Dallas Innovates - The [Tech] Talent Issue 2019

SPECIAL EDITION 2019 D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S . C O M

THE [TECH ] TALENT ISSUE HOW COMPANIES, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY MAKE DALLAS-FORT WORTH A FORCE FOR THE FUTURE

SPONSORED BY

STEPHEN BOHANON, FOUNDER OF ALKAMI

Out with the old, in with the optimal When businesses get caught up in the old ways, they overlook their most valuable asset—their people.

Getting the most out of your people means treating them as more than just human capital. There’s a new, more innovative way to approach people management.

The best way to learn about it?

Join us at OPTIMA 2019 The world’s first talent optimization conference.

November 20th - 22nd in Boston.

OPTIMA Speakers Billy Beane, EVP of Oakland Athletics and Creator of Moneyball Mel Robbins, Author, The 5-Second Rule David Cancel, CEO of Drift Meghan Joyce, Former GM of the Americas at Uber

OPTIMACONFERENCE.COM

Daniel Muzquiz President The Predictive Index

At Match, we’re using technology to enable one of the most human experiences possible: the quest for love and human connection.

Texas-based Hypergiant Industries is an artificial intelligence products and service company that says it’s on track to be one of the fastest tech companies to reach $100M in realized revenue. The startup aims to use emerging technologies to solve “humanity’s biggest challenges” and make it to easier to analyze data from space.

The startup, with a board that includes science advisor Bill Nye, has an office in Dallas, but don’t expect to stop by any time soon. CEO and Founder Ben Lamm says since most of Hypergiant’s work is “incredibly cutting-edge and highly confidential,” the locations aren’t marked and even require security to enter. R&D departments—home to projects like a full-blown algae farm—aren’t open at all. But a sneak peek inside reveals a future-meets-past ’50s-era laboratory feel. Lamm believes in a “culture of innovation,” and it shows. There’s a pod structure for teams, ‘war rooms’ for projects, and holographic briefcases that share the brand story. It’s a space that “nods to your favorite hotel and the spaceship you want to live on,” Lamm says.

2

[ TI TE ICOHN] T A L E N T I S S U E D A L L A S I N N O V A T E S | |2 0 T 1 9H EE D

|

2019

Find other inspiring workspaces in our Office Envy feature that starts on page

14

7

CONTENTS T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E | 2 0 1 9

ONBOARD 7 Tech Mecca Dallas-Fort Worth ranks as the nation’s fifth-fastest growing high-tech job creator.

8 ‘All Companies are Tech Companies” A diverse employer base makes the region a destination for top talent and millennials.

9 Cybersecurity On the Rise Area firms are working to combat emerging threats.

10 Start Me Up Top talent with an appetite for risks and rewards can be at home at a North Texas startup.

11 Looking for a Job? You’ve come to the right place.

P H OTO C O U R T E S Y O F H Y P E R G I A N T

12 Making the Team Top companies share advice for prospective employees.

13 Mission Matters For a combination of passion and purpose, consider a nonprofit: It might be a perfect career move.

52 Education Matters to Business Fueling the high-tech pipeline starts at every level of education.

WORK/LIFE

23

55 Meet Your Makers This nonprofit is called the “world’s largest makerspace of its kind.”

FEATURE

TALENT POOL

14 Office Envy A company’s office is more than just workspace—it’s a reflection of its culture, and one of the most important tools for attracting and retaining top talent. Take a visual tour of rewardStyle, Toyota, Capital One, The Richards Group, and more.

37 Hack Culture Asterisk’s hackathons meet a variety of needs for its clients, ranging from problem-solving to recruiting job candidates.

23 A Case of the Mondays?

(Not if these six firms have anything to do about it.)

These Dallas-Fort Worth tech firms are primed to maximize culture and innovation.

44 Cultivating a Solid Pipeline Dallas-Fort Worth is a deep talent pool from which we can draw. That’s something all companies—large and small— and nonprofits depend on.

38 Meaning, Mission, Immersion Here’s how the Dallas region draws top IT talent.

EDUCATION 47 Robotics Rock Stars The world’s largest robotics competition is headed back to Dallas for the first time in a decade.

48 Future World Universities are preparing tech workers for the rapidly changing world.

48

56 The Story of Us Where to meet the like-minded to talk tech and start stuff in DFW. 61 Coworking Collaboration The region has 3.4 million square feet of coworking space. Here are four niche communities that stand out.

RIPPLE EFFECT 96 The Heart of a Company A philanthropic mindset can ripple throughout an entire organization.

ON THE

COVER At Alkami’s Plano headquarters, Founder Stephen Bohanon stands inside the vault that contains the firm’s “most precious commodities:” photos of its employees and clients.

Photography by Michael Samples.

53 Jobs of the Future

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

3

P U B LISH ED BY D M AG A ZI N E PA R T N E R S

DALLASINNOVATES.COM

PUBLISHER & DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL

FROM OUR SPONSORS

Quincy Preston quincy.preston@dmagazine.com

PROUD TO CALL DALLAS’ TECH ECOSYSTEM HOME

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Michael Samples MANAGING EDITOR Lance Murray SENIOR EDITOR Alex Edwards RESEARCH & CONTENT STRATEGIST Lauren Hawkins

by A N DY C H E N , SV P O F + 1 L A B S M TC H .C O M

PROJECT EDITOR Anna Caplan

MATCH SINCE

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jason Heid David Kirkpatrick Dave Moore Tara Nieuwesteeg Payton Potter

INTERNS Kathryn Chavez India Edwards Erin Gilliatt Maddie Preston

Dallas Innovates is a collaboration of D Magazine Partners and the Dallas Regional Chamber

PRESIDENT & CEO Dale Petroskey RESEARCH AND INNOVATION SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Duane Dankesreiter MANAGING DIRECTOR, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION Eric Griffin DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION Natalie Fletcher

Dallas Innovates is published by D Magazine Partners, 750 N. St. Paul St., Ste. 2100, Dallas, TX 75201; www.dallasinnovates.com, 214.523.0300. ©2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or reprinted without written permission. Neither the Dallas Regional Chamber nor D Magazine Partners is a sponsor of, or committed to, the views expressed in these articles. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited contributions.

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

BEEN EARLY

AROUND DAYS

OF

founded in 1995. We have grown from a single brand to a $20-billion publicly traded consumer tech company with 45 global brands, used by hundreds of millions of users. Many of our apps, like Match, Tinder, Hinge, and Ship, are “first-screen apps” that sit alongside Gmail and Instagram on a person’s phone screen.

