Chuck Lysack Unboxed: Retirement, Take Three

THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 2026

The basis for Skybox’s success lies in the hard work and achievement of our employees. We are highlighting each of our team members from various departments to share their impact on Skybox and what makes them the heartbeat of our organization.

“I’ve had the honor of working with Chuck since 2014, when he was one of our first clients at NRG and trusted us early on when that trust mattered most. As a customer, I saw firsthand his drive, talent, work ethic, and genuine character. Years later, I was humbled to have the opportunity to work alongside him when he joined the Skybox team. He’s one of the hardest-working people I know, and having him on our team has truly been a gift.”

— Rob Morris, CEO

How did you get into the data center industry?

Before I ever got into this industry, I spent about 20 years in firefighting and EMS, so technology was actually my second career. My path into it really tracks the rise of the internet itself: I started in 2000, just as the boom was getting going. I'd always been into computers, but early on I was more of a drawing person. I even designed an ambulance for our city's fire department, and the manufacturer turned my drawing into a CAD file and built the vehicle to my exact dimensions.

After about two decades, I left the fire service to begin a new career in technology. I learned the trade from the ground up, traveling the country for high-end training, and moved up the ladder quickly. I started as a network engineer working routers, switches, firewalls, and optical gear. Then I became the U.S. network manager for a company with operations all over the country: power plants, call centers, solar sites, wind farms. From there I spent about eight years as an IT architect, taking projects turnkey from cradle to grave: ordering fiber; procuring equipment and furniture; designing networks, data centers, and offices; working with the facilities team; managing project budgets; restructuring offices; and building data centers. In my last couple of years before I retired, I managed data centers, AV, network, and telecom.

Then I retired, and loved it. But about a year out, a close friend and former manager talked me into unretiring for a ten-month stretch. I retired again, and then Rob called. We had a conversation, and now I'm here. It's been nothing but enjoyable.

What is one thing we don't know about you?

When I was young, my second job, after working in an ice plant at 15, was at a skating rink, where I worked all through my high school years. I even took up speed skating for a short stretch, but my real role there was being the rink's DJ. This was the height of the disco era, which made for some of the best skating music there ever was. I could even do a move called "Crazy Legs."

What makes working for Skybox different?

It's difficult to put into words, because most companies simply aren't like this, but it comes down to how genuinely they care about their staff. I've retired twice, which should tell you I'm a bit older and have spent 45 years in the workforce. I met Rob, Travis, and Gordon, along with their close partner Tom, when they were first beginning the endeavor that became Skybox, and my two closest colleagues and I were incredibly impressed by all of them.

Over the months that followed, as we weighed our options before choosing Skybox as our data center company, we kept asking ourselves: are these guys really this honest? In Corporate America, that's almost unheard of. I hold a hard-and-fast rule about the difference between a vendor and a partner, and I could tell plenty of stories on that subject, but I can promise you these men were, and are, true partners. What we saw made the decision easy.

A few years after I retired, they were gracious enough to call and ask if I'd help with some new projects. We talked, I agreed, and now that I'm on the inside, I get to watch that same care unfold across the entire staff. It's honestly a sight to behold, and a rarity in the world of business.

Do you have a favorite project or lesson learned at Skybox?

I don't know that I have a single favorite project, what I really enjoy is the process, and working alongside the younger folks, most of them around my kids' age, who are absolutely brilliant. If I had to name a favorite thing, it's watching our staff operate, along with some of the third-party support we bring on. In a large pool of talent, a few are absolute standouts, genuinely gifted at what they do. Getting to observe that kind of talent up close is both enjoyable and educational, and I learn something from it all the time.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The autonomy. My 20 years in firefighting and EMS are where I really learned to solve problems, decisions had to be made fast, and indecision simply wasn't acceptable. I've carried that mindset through the two-plus decades I've spent in this business. I'm self-sufficient by nature, and Skybox lets me work that way. That freedom to identify opportunities and issues, and either help others resolve them or address them myself, is what makes the work genuinely enjoyable.

What is your favorite way to spend your time off?

Most of it goes to family. My wife and I have been married 38 years, with three grown children (ages 32, 34, and 36) and two grandkids, a 6-year-old grandson and a 3-year-old granddaughter, who get the lion's share of my attention these days. Beyond that, I love a good round of golf. The hobby that surprises people is milling logs. A friend of mine has a large mill I'll help out on now and then, and I've also got an Alaskan chainsaw mill, which is perfect for slabbing wood for tables and the like. I stay pretty busy, so most of my milling is for friends: if someone's got a log and wants to build a table or another project, I'm usually happy to help.

If you had to choose one "toxic trait" for yourself, what would it be?

Telling someone a "quick story" that turns into a 20-minute one, just ask my wife, and I suspect a few of the people I work with would back her up. I'm not a great storyteller, and I know it, but I do keep trying from time to time. Haha!