About us

We’re Your Infrastructure Partner for Responsible Data Center Growth

Atherra helps data centers grow more efficiently by integrating thermal energy reuse, sustainable agriculture, and community-centered development into a unified infrastructure model designed for long-term growth.

Our Story

Where
it all began

Atherra began with a simple belief: the infrastructure powering the future should create value for the communities around it.

Our team first demonstrated this by developing a system that captures and repurposes thermal energy from high-density compute environments to support controlled-environment agriculture.

As AI and digital infrastructure continue expanding, we believe there is an opportunity to build smarter, more connected systems—ones that improve operational efficiency while supporting local food production, skilled jobs, and stronger regional infrastructure.

Today, Atherra is helping scale that vision into a new model for long-term infrastructure growth.

The Integration of

Two Industries

Atherra brings together digital infrastructure and controlled-environment agriculture through an integrated infrastructure model designed to improve efficiency, optimize resource utilization, and create long-term regional value.

By combining thermal energy reuse with sustainable food production, our systems transform captured thermal output into a productive resource that supports both infrastructure performance and community resilience.

Captured thermal energy supports greenhouse operations, while water and energy are continuously optimized across the system through a closed-loop approach.

The result is a more connected infrastructure model with measurable benefits for operators, communities, and regional development.

Our model helps data centers:

lower mechanical PUE
improve operational efficiency
expand deployment opportunities
strengthen community alignment

At the same time, communities benefit from:

year-round local food production
skilled workforce development
stronger regional infrastructure
more resilient local supply systems

Building What's Next

As demand for AI and cloud computing grows, so does the need for smarter, more efficient infrastructure.

Atherra is helping make thermal energy reuse a standard part of next-generation data center design—improving efficiency while supporting stronger communities, more resilient food systems, and long-term infrastructure sustainability.

Because building what’s next shouldn’t come at the cost of what matters.

Data can power the future—and strengthen the communities behind it.

Our Team

Atherra brings together leaders across digital infrastructure, energy systems, policy, engineering, and sustainable agriculture.

Our team is united by a shared belief that the next generation of infrastructure should create lasting value for both businesses and the communities they serve.

Jay Jorgensen

Founder & CEO

Jay leads Atherra’s vision for a new category of sustainable infrastructure—AI-ready data centers that recycle waste heat to grow food. With 15+ years in land acquisition, utility negotiations, and energy strategy, he has helped pioneer the intersection of digital infrastructure and agriculture.

He’s raised and deployed over $20M and led one of Idaho’s first demand-response programs for data centers. From site selection to government affairs, Jay has led full-cycle data center development with an eye toward innovation, impact, and scalability.

As Founder, he drives strategic partnerships, technology direction, and growth as Atherra scales into new markets.

Aaron Symbolik

President

Aaron brings 20+ years of executive experience leading revenue strategy and scaling high-growth technology companies. A former Marine Corps Sniper, he began his business career at Paychex before joining Paylocity, where he helped drive the IPO and ranked among the top sales performers nationwide. He later served as CRO at White Glove, positioning it for a successful private equity acquisition.

A serial entrepreneur with multiple exits, Aaron now serves as Atherra’s President, applying a CEO mindset to operations, execution, team building, and mission-driven scale. Drawn to the company’s mission of advancing sustainable food and energy infrastructure, he’s committed to leading with purpose and performance.

Matt Diamond

Chief Financial Officer

Matt is an accomplished finance leader with 15+ years of experience across corporate finance, investment banking, treasury, tax, and capital markets research. He previously worked with a $2 billion private equity firm focused on sustainable agriculture and food technology investments, leading underwriting, financial planning, and performance monitoring across large-scale land holdings. He also held senior roles at JPMorgan and Citi, advising on billion-dollar transactions. Matt is a CFA, CPA, and data science certificate holder.

As Atherra’s Chief Financial Officer, Matt oversees financial operations, strategic planning, and tax optimization, bringing an entrepreneur’s mindset and a CPA’s financial expertise to the company’s long-term growth strategy.

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Colleen Moore

VP of Business Development

Colleen is a proven sales leader with 20+ years of experience driving revenue and market growth across technology, infrastructure, and real estate. At Honeywell, she led Fortune 500 partnerships and secured multi-year sustainability and energy-efficiency contracts. At View Inc., she closed major infrastructure deals with Google, Apple, Salesforce, and LinkedIn.

Colleen has an established reputation as a sales strategist known for exceeding targets, developing high-performance teams, and delivering consistent top-tier results. Her innovative approach to sustainability-driven sales significantly increased contract renewals and positioned the company for competitive wins.

She also brings valuable experience from her previous roles at HydroPoint Data Systems, CleanFish, TruGreen, Eli Lilly, and Coca-Cola.

Tommy Jorgensen

VP of Project Management

Tommy is a senior executive with 20+ years of experience in commercial lending, small-business development, and operational leadership. As a Vice President at regional banks, he built multi-million-dollar loan portfolios, led branch operations, and guided entrepreneurs through SBA and commercial financing.