We’ve tackled big data and algorithms, personalization, rapid prototyping, and data privacy and protection long before they became buzzwords, and are investing in new technologies like video streaming, location-based technologies, and machine learning. In the end, we are using technology to enable one of the most human experiences possible: the quest for love and human connection.

What hasn’t changed over the last two decades is that Match has continued to strengthen and build upon our home base in Dallas. Dallas’ tech ecosystem has been able to support our growth with access to competitive talent and collaboration with area corporations, universities, and a growing community focused on innovation and technology startups.

We are deeply committed to making North Texas the premier hub for innovation and tech, and are proud to call Dallas home.

THE

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Thomas Byrd thomas.byrd@dmagazine.com

4

HAS THE

|

2019

INTERNET,

FROM OUR SPONSORS

INNOVATION FOLLOWS TALENT

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE OPTIMAL

by B R A D S M I T H , C I O

by DA N I E L M U ZQ U I Z , C H A I R M A N A N D P R E S I D E N T

PAYC O M

P R E D I CT I V E I N D E X IT

MAY

TORY,

SEEM BUT

CONTRADICDECADES

OF

HAVE CONA tech company is nothing without people. For my company and others, an awareness of this fact often boils down to two things: training and retaining talent.

From a technology standpoint, training means ensuring proficiency in current technologies. However, while this is an important, even necessary practice, it should not be confused with chasing new technologies.

Focus on innovating in ways that are suited to team members’ existing areas of expertise, while retaining a sound process for evaluating and bringing in new technologies.

Equally crucial is the retaining element. This can be done in a way that encourages team members to cultivate an innovation mindset. Consider quarterly technology awards that focus on a particularly innovative implementation of projects. Our company developed awards for each of the teams within the technology department based upon these criteria.

Another process we have developed is holding an annual event called “Codeathon,” a marathon technology weekend that helps bond our technology teams through the shared experience of learning, competition, and overcoming challenges.

Keep these examples in mind as you strive toward innovation. You may find your talent leading the way!

EXPERIENCE FIRMED

IT:

WHEN CAUGHT

BUSINESSES UP

IN

THE

OLD

GET WAYS,

they overlook their most valuable asset—their people. By siloing people strategy in HR, which is quickly becoming an outdated method of working with your talent, their potential isn’t being optimized.

There’s an “old” way of looking at people—through cost, regulations, or HR being a police force. People should be something you optimize, not something you manage.

Did you know that four of the top five biggest CEO challenges relate to talent optimization? Getting the most out of your people means treating them as more than just human capital. There’s a new, more innovative way to approach talent management.

That’s why The Predictive Index—the world’s leading talent optimization platform—provides a four-part framework for businesses to better work with their people. Most companies don’t know how to assemble high-performing teams. They don’t know how to manage employees in a way that pushes everyone to the top of their game. They create a business strategy. They monitor their business results. But they don’t do the key “people work” in between—and they fail to reach their goals.

Work with us to get the people data you need to attract top talent, manage effectively, and design high-performing teams and winning cultures to deliver optimal business results.

The best way to learn about what talent optimization can do for your business?

Visit predictiveindex.com/talent-optimization/.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

5

Welcome to the family.

Allen is home to many businesses, and we’re proud of every single one.

From our diverse, well-educated population to our business-friendly economic development corporation, we give the companies that call us home the tools they need to succeed.

To find out if this is the family for you, visit AllenEDC.com.

The Place to Raise Your Business

ONBOARD P H OTO I L L U S T R AT I O N : M I C H A E L S A M P L E S ; S O U R C E I M A G E S : I S TO C K P H OTO

H OT J O B S , TO P C O M PA N I E S , A N D W H O ’ S H I R I N G I N DA L L A S - F O RT W O RT H

WE RANK

TECH MECCA

TALENT MOVES: Dallas-Fort Worth consistently ranks among the regions with the highest concentration of tech workers. In fact, it’s one of the top places where tech professionals —millennials and Gen Z alike—want to move and work.

Cost of living is a big reason why, according to nearly 1,000 tech pros surveyed by the Computing Technology Industry Association.

O

VER THE PAST FOUR-PLUS YEARS, THE DALLAS REGION HAS ADDED AS MANY

high-tech workers to the local economy as the total population of Bangor, Maine. Nearly 30,000 high-tech jobs were created in Dallas-Fort Worth between 2015 and 2019, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That ranks the region as the fifth fastest-growing high-tech job creator in the nation. While DFW job growth is impressive in its own right, what those numbers don’t describe is the buying power workers experience in the region compared to the top four tech job creators: San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Seattle. For instance, the cost of living in Dallas is half that of the Bay Area; it’s nearly 60 percent cheaper to live in Dallas than NYC. Housing costs sharpen the picture. A $350,000 home in DFW will cost $1.1 million and $1.5 million in San Francisco and New York City, respectively. That explains why, earlier in 2019, CompTIA (the nonprofit Computing Technology Industry Association) ranked the region fourth among 20 U.S. metros as a destination where tech professionals would most likely want to put down roots.—Lance Murray D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

7

ON BOARD

S U P P O RT

HIRING HEROES Chris Montoya, founder of Vetted Heroes, wants to help veterans find meaningful work—and show companies how that can bolster their bottom lines. Diversity and inclusion and veteran programs drive profitability, and Montoya means to prove it: “Innovative companies have realized HR has become the ambassador of corporate culture.

That drives retention, productivity, efficiency, employee engagement, and enhances recruitment strategies,” he says.

Vetted Heroes partners on company initiatives such as Amazon’s AWS training, Service King’s apprenticeships, and Microsoft’s MSSA program, which trains military and spouse tech talent while still on base. Montoya also hosts workshops and hiring events, most recently with Virgin Hotels. In 2020, Montoya plans to debut Vetted Heroes’ own technology—a new AI platform to streamline hiring efficiency.

Dallas-Fort Worth is Uberattractive for technologists and companies alike. The company chose Deep Ellum in downtown Dallas for its second-largest U.S. office.

ʻAll Companies are Tech Companiesʼ

D

ALLAS-FORT WORTH CONTINUES

to attract new companies and new residents seeking jobs in our growing economy. Tech-savvy jobseekers have a leg up: “These days, all companies are technology companies,” says Mike Rosa, senior vice president for economic development at the Dallas Regional Chamber.

