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New hire will help recruit, retain tech talent in San Antonio – San Antonio Express-News


Backed by taxpayer dollars, advocacy group Tech Bloc has hired a new executive to help find and retain tech talent in San Antonio.

The aim, industry and government officials say, is to connect locals with tech skills and companies looking to hire.

Dax Moreno replaces Jeannine Wild, a former Rackspace recruiter who was hired for the position of chief talent and recruitment officer this spring. She later stepped down due to medical reasons, said Tech Bloc CEO David Heard.

Moreno, 38, previously worked as the executive director of programs and ecosystem development at co-working space Geekdom. He also developed their Community Fund, which provides seed funding for startups.

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In addition, he worked with the city’s Office of Innovation on civic program CivTechSA, spent seven years at Rackspace and has held various roles at several other tech companies.

Moreno said the job appealed to him because it combines his professional experience and his personal interests. It’s a way to help locals find opportunities and develop their skills, he added, and to attract outside talent and companies.

“It’s the people element,” he said. “Building something that will attract them, that will keep them here in San Antonio or welcome them to San Antonio — at the end of the day, that’s the most exciting thing for me.”

Moreno will serve as a matchmaker between people looking for tech jobs or training and employers looking for workers. His job is to talk to companies about their hiring needs and connect them with strong job candidates as well as work with recruitment firms. He will also assist with bigger economic development efforts and events such as job fairs.

In addition, Moreno is expected to set up a database of people looking for tech jobs. They’ll be able to upload their resumes and search a job board. Tech Bloc is looking at sponsorships and charging companies for access to the database, Moreno said.

The position is funded by a total of $300,000 from Bexar County and the city, with each providing half the amount. Heard said “at least half” of the public funds will pay for the position, though declined to provide further details.

The goal is to make Moreno’s position self-sustaining, Heard said, and Moreno will be looking for revenue sources.

The position appealed to the city because it’s an industry-led initiative that addresses the need for more tech workers, and all businesses will be able to use the repository, said Rene Dominguez, director of the city’s economic development department.

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With the city’s $150,000, officials developed performance criteria for the job, such as the number of registered IT workers and employers in the database, Dominguez said. As part of their agreement, Moreno will develop an action plan with updated criteria, Dominguez said. After reviewing it, the city will start processing payments, he said.

Tech Bloc will also provide Bexar County with reports on how the funding is being used, including details on enrollment of IT workers and employers and job placements, according to the grant agreement between the parties.

“We need to grow our tech talent base as a springboard to more tech job creation and income opportunities for our local workforce,” Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said in a news release. “Every single time we recruit a tech company to San Antonio, one of their first questions is, ‘Are we going to be able to hire enough local tech talent to meet our business needs?’”

Moreno will help businesses that don’t have the resources to hire top-notch recruiters, said Bret Piatt, CEO of San Antonio-based cybersecurity company Jungle Disk. From an employer’s perspective, Piatt said, the database will save him time in the hiring process.

Moreno will also be spreading the word about San Antonio, Piatt said.

“Part of San Antonio’s challenge has been getting out there and telling our story,” he said. “(Moreno) can go out there and tell the story and talk about the opportunities that are here.”

Yousef Kassim, founder and CEO of Easy Expunctions, a local business that provides services for clearing criminal records, said the position “is needed” and Moreno is a great fit. Moreno is plugged in to the local tech sector, he said.

The repository and job board are “especially fitting for our tech community because we’re a really collaborative community,” Kassim said.

madison.iszler@express-news.net | @madisoniszler



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