Potentia Inc. has promoted Ilich Vahimi to Chief Commercial Officer and appointed Arvin Sukhija as Chief Development Officer as it expands its operations following the start of construction on Heartland Industrial Park in Sullivan County, Indiana.
Potentia, the industrial park’s master developer, is preparing to bring additional large-scale projects to market as demand for power-ready industrial sites continues to grow. Heartland is a 1,000-acre property adjacent to the Merom Generating Station that is expected to drive $65 billion in total investment by tenants and partners and create 2,750 construction jobs and 500 permanent positions.
“Ilich and Arvin give us the leadership we need to execute on what’s ahead,” said Rich McCrea, Founder and CEO of Potentia. “Ilich has been instrumental in making our vision come to life, and his promotion is a recognition of what he’s already doing and a bet on what he’ll deliver. Arvin has helped determine where billions of dollars of infrastructure investment go, and his perspective is valuable as we source and advance new sites. Together, they will help us grow responsibly and provide lasting economic value to the communities and industries we serve.”
Vahimi, who joined Potentia early last year as Executive Vice President of Strategic Acquisitions, has overseen the master development of Heartland Industrial Park and additional projects the company has explored and originated.
Before joining Potentia, Vahimi spent three years at Compass Datacenters and 15 years at Martin Selig Real Estate, one of the largest private commercial real estate developers in the Pacific Northwest. His experience in capital partnerships, government relations, infrastructure delivery, and commercial negotiations reflects the depth of knowledge it takes to execute projects at the scale Potentia is pursuing.
“In my experience, I’ve found that the projects that run the smoothest are the ones where the developer put as much effort into the early-stage work as it did into the construction itself,” Vahimi said. “We’ve already realized the benefits of having our commercial strategy, infrastructure planning, and community investment aligned from the start. My focus now is making sure that the successes we’ve achieved at Heartland carry forward to every industrial park we pursue.”
Sukhija, who will lead Potentia’s development, joins the company from Google, where he was responsible for identifying long-term infrastructure strategy and securing capacity amid its data center expansion. He has more than two decades of experience in technology infrastructure, including six years at Microsoft as Director of Cloud Infrastructure Supply Strategy and Planning.
“I joined Potentia because it has operated on a power-first model from the start, and that’s an approach very few industrial developers are taking,” Sukhija said. “More and more, power availability and timing determine whether a project advances or sits idle. Having spent years evaluating sites for the hyperscalers, my goal is to apply that experience to help Potentia deliver on its commitments to the tenants and to the communities where it builds.”
Potentia is privately capitalized and has declined all tax abatements for Heartland Industrial Park, which is among the largest private infrastructure investments in Indiana history. The company has committed $50 million toward local infrastructure and community initiatives in Sullivan County, along with $4.5 million in charitable contributions and a 15-acre land donation for a new fire station.
For more information on Potentia, visit https://www.potentia.inc.
About Potentia
Potentia develops large-scale industrial campuses engineered to deliver gigawatt-scale power for the most demanding tenants on the planet. Our campuses feature advanced power distribution, modern cooling infrastructure, and flexible configurations designed to support data centers, advanced manufacturing, logistics, and other high-demand operations. Backed by top-tier technical advisors and strategic partnerships, Potentia is committed to grid-responsible power delivery, environmental stewardship, and lasting community investment.
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