Technology is embedded throughout companies, and it’s about finding a competitive advantage.

Driven by connectivity, artificial intelligence, and automation, the business world has profoundly changed. Healthcare companies rely on technology for records keeping and patient care.

Logistics firms, insurance providers, and retailers all need tech to prosper.

Dallas-Fort Worth has one of the most diverse economies in the U.S., Rosa says. And with its broad base of employers and a pool of tech-savvy Chris Montoya talent, DFW is a land of opportunity.

VETTED HEROES

“HR IS NO LONGER OVERHEAD, BUT THE ENGINE DRIVING PROFITABILITY.” 8

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

The region offers the in-demand digital workforce high-growth companies need. Rapid growth could mean adding up to 100 employees in six months to a year—and several hundred or even 1,000 employees within a couple of years. For example, San Francisco-based Uber plans to bring 3,000 jobs within three years to Deep Ellum in Dallas.

“The availability of talent is the most important factor for growing companies in Dallas or those looking to move to our market,” says Jeff Eiting, first vice president of CBRE’s tech and media practice in Dallas.

The region has more than 237,000 high-tech workers and 92,000 creative class workers.

And, census data shows that DFW has grown its millennial population more than any other U.S. metro area—and this migration of a younger workforce has made Dallas a hotspot for tech workers.

And locally, the growth rate among app and software developers and network support workers has outpaced the rest of the area’s healthy workforce growth, the DRC points out.

P H OTO : W E S T D A L E ; P E R K I N S A N D W I L L

A diverse employer base makes DFW a destination for top talent, millennials

ON BOARD

Cybersecurity On the Rise

FEMALE FOCUS

RACHEL SIPPERLEY

P H OTO : V I A C H E S L A V P E R E T I AT K O V I A I S TO C K

A L L S TAT S A R E D A L L A S - F O R T W O R T H A N D L AT E S T A VA I L A B L E D ATA . S O U R C E : D A L L A S R E G I O N A L C H A M B E R .

Founder and CEO Rent My Wardrobe

At her startup Rent My Wardrobe, Rachel Sipperley is keenly aware of gender disparity in the tech field.

“As the founder, I am highly sensitive to the intrinsic need for balance of both masculine and feminine energy throughout the executive team and in the office,” Sipperley says.

The exec, whose company is one of the few Dallas-based female-founded tech startups to receive venture capital funding in 2019, employs a hiring strategy that is equal parts intuitive and practical.

“When making hiring decisions, we look for character first, talent second,” she says. “There absolutely must be alignment of mission-vision-passion before technicalities and skill sets are even discussed.

“We focus on hiring the right people for the right position, and in our case that predominantly turns out to be women.”

W

E ’ RE

ALL

VULNERABLE — BUSINESSES

TALENT

BY THE NUMBERS

AND

North Texas is fertile ground for technology and innovation talent.

INDIVIDUALS

alike. And North Texas is home to many of the largest firms in the cybersecurity sector working to protect both from emerging threats. As they grow, more employment opportunities will be available.

Trend Micro has its U.S. headquarters in Irving, for example. The Japanese cybersecurity solutions provider, in a joint venture with industrial communications and networking experts Moxa, has developed a new venture called TXOne Networks to detect and block common exploits, provide virtual patch protection, and provide protocol whitelisting for energy companies that can block malware trying to contact a system.

Another global tech company, HCL Technologies, this year launched its CyberSecurity Fusion Center (CSFC) in Frisco. The CSFC—a state-ofthe-art automation-driven security operations center—aims to detect cyber threats faster and respond better. The company, headquartered in India, has a worldwide network of R&D, innovation labs, and delivery centers that employ more than 132,000 “Ideapreneurs.” HCL currently employs 556 people in Frisco and expects to add another 200 employees in the next few years.

Another top North Texas cybersecurity company, Coppell-based QED Secure Solutions, recently received a stamp of approval from the U.S. government. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate announced QED is receiving $200,000 to conduct a field test on what the agency described as a “secure trust anchor for the Internet of Things.” The test is the final phase of a project initiated in late 2015. The DHS said the technology underlying the test will validate firmware upgrades of IoT devices to combat the cybersecurity issue of malware being introduced to an IoT network during system updates.

No. 1

Job Growth (Oct. 2018, YOY) Bureau of Labor Statistics

No. 2

The Best Cities for Jobs (2018)

Forbes

No. 4

Tech Hiring in the U.S. Robert Half Technology

Top 7 Metros With Most Tech Workers (2018) Cushman & Wakefield

No. 8 Best Cities for Software Engineering Jobs

CYBERSECURITY JOBS UNIQUE JOB POSTINGS FOR INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYSTS IN DFW

HOT JOBS WE’VE GOT THEM

The tech sector is replete with thousands of desirable, wellpaying jobs in North Texas—all waiting for the right applicants to come along.

5,823

7,589

10,719

SEPT. 2016 – AUG. 2017

SEPT. 2017 – AUG. 2018

SEPT. 2018 – AUG. 2019

Tech talent looking for the hottest jobs will find plenty of opportunity in Dallas-Fort Worth. But, what’s hot?

Topping the list is data scientist—experts in analyzing data to help solve problems—according to the global recruiting firm Hays. In November, the recruiting website Indeed

listed 281 data scientist jobs in Dallas with most of them paying over $100,000 a year.

Cybersecurity analyst was second. Indeed listed 251 cybersecurity analyst positions open in Dallas in November, with most of those jobs paying more than $75,000.

Hays’ third hot job is

Java developer. Java is popular with large enterprises, and the work has seen sustained demand across all sectors. In Dallas, Indeed showed 1,339 Java developer positions, with most paying more than $90,000.

Other hot jobs include full-stack developer, frontend developer, app developer, cloud architect, dig-

(2018) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Spectrum

ital project manager, and embedded engineer.

The life sciences sector also has hot jobs.

CBRE calls the region “an emerging life sciences hot spot,” ranking as the seventh-fastest growing U.S. market from 2014-2017.

In early Nov., Indeed had 2,100 life sciences jobs in DFW.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

9

ON BOARD

Start Me Up Top talent with an appetite for risks and rewards can be at home at a North Texas startup.

