1547 and Harrison Street Acquire DRFortress, Hawaii’s Leading Carrier-Neutral Data Center

Strategic Investment Expands Digital Infrastructure Platform Across the Pacific

fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty (1547), a leading owner and operator of data centers, and Harrison Street, a leading investment management firm exclusively focused on alternative real assets with approximately $55 billion in assets under management, announced the acquisition of DRFortress, Hawaii’s largest carrier-neutral data center, from GI Partners.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250403441566/en/

GI Partners initially acquired a majority interest in DRFortress in January 2020 in partnership with co-founders Fred Rodi and Rosa White. Under GI’s ownership, DRFortress has nearly doubled its colocation capacity, strengthening its leadership in Hawaii’s digital infrastructure landscape. The new partnership between 1547 and Harrison Street aims to build on that legacy, supporting DRFortress’ continued growth.

"Hawaii serves as a strategic gateway for connectivity in the Pacific, and DRFortress has established itself as a vital interconnection hub for businesses and global networks alike," said J. Todd Raymond, CEO & Managing Director of 1547. "By bringing DRFortress into our connectivity-focused platform, we’re expanding customer access to cloud providers, submarine cable systems, and international markets—while maintaining its carrier-neutral foundation and continuing to scale to meet growing demand."

The existing DRFortress leadership team will remain in place following the acquisition, promoting the continuity of the business, the team, and trusted service for customers and operating partners. Founders Fred Rodi and Rosa White will continue to lead day-to-day operations, reinforcing the company’s longstanding commitment to Hawaii’s business and technology community while maintaining its focus on delivering high-quality data center services.

“Investing in essential digital infrastructure that meets the growing demand for secure, high-capacity interconnection is core to our strategy,” said Michael Borchetta, Managing Director at Harrison Street. “DRFortress plays a significant role in supporting businesses across Hawaii and the broader APAC region, and we look forward to working alongside 1547 to expand its services.”

“Over the past five years, we’ve been proud to support DRFortress’ growth as Hawaii’s leading interconnection hub,” said Mark Prybutok, Managing Director and Head of Data Infrastructure at GI Partners. “Fred, Rosa, and the entire DRFortress team have built an exceptional platform, and we are confident that 1547 and Harrison Street are the right development partners to lead its continued success.”

“This next chapter with 1547 and Harrison Street represents a great opportunity for DRFortress and our customers,” said Rosa White, Co-President, CFO, and co-founder of DRFortress. “With added scale, investment, and expertise, we’ll be able to expand our services and reach while staying true to our mission of delivering world-class infrastructure solutions to businesses throughout Hawaii.”

Bank Street Group LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP served as legal advisor to GI Partners and DRFortress. DLA Piper served as legal advisor to 1547 Critical Systems and Harrison Street.

For more information about 1547 Critical Systems Realty and DRFortress, please visit https://1547realty.com/ or https://drfortress.com.

About fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty

fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty ("1547") is a developer, operator, and owner of highly interconnected, custom-designed data centers with over 1.25 million square feet of space under management throughout North America. The company’s portfolio includes carrier hotels and connectivity hubs that provide tailored, mission-critical connectivity solutions. Learn more at https://1547realty.com.

About Harrison Street

Harrison Street is one of the leading investment management firms exclusively focused on alternative real assets. Since inception in 2005, the firm has created a series of differentiated investment solutions focused on demographic-driven, needs-based assets. The firm has invested across senior housing, student housing, build-to-rent, healthcare delivery, life sciences, and storage real estate as well as social, utility and digital infrastructure. Headquartered in Chicago and London, with offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia, the firm has approximately 290 employees and US $55 billion in assets under management on behalf of institutional investors across the globe. Harrison Street was awarded Best Places to Work by Pensions & Investments for ten years (2014-2020, 2022, 2023, 2024) and since 2019 has won 16 awards from PERE, including the 2024 Award: Alternatives Investor of the Year - Global. Harrison Street did not pay any compensation in exchange for the aforementioned awards, but all applicants paid a submission fee for “Best Places to Work”. For more information, please visit www.harrisonst.com. Assets under management (“AUM”) reflects AUM for the firm’s investment advisory and asset management clients.

About DRFortress

Founded in 2006, DRFortress is Hawaii’s largest carrier-neutral data center and cloud services provider, operating a 65,000+ square foot facility in Honolulu with over 800 racks. It serves as the state’s digital hub with the highest concentration of IP carriers and networks. Learn more at www.drfortress.com.

About GI Partners

Founded in 2001, GI Partners is a private investment firm with over 180 employees and offices in San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Chicago, Greenwich, Scottsdale, and London. The firm has raised more than $45 billion in capital and invests on behalf of leading institutional investors around the world through its private equity, real estate, and data infrastructure strategies. The private equity strategy invests primarily in companies in the healthcare, services, and software sectors. The real estate strategy focuses primarily on technology and life sciences properties as well as other specialized types of real estate. The data infrastructure strategy invests primarily in hard asset infrastructure businesses underpinning the digital economy. For more information, please visit www.gipartners.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250403441566/en/

Congratulations to DRFortress on joining forces with 1547 and Harrison Street. This strategic acquisition supports continued growth and expands access to critical digital infrastructure throughout Hawaii and the broader Pacific region.