Beyond Generators – Building Energy Ecosystems for Tomorrow

Beyond Generators – Building Energy Ecosystems for Tomorrow

From Not Your Father’s Data Center by Compass Datacenters

November 4, 2025 · 25 min · Episode 46

About this episode

The episode features a discussion on Generac's evolution and its entry into the data center market with high-capacity generators.

In this episode, Raymond Hawkins, Chief Revenue Officer at Compass Datacenters, sits down with Brad Meissner, Director of Product Management at Generac and proud Milwaukee native. Brad shares his journey from growing up as a farm kid in southeast Wisconsin to earning a mechanical engineering degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and ultimately leading Generac’s industrial stationary generator line. The discussion explores Generac’s bold entrance into the data center market with the recent launch of high-capacity (2.25–3.25 MW) generator sets—addressing pressing supply chain and lead time challenges within mission-critical power. Brad delves into Generac’s evolution from primarily consumer backup power solutions into a fully-fledged energy technology company, including strategic acquisitions in smart controls and microgrid systems. The conversation also highlights Generac’s agility in manufacturing, its commitment to local production in Wisconsin, advances in monitoring and managed services, and the growing role of sustainable fuels like HVO. Timestamped Overview 00:00 Intro & Brad’s Generac Career Journey 04:38 Celebrating Generact at Summer Fest 07:58 Evolving…

People in this episode

Host: Raymond Hawkins

Guest: Brad Meissner

Topics covered

  • energy ecosystems
  • data center market
  • sustainable fuels
  • manufacturing agility
  • strategic acquisitions
  • power solutions

Keywords

  • Generac
  • data center
  • energy technology
  • supply chain
  • sustainable fuels
  • power solutions
  • Wisconsin
  • microgrid systems

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Generac, Compass Datacenters

Products: high-capacity generator sets, HVO

Books & works: Summer Fest

Places: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, UK

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