It’s no secret that Dallas-Fort Worth has become a rising hub for startups. In fact, three recent studies named the region’s ecosystem as one of the top in the nation for entrepreneurs—and an attractive place for IT professionals to move and work. With fast-scaling companies such as rewardStyle (Page 14) and younger, disruptive firms such as Koddi (Page 26), DFW has a range of offerings for folks who want to get in on the ground floor.

Here’s a take on hiring from four startups at different growth stages.

Competing for Talent

Alto Rideshare Service Founded: 2018 Will Coleman Founder and CEO

Neighborhood Goods Retail Founded: 2017 Matt Alexander Co-founder and CEO

Spacee Deviceless Augmented Reality Founded: 2013 Skip Howard Founder and CEO

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

Tips On How to Get Hired

There are a lot of people out

Referrals. This has made all the

Find someone that knows

there who are builders. They want to get experience building in a way that just isn’t possible in a big corporation. At a startup you will definitely have a bigger role, more influence, and more impact than in a big company. Builders find those traits more important than a bigger salary or more robust benefits. What we do at Alto is go and find those people with that builder mentality, that entrepreneurial spirit.

difference in our hiring process and been a major contributor to our success, launching less than a year ago. Referrals help create a higher level of trust from the beginning, on both sides. How does being in DFW play a role? We know the lower cost of living makes it possible for some people to take a bigger risk.

They may be able to accept a lower salary in exchange for future upside.

someone in our company today.

Learn about us. Get introduced. It’s very network-based: Who do you know, and who do they know that could vouch for you? Same goes the other way around. It ultimately needs to be a great two-way fit for it to be successful.

People interested in joining a

We come across highly talented people for whom we don’t have an immediate vacancy. Rather than putting those people off to the side for another day, we often ask them to write up the ideal job description in the context of our company. With fresh eyes, we’ve had people identify thoughtful roles within our company, which has allowed us to bring a lot of talented people aboard that we might’ve otherwise missed.

Be yourself. It’s largely about

startup are often more motivated by the prospect of contributing to a new idea than focusing entirely on benefits and compensation. Naturally, there can be equity at play, which can offset a near-term lower income level. But, for people joining startups, they’re usually most excited about buying into an entirely different culture and purpose in the workplace.

One way startups can compete is

For fun, I run one of the largest

Four things: 1. Be authentic. Don’t

to make employees owners through equity options. And, every early hire in a startup that passes a probation period should be able to reap the rewards of high growth through bonuses and promotions. We present the opportunity as an investment in a faster track of experience and position/title. The real secret is not to make these things ‘tactics’ for employee retention.

Computer Vision developer groups in North America. It was started at The DEC in 2013 and kept growing. I started it to share knowledge for developers interested in computer vision, but it turned out to be a great recruitment platform. Plus, we are extremely lucky that our employees recommend stellar candidates that they have previously worked with in other companies.

tell me what I want to hear, tell me what you want to say. We don’t hire ‘yes’ men or women. We like diverse opinions.

2. Do not come in with an ego. We have a no a**hole policy. 3. Saying “I don’t know” is OK. Don’t lie. 4. Be prepared to tell us the mistakes you made, but also what you learned from them. I always hated interviews that expected perfection from interviewees. No one is perfect.

What often brings people in

We have two: Our own employees have great networks of highly skilled people and have brought us some amazing talent. We also have Lance Crosby as our leader—his past success coupled with his vision for the future draws the type of top-level and entrepreneurial talent we need.

Do your homework. Check

is the opportunity to directly have an impact on the business and to influence the way “the edge” will evolve. We value their expertise and give them room to grow and create in ways that larger companies don’t offer. A good fit at Stackpath might be someone self-motivated, collaborative, and focused on building something bigger than themselves.

StackPath Cybersecurity tech Founded: 2015 Victoria Guerre Director of HR

10

“Secret Weapon” for Talent

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

character and attitude. In the early days, it’s about hiring low-ego, thoughtful people who can help set a baseline tone. They have to be able to execute, but, more than anything on their resume, it’s having an active, positive, and solution-minded attitude. As things become more advanced, naturally, the conversation will shift toward particular areas of expertise.

out our website and blogs to fully understand all that we do and where we’re headed. If you can connect the dots between your skills, the role for which you are applying, and the company’s goals, you will dramatically increase your chances of being part of the StackPath team.

ON BOARD

PILOT PROS A longtime innovator in its industry, Southwest Airlines has launched a career program that provides aspiring pilots future opportunities in the cockpits of the Dallasbased airline’s planes.

Called Destination 225°, the program provides a runway to becoming “a competitively qualified candidate for future Southwest First Officer positions.” Pilots in the program will receive training customized to Southwest.

Looking for a Job? You’ve come to the right place.

D

ALLAS-FORT WORTH CONTINUES TO BE A MAGNET FOR

people moving to the area looking for technology, aviation, healthcare, and education jobs. Many of those moving to North Texas are millennials drawn by job opportunities, affordable housing, and quality of life, an analysis by real estate firm JLL shows. DFW ranked No. 1 out of all metros examined for the study, while Texas was No. 2 behind Washington state.

Texas and Dallas-Fort Worth have created a significant number of jobs, with DFW seeing five-year job growth at 23 percent. Since 2010, the Dallas metro area has added more than 900,000 jobs.

Dallas-Fort Worth topped the nation’s metro areas last year in yearover-year job growth, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

JOB GROWTH

Dallas-Fort Worth added 117,300 jobs from Oct. 2018 to Oc.t. 2019, followed by New York City and Houston with 109,000 and 82,800 new jobs, respectively.

COST OF LIVING

Transplants are flocking to DFW looking for high-paying jobs and a lower cost of living.

That lower cost of living in North Texas, compared to other major markets, creates what JLL calls a “magnet” for millennial households wanting to grow their careers and balance their jobs with quality of life. With no state income tax DFW becomes an attractive place for people seeking to maximize their income.

FORTUNE 500

The region is home to Fortune 500 companies, successful mid-mar-

ket businesses, and a large number of education and government jobs. The top employers in DFW by number of employees reflect a rich mixture of employment sectors.

TOP 20 EMPLOYER BRANDS IN DFW In a study by Hired, knowledge workers shared the most-appealing companies to work for nationally and in Dallas-Fort Worth. In North Texas, Hired identified these companies as the top employer brands.

1. Toyota North America 2. Southwest Airlines 3. American Airlines 4. Texas Instruments 5. AT&T 6. Hitachi Consulting Corp.