At Atherra, Tommy plays a pivotal role in scaling the company’s innovative developments. He has helped secure key grant and loan funding, established vendor relationships, and supported investor-facing initiatives. His experience owning and operating a multi-state digital media franchise further reflects his entrepreneurial mindset and ability to execute under pressure.

Tommy now leads cross-functional efforts to manage site builds, oversee operational readiness, and align execution to the long-term vision.

Alicia Atkinson

Chief of Staff

Alicia Atkinson is an operations and organizational strategy leader with over a decade of experience in executive operations, leadership development, and systems optimization. Her background includes strategic planning and cross-functional leadership across technology, infrastructure, and service-based industries.

Known for translating vision into execution, Alicia brings operational clarity to high-growth organizations. At Atherra, she collaborates with executive leadership to drive strategic initiatives, organizational alignment, and scalable execution across the company’s expanding infrastructure ecosystem as it advances sustainable AI, energy, and data center development.

Nina Sadighi

Technical Advisor

Nina Sadighi is a nationally recognized power systems engineer and mission-critical infrastructure strategist with over two decades of experience designing high-reliability electrical solutions for advanced industrial and digital facilities, including senior roles at Tesla and Amazon. A licensed Professional Engineer and Senior Member of IEEE, she works at the intersection of grid resilience and next-generation energy systems.

Nina Sadighi, leads our technical vision for grid infrastructure, microgrids, and distributed energy systems. She oversees feasibility, design, and interconnection strategy across all projects while ensuring safety, reliability, and compliance. This role sits at the intersection of energy engineering, project development, regulatory navigation, and commercial structuring. Nina partners closely with land, finance, legal, and construction teams to evaluate sites, shape project economics, and guide technical inputs for PPAs. She manages engineering execution from concept through commissioning, directing both internal teams and external partners. Ultimately, Nina ensures our energy projects are engineered to deliver long-term performance, resiliency, and value.

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Julie Thompson

Commercial Advisor

Julie Thompson is an energy and infrastructure executive with over two decades of experience originating and executing complex commercial transactions across the North American energy sector. Her work spans joint ventures, power purchase agreements (PPAs), tolling arrangements, collaboration and joint development agreements, midstream dedications, and mergers and acquisitions. She brings deep expertise in corporate development and strategic partnerships supporting large-scale infrastructure across energy, water, and commercial and industrial systems with onsite generation in both regulated and deregulated markets.

As Commercial Advisor to Atherra, Julie supports the company’s commercial strategy and partnership development for next-generation energy and digital infrastructure. She works with leadership to structure innovative agreements, navigate evolving power markets, and advance scalable energy solutions designed to support high-growth AI and data center loads.

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John Picard

Advisor

John Picard is a leading environmental consultant, architect, and design innovator pioneering sustainable solutions at the intersection of technology, natural systems, and the built environment. He has led transformative projects for Fortune 500 companies and destinations such as Aria City Center, Grand Wailea, the Greening of the White House, and LEED Platinum Hangar 25. A frontier technology and data center leader since eBay’s Topaz facility, he now guides gigawatt-scale projects and engineers next-generation energy systems, microgrids, and digital twins.

John's work is defined by looking around the corner to envision what the future can be, enabling better decisions today that transform not just buildings but entire industries and communities for a sustainable tomorrow.

Our Advisors

Our team is backed by a network of trusted advisors. Their guidance helps us think bigger, move smarter, and stay true to our mission.

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What Guides Us

Our guiding principles are more than just value statements, they’re commitments that shape how we build, partner, and grow. Our principles are more than values—they shape how we build, partner, and grow.

Lead with Purpose.

We’re intentional on what we focus on and our impact. Everything we do ties back to solving real problems for food systems, energy use, and communities.

Put People First.

Technology is only valuable when it improves lives. We design thoughtfully, listen carefully, and measure success by the strength of the communities we help support.

Stay Grounded in  Science.

We build with rigor, not assumptions. Our work is informed by research, engineering, thermal modeling, and real-world performance—grounded in data and inspired by natural systems.

Earn Trust Through Actions.

We believe credibility is built through execution. We communicate clearly, follow through consistently, and let results speak louder than hype.

Build for the Future Responsibly.

We design systems intended to support long-term environmental, economic, and community resilience. Our approach balances ambitious thinking with practical implementation.

Move with Intention.

We prioritize thoughtful progress over unnecessary complexity. No gimmicks. No shortcuts. Just solutions designed to create lasting value for people, infrastructure, and the world around us.

Careers

We’re building infrastructure designed to create lasting value for communities, industries, and the future they share.

We’re always looking for thoughtful people who want to help shape the future of infrastructure, sustainability, and community resilience.

Whether you’re interested in collaborating, building alongside us, or supporting our long-term vision, we’d love to connect.

Join Our Mission

Reach out to connect with us. We’re always excited to meet talented people who share our vision.

Get in Touch

We’re here to help you navigate your site selection and waste heat reuse options. Get in touch to discuss your site specific needs and how one of our built to suit solutions can help.

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