in learning more about the data center industry and processes.

After the initial project with H&R Block, Mike helped develop, operate and construct facilities in the mission critical industry and eventually became a Critical Facility Manager, managing several data centers throughout the Kansas City Metro area. In this role, he was responsible for maintenance of the building and established a new method to ensure all operations throughout the facility were secure and functioning normally. Physical inspections were crucial, as they were able to point out potential issues that the automated warnings couldn’t always pick up. The procedure included thorough walk-throughs every 8 hours, among other continuous monitoring. Mike attributed his success to the rigor it took to obtain his Private Pilot license, which instilled in him the value of extensive training and following procedures.

Now, as he develops projects at Diode, Mike has the tools to provide reliable mission critical infrastructure that supports clients and communities. His experience, from rezoning through construction, dealing with financials, and also navigating issues such as power, water and fiber, has proven beneficial. His attention to detail, in operations and flying, and his endurance in project development, keeps Mike developing policies and procedures in his development role.