7. Topgolf 8. Sabre 9. Neiman Marcus 10. Siemens Digital Industries Software 11. Match 12. Six Flags 13. JCPenney 14. Alkami 15. Elevate 16. Belo + Company 17. Event Dynamic 18. PMG 19. Firefly Systems 20. Geoforce

STEM JOBS IN DFW

Dallas-Fort Worth takes the top spot in a study ranking the highest number of science, technology, engineering, and math jobs in 2018 by the American Enterprise Institute’s (AEI) Center on Housing Markets and Finance.

HOME TO HIGH-TECH

And, if you’re looking for high-tech employment in Texas, DFW is host to one-third of those type of jobs in the state.

The region has 31.8 percent, more than Houston (27.7 percent), Austin (13.2 percent), and San Antonio (6.9 percent). Texas was third among the top five states for net tech employment gains in 2018.

WHAT TALENT LOOKS FOR IN A COMPANY 1. Compensation (i.e. base salary) 2. Opportunity to learn new skills 3. Company culture

FLEX TIME Insights from Hired show: 77% of tech workers are interested in working 100% remotely 33% of tech workers consider flexibility to work remotely one of the most important factors when job searching Source: Hired.com (Dallas-Fort Worth statistics)

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

11

ON BOARD

Making the Team North Texas is a hub of corporate giants, mid-market companies, and businesses on a growth trajectory. They all have something in common—the search for top talent.

What’s the secret to getting a job? Is it all about the resume? What tech skills will you need? Top companies share advice for prospective employees.

ATMOS ENERGY Raymond Kallas Talent Acquisition Manager

The five principles of “Atmospirit” are Inspire Trust, Be at Your Best, Bring Out the Best in Others, Make a Difference, and Focus on the Future. A candidate with a servant’s heart who does the right thing even when nobody is looking will likely find a lot of success at our company.

As we continue to implement new systems and technologies that drive innovation, safety and decisionmaking capabilities, we’re always on the lookout for candidates with superior data and analytics skills.

LOCKTON DUNNING BENEFITS Mark McKendrick Vice President

Be engaged.

Whether it’s serving the community, supporting an organization or doing relevant work within our industry, if you are engaged and passionate about what you do, that alone is a success story—the opportunity will surface.

Be an exciting candidate. Tell your story in a way that is concise and impactful to the hiring manager or an influencer within that company. It might be from your experience or about who you are — if it’s exciting, that information will be shared within the company, and you will stand out.

NTT DATA SERVICES Elizabeth Towson Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, SVP Human Resources

Having the right experience and education is important. However, someone who has the ability and desire to learn, contribute as a team player, and think innovatively is critical. While we’re always looking for the best technical talent, our company’s values focus on Clients First, Foresight, and Teamwork. If you can demonstrate that you have skills or experience that highlight these core values, you may be an excellent match with NTT DATA Services.

SABRE

TASKUS

TOPGOLF

Mark Schumann Vice President, Culture

Jarrod Johnson Chief Customer Officer

Dolf Berle Chief Executive Officer

Simply put, we look for people who want to bring their best selves to work every day. We look for people who live our values—people with passion, curiosity, partnership, transparency, rigor, and accountability.

And we look for people who want to give back to their communities, a commitment we support by offering one day per quarter for team members to volunteer for any efforts they choose.

Among our values, I have to choose two: passion and curiosity.

We want people who can’t wait to get started every day and can’t wait to keep learning and thinking.

Hands-on experience is invaluable. But, all learning doesn’t have to happen the hard way. That’s why Luckily, Dallas-Fort Worth is filled with mentors across North Texas are at professionals who are here to help. the ready to assist everyone from students to seasoned professionals. “Experience is not something you can purchase over the counter. You can get it one of two ways: You can earn it, or you can learn it,” says Trey Bowles, co-founder of The DEC. Bowles, who mentors startups and other leaders, says it’s advice that applies to founders and individuals alike. From The Technology Ball CIO/UTD mentorship program and AIGA’s mentor matchmaking that pairs mentors and protégées in a speed-dating style event to the Society of Women Engineers and SMU’s MADI program for design thinking, there are many local programs that can help you leverage your experience.

YOU NEED A MENTOR.

12

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S | T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E | 2 0 1 9

Your resume is going to showcase your potential. Make it look strong but simple.

1. Include the right content. Get as much experience in your field of choice as possible.

Be able to speak heavily to it on your resume.

2. Ensure your resume shows you are invested in your craft attending conferences, getting the right certifications, etc. 3. Show you are responsible.

If there was job hopping, try to explain why. 4. Have realistic compensation expectations. Know market data and research the organization you are interested in. 5. Have the right social media content. 6. Attend hiring and branding events.

We believe our culture fuels our growth and is the cornerstone of our brand. Our core values of fun, excellence, edgy spirit, caring, and a oneteam mentality serve as the foundation of our company. To be successful at Topgolf you need to both understand these traits and live them in your daily life. Topgolf is constantly driving innovation in pursuit of creating moments that matter for our guests. When hiring, we look for team members that will champion creativity, embrace our core values, and put the guest experience at the forefront of everything they do.

WOMEN IN TECH Southlake-based travel tech giant Sabre is focusing on ways to develop women in technology roles. This year it focused on a women’s employee resource group that meets in two of the six nations in which Sabre operates, says Eric Paul, vice president of talent management. In 2020, Sabre is kicking off a leadership development program pairing VP-level leaders with highpotential women to provide shared learning, coaching, and sponsorship opportunities to accelerate development of this next generation of women leaders.

ON BOARD

Mission Matters

75 35E

121

35W

For a combination of passion and purpose, consider the nonprofit sector: It just might be your perfect career move.

Nonprofits exist, for the most part, for the benefit of society, and can offer careers filled with mission and meaning. Four Dallas-Fort Worth nonprofit leaders talk about the skills and the types of people they’re looking for as employees, and how positive cultures keep them moving forward.

190

635

183

820

30

360 30 20

12

20 175

Jennifer Sampson

Michelle Williams

UNITED WAY President and CEO

THE DEC Executive DirectorSouthern Region

VALUE-BASED TRAITS

TALENT ATTRACTION

The types of skills increasingly in favor are strong communication, empathy, collaboration, and trust building.

Technical skills are merely a starting point, the bare minimum. To thrive, an individual needs to be a good communicator, a collaborator, and a strategic thinker—and the trend toward a general business orientation over expertise in a specific function is becoming more and more important. Employees must be team-oriented, capable of multitasking continuously and leading without rank, and able to resist stress.

