CBRE announces the hiring of Brett Severson to join the Data Center Solutions team. The new role expands CBRE’s presence in the data center market — a fast-growing sector nationwide. Severson will focus on data center requirements in the Minneapolis and upper Midwest markets. He joins more than 100 other professionals on CBRE’s international data center team.

Prior to joining CBRE, Severson started the Minneapolis/St. Paul data center practice group for Jones Lang LaSalle. Since then, Brett has executed more than 400,000 square feet and 9MW’s of data center transactions on behalf of clients and led the creation of JLL’s Minneapolis/St. Paul data center research initiative.

“We are excited that Brett is joining our CBRE team in Minneapolis. His expertise in the data center space will be a great additive service line in the booming data center field,” said Blake Hastings, managing director of CBRE’s Minneapolis office.

Technology, financial services, health care and social media companies are driving the demand for data centers nationwide, according to the latest research from CBRE. Minneapolis is an emerging market where the cost for power and space is still moderate compared to peers.

“CBRE’s Data Center Practice views the Minneapolis/ St. Paul region as a high growth market for our data center services,” said Pat Lynch, managing director of CBRE Data Center Solutions. “The addition of Brett Severson solidifies our opportunities to service existing clients and significantly grow new client opportunities in this emerging and key US data center market.”