Although nonprofits can’t usually compete in the salary realm, it’s important for nonprofits to compete in spaces they can: flexibility, project autonomy, leadership training, and positive collaborative culture. Nonprofits who have not evolved into more progressive work environments will struggle to compete with other industries. Nonprofits should be mission driven, not only in their outputs, but also in their best resources: their employees. To that end, nonprofits should refocus their definition of employee success away from a “butt in a seat” from 9 to 5 to that of successfully completed work projects.

Dr. Linda Silver

Richard Marquez

THE PEROT MUSEUM CEO

TEXANS CAN ACADEMIES President and CEO

BUILDING STEM PROFESSIONALS

CULTURE MATTERS

DFW is incubating and attracting new STEM-based companies, so there is a growing need for a pipeline of STEM-savvy workers. North Texas is fortunate to have deep support from educational institutions, private donors and foundations, government entities, and the business community. Our ultimate goal is to help build a pipeline of STEM professionals in our region.

If we continue doing innovative and impactful work and presenting leading-edge exhibitions and scientific content, candidates want to be a part of it.

Maintaining culture is about letting your employees know that you see the difference they’re making. Most people need to be told that more than once a year. Mark Twain might have been able to live on a good compliment for two months, but we can use more than that.

Of course, giving our employees a fair and livable wage that meets or exceeds what they have earned before is key.

But pay plus appreciation? That’s a place you want to stay.

67 35E 45

35W

Legend: Number of high tech industry businesses Number Number of of Advanced Advanced Services Services Businesses Businesses

11 1

1760 60

88760 760

DIGITAL FOOTPRINT Technology is everywhere, but Dallas-Fort Worth’s high-tech businesses are concentrated in Dallas’ central business district, its northern suburbs, and in Irving.

HR TECH: FIDELITY FLIPS THE SCRIPT Fidelity Investments, the multinational financial services corporation, employs around 40,000 people. But by leveraging technology, Fidelity helps its people feel more at home.

For example, the company’s People Analytics team recently developed a proprietary algorithm that matches workers across the firm based on their backgrounds, pulling data from talent profiles and resumes.

“Most organizations start with the tech,” Andrea Hough, Fidelity’s head of talent, says. “They think, we need to get our employees onto ‘XYZ tool!’ But doing so allows the technology (and its limitations) to define the employee experience.”

Instead, Fidelity works backwards by starting with the ideal employee experience. Then, once the tool is in place, the company ensures that the employee input aligns with its intended experience.

CONSTANT CONVOS Hough says Fidelity has made a shift in the past 12 months to a more agileinspired performance management style, which included moving away from an annual review and toward quarterly conversations.

Since feedback is crucial to these meetings, Fidelity implemented Workday, a mechanism to easily get and give feedback throughout the year, in a centralized way.

GIG CONNECTION The gig economy is transforming the way we work., says Hough.

Internally, Fidelity’s Thrive platform taps the trend to allow employees to post jobs that anyone can complete, from API to website design.

“The ‘gigs’ can be leveraged as a source of career development as they provide learning opportunities and test-drives that replicate real-world experience,” she says.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

13

F E AT U R E

OFFICE ENVY

BY ANNA CAPLAN, ALEX EDWARDS,

LANCE MURRAY, AND QUINCY PRESTON

A company’s office is more than just space—it’s a reflection of its culture, and one of the most important tools for attracting and retaining top talent. Amenities such as rockclimbing walls, full bars, gyms with floor-to-ceiling views of downtown Dallas, or even a treehouse reflect a company’s personality. The unique spaces that follow serve to underscore how a company presents itself to its employees and the world. Taking care of business is great, but taking care of people is even better.

Since 2015, fashion-focused technology platform rewardStyle has grown by a whopping 300 percent and earlier this year hit a milestone of $4 billion in lifetime retail sales. Annually, retailers invest more than $100 million in the platform.

14

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

Founded and led by power couple Amber Venz Box and Baxter Box, the rewardStyle offices in Dallas hold 165 team members, with room for the 24 open roles currently available (most of which are in the software engineering space). rewardStyle’s 32,516-square-foot space—43,000square-feet after an upcoming expansion—in The Centrum follows a sleek black and white palette, the same colors as its coveted LIKEtoKNOW.it app. Marble, leather, and acrylic furniture adorn the offices, keeping with the company’s reputation as a fashion-forward pioneer. But at the heart of rewardStyle is its technology: The platform implements the best components in the industry, providing headroom for boundless growth, says new CTO Bill Bodin.

F E AT U R E

REWARDSTYLE Dallas global tech firm rewardStyle pioneered an entirely new industry of marketing. The launch of the firstever influencer-driven consumer shopping app, LIKEtoKNOW.it, in 2017 gave users the ability to instantly purchase real products in fashion, beauty, home, and family that they viewed on high-profile accounts. Today, roughly 35,000 entrepreneurs use rewardStyle to power their businesses and 4,500 retailers to leverage the influencer marketing.

Amber Venz Box worked with architects to create a clean and uncluttered workspace.

The space features two event venues, each with its own fully stocked bar.

Thanks to co-founders Baxter Box and Amber Venz Box, influencers are now in your Instagram feed, on your coffee table, and part of your D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M shopping experience.

15

F E AT U R E

MCKESSON McKesson recently moved its headquarters campus from San Francisco to Las Colinas, where it employs more than 1,500 people.

They work in a variety of fields, from operations to information technology and project management. Traci Dunn, vice president, Inclusion, Diversity & Culture, says the office is designed to offer flexibility in employees’ work. McKesson promotes an open and candid workplace, and partners with such organizations as Girls in Tech, Women in Technology, and Women Business Leaders to support their initiatives and events.

SIMPLI.FI Advertisers looking to target the right demographic in the right place at the right time turn to Fort Worth-based Simpli.fi, a programmatic advertising agency with engines that make ads appear in the right geo-fenced area for maximum impact. Simpli.fi has seen continued increases in geofencing campaigns. The company is working on mobile ads, over-the-top ads (video ads that run on streaming services), and web ads. Simpli.fi has more than 130,000 active daily campaigns run by more than 30,000 advertisers.

Simpli.fi’s Fort Worth office is designed for collaboration inside and out. Amenities include food-related perks: Snacks are available at any time in the Bistro, and food trucks are on-site Wednesdays and Fridays.

ARCOSA Arcosa moved from the Stemmons corridor in Dallas to downtown in late 2018, taking nearly 40,000 square feet in Ross Tower. The Trinity Industries spinoff, a manufacturer of infrastructure-related products and services in the construction, energy, and transportation industries, offers an “employee-focused culture.” It has three principal business segments: Construction Products Group, Energy Equipment Group, and the Transportation Products Group.

16

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

The new headquarters features a broad mix of materials and a chrome and black motif, all of which enhances public spaces.

F E AT U R E

At The Richards Group advertising firm in Dallas, where some 752 employees work, the building is built around the stairwell. Keeping with the spirit of a classfree workplace, Perkins and Will designed The Richards Group space in 2015 as a transparent, open work environment. “In an industry in which high turnover is the norm, we’re the exception,” the company says.

The amenity employees love the most tends to be the 18th-floor gym. The location is deliberate—it’s on the top floor, a spot usually reserved for top executives. But at The Richards Group, it belongs to employees. There’s state-of-the-art equipment, yoga and spin rooms, certified instructors, and views of Dallas. On the flip side, the four nap rooms are another favorite.

THE RICHARDS GROUP The Richards Group is the largest independently owned advertising agency in the nation. Founder Stan Richards firmly believes that a building’s architecture enhances company culture, and that’s why the focal point of the agency is its stairwell.

During the day, the firm says the stairwell is a beehive of activity where people have meetings— on, around, and under it. For company news, good or bad, forget email. The stairwell is where all employees are able to gather for staff meetings. The building also features an 18thfloor gym, open architecture, and a brightly lit exterior and interior.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

17

F E AT U R E

ACTIVE NETWORK Dallas-based ACTIVE Network, the world’s largest digital marketing agency dedicated to program and race management, began in 1999 as a company that marketed 5Ks, half-marathons, and other running events. Soon, it branched out into the business of registering participants for races and helping to compile the results. Today, ACTIVE Network’s clients also include schools, churches, and youth sports leagues, all of which need help organizing different groups of people.

IA Interior Architects designed the space to incorporate ACTIVE Network’s culture throughout the building’s open floor plates. An all-hands ‘park’ space allows for the entire company to meet together and features a media wall, playful sculptures, a stage, grab-and-go concessions, a help desk, and an adjacent tavern.

18

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

F E AT U R E

TOP AMENITIES Workplace amenities are often a big selling point in attracting top talent to a business, and it’s the role of architects to design those elements into the offices and workspaces of businesses in Dallas-Fort Worth. We asked top architecture firms Gensler and Corgan what companies are looking for in their spaces. Here are six of the top must-have features.

INNOVATION HUBS With a variety of spaces to support innovation, these hubs are designed to accelerate the launch of services and strategies to market, Gensler says.

MAKERSPACES These collaborative workspaces offer tech amenities like 3-D printers, laser cutters, and robotics labs to help tech-savvy employees create a variety of things, Gensler says.

COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY SETTINGS From lounges to high-top tables, Corgan says employees need tech integrated in more places than their desk and conference rooms. Collaboration zones and alternative work environments with tech-enhanced furniture and plug-and-play capabilities allow staff to stay connected with web, video calls, and everything they need at their fingertips.

QUIET/TECH-FREE ZONES

Dialexa

Quiet places to perform focused or individual work, and spaces connected directly to collaboration and group innovation, were noted in Atos Gensler’s 2019 U.S. Workplace Survey. Gensler says these flexible, alternative work settings for quiet space are an important amenity for companies.

BETTER WI-FI

A treehouse and a slide make getting down to work fun at Capital One (top), while a soaring atrium offers a bright respite, featuring primary-colored art and blond wood furnishings.

CAPITAL ONE Capital One’s sprawling 1.2-million-square-foot regional headquarters campus in Plano offers its employees many amenities that go beyond such things as a gym, cafeteria, and cafe. There’s an on-site doctor’s office to address health concerns and unique spaces to offer a change of scenery, like The Treehouse and The Garage. This year, the campus hosted Capital One’s inaugural Corporate Startup Innovation Summit, a Dallas Startup Week event of around 10,000 leaders, founders, innovators, and investors who connected to brainstorm and spark change.

According to Corgan, great Wi-Fi everywhere is the top “ask” received from clients. Corgan says that in our connected world, it’s imperative that smartphones, tablets, and all of our devices work seamlessly inside and outside an office building. “The insatiable demand for faster, better Wi-Fi isn’t new, but we meet with clients weekly that don’t have strong connectivity and mobile service in parts of their buildings—especially an issue in multi-tenant buildings,” Corgan says.

CHAT APPLICATIONS Things move fast and staff needs to be able to connect with anyone, anywhere, Corgan says. Enterprise-wide use of chat applications such as Slack and Skype are key for many organizations who need to quickly exchange information and ideas.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

19

F E AT U R E

900LBS 900lbs is a tech-driven.

Dallas-based interactive design agency that was founded in 2008 by Chief Executive Officer Steve Deitz. The agency says it helps its clients transition into the “Experience Age” via the production of scalable, interactive initiatives and immersive visual storytelling. Recent examples of its work include the custom interactive video touch wall highlighting the McKinney ISD “Hall of Honors” at its new 12,000seat multi-use stadium.

900lbs focuses on communicating complex messaging and technical information in a story-driven intuitive process. Its offices embrace the mission with open, collaborative spaces and the top in technology for its employees.

Bright colors and ergonomic furniture enhances the “agile workplace” model at IBM.

IBM International Business Machines is a global technology company that operates The IBM Innovation Center in Coppell, where employees generate impactful results in a “rapid agile workplace.” IBM recently said it believes 100 percent of jobs eventually will change in how we work because of artificial intelligence, but that most won’t disappear.

A lounge patio and a ping pong/ conference table speaks to the playful, people-first vibe at TaskUs.

20

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

TASKUS TaskUs is a global outsourcing company that provides back office support and customer care solutions to some of the world’s most notable brands and disruptive companies.

The company says that game rooms and a gorgeous office aren’t defining factors, they’re added bonuses. It’s got a people-first mindset to maximize one’s potential and performance, and it prioritizes innovation and communication across all of its operations.

F E AT U R E

TOYOTA

A CULTURE OF HEALTH

Toyota’s new $1-billion campus was designed to foster collaboration among its 4,000-plus employees. The company improved upon its former reliance on single-occupant workspaces, imbuing the 100-acre Plano headquarters with multiple opportunities for gathering. From open-plan areas to communal dining, the emphasis is on people, and it’s not unintentional. Toyota execs routinely say the company’s success is “driven by its workers.” Seven buildings are tied together by a leafy central courtyard, which features Texas’ native plants. The facility received LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. With its more-than 20,000 solar panels, a rainwater harvesting system with up to 400,000 gallons to use in irrigation, and droughtresistant plants, no environmentally conscious detail was left unturned.

Companies such as Toyota and Simpli.fi make fitness and health a part of daily life in their workplaces.

This philosophy that health is broader than just healthcare is becoming mainstream—which also means every company is a health company, experts said at a think tank event hosted by Dallas-based interdisciplinary design firm Perkins and Will last year. We all have a stake in that, Ashley Dias, director of the firm’s healthcare strategies notes. Dias is part of a movement to foster cross-sector collaboration around a culture of health.

The 30-person discussion centered on how to positively affect the social determinants of health.

That’s a concept embraced by Capital One. The company’s campus in Plano offers amenities to employees such as a pharmacy, trails, fitness centers, and restaurants with healthy options to improve an employee’s wellness opportunities.

POSITIVE VIBES Another company with Plano roots is Tyler Technologies, which provides integrated software and technology to the public sector (schools, counties, cities, and more). Tyler is committed to improving the quality of life for employees both in and out of the office. One of the buildings at its headquarters in Plano has the distinction of being a former YMCA facility.

Tyler kept some of the Y’s features when the building was redesigned, including tall ceilings made of repurposed flooring and the original walking track that employees use for exercise. Tyler’s fitness center features upgraded equipment and a dedicated studio space, where yoga is offered on a weekly basis to employees at no cost. Tyler wants employees to connect with the great outdoors, too. On the third floor, the floor-to-ceiling garage-door-style windows can be opened, allowing employees to enjoy an indoor/outdoor experience while working.

Toyota Motor North America, which says its success is driven by its workers, has a two-story climbing wall at its headquarters in Plano to help employees stay fit.

Toyota offers a fitness center that includes amenities such as yoga, treadmills, an indoor track, and basketball courts. It also offers an on-site medical center for primary health care, physical therapy, and a full pharmacy.

Tyler Technologies is the largest in the country solely serving the public sector, it says. In the past 20 years, the company has grown from $25 million in revenue to expecting to surpass the $1 billion mark in 2019. But, Tyler says, keeping a small company feel is crucial to its culture. There are individual workstations and integrated collaboration areas—employees got a say in what they wanted—allowing ideas and creativity to flow freely.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

21

F E AT U R E

(Not if these six firms have anything to do about it.)

BY JASON HEID

Let’s begin with a cautionary tale.

In the late 1990s, Initech was a mid-size Texas-based tech firm. A banner hanging inside its suburban office park headquarters proudly proclaimed the company’s watchwords (“Initiative + Technology = Initech”) to serve as a daily reminder to its employees about its core values.

But as Initech had grown, so had its policies, procedures, and layers of redundant management. Practices intended to increase efficiency—like a mandate that all official reports must be filed with a cover sheet—ended up bogging workers down in minutiae rather than spurring them to innovate.

Worse yet, as the company’s fortunes floundered, it took a top-down approach to righting the ship and doubled down on asking employees to work weekends in order to increase productivity. Such requirements undermined attempts at fostering camaraderie among its team, such as relaxing the dress code for a “Hawaiian shirt day.”

When finances (unsurprisingly) worsened, consultants were hired in the name of increasing efficiency.

Most employees, however, recognized that the company wasn’t being truthful—that the consultants were there to provide management cover for instituting layoffs. Meanwhile, Initech’s corporate messaging made a further misstep when another banner was prominently hung at headquarters. This one implored employees to ask themselves one question any time they took an action at work: “Is This Good for the Company?” You can only imagine the effect this sort of overbearing attitude by the C-suite had on a team that had already seen additional work piled upon them, especially as the layoffs began.

Looking back, it’s hardly surprising then that some tech-proficient employee introduced a virus into the company’s accounting system that skimmed money from each of its financial transactions. It’s believed the intent was for the virus to take just the fractions of pennies usually rounded off—as was done in the film Superman III—so as to avoid detection by slowly embezzling the funds. But whoever wrote the virus code must have gotten a decimal point in a wrong Continued on Page 24 D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

23

F E AT U R E

DIALEXA

Dialexa has set the tone for its workers by creating a soothing, comfortable office.

But just for fun, the office has hula hoops stuck to the ceiling for drone racing.

Scott Harper Co-founder, Dialexa

place or something because hundreds of thousands of dollars was taken in just about a day.

Unfortunately for Initech, whoever made off with the funds also apparently set fire to the headquarters building.

This triple whammy of insecurity in its own software, financial losses due to fraud, and an office gone up in flames resulted in the company’s ignominious end.

Thing is, all of it could have been avoided, it would seem, if the people in charge had better appreciated the power of corporate culture.

Many of you probably know that we’ve just described the plot of the 1999 comedy Office Space, and Initech was never a real company. But as absurd as writer-director Mike Judge’s film is, it fairly represents how tone deafness, hypocrisy, dishonesty, and lack of transparency can result in a demotivated workforce that handicaps a company’s ability to innovate.

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with hanging inspirational banners that proclaim your company’s core values.

But when communicating the mindsets and philosophies that they hope will influence the behavior of everyone within their organizations, companies must “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk.”

That was the single most common refrain we heard in recent conversations about the interaction of culture and innovation that we had with six technology companies— Dialexa, Koddi, Salesforce, Deloitte University, Atos, and Alkami—that have significant operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as Simon Mak, a professor in SMU’s Cox School of Business whose areas of expertise include corporate entrepreneurship.

Continued on Page 26

24

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

P H OTO G R A P H Y : M I C H A E L S A M P L E S

Continued from Page 23

Dialexa’s move to the East Quarter development in downtown Dallas made it the district’s largest tenant, with space in three buildings.

F E AT U R E

INNOVATION LAB

LOOSEN UP

The Dialexa team works together and plays together. Each quarter, the company offers team building outings. Movie days and skydiving trips are just a couple of past experiences.

Dialexa caters lunch each day for its employees.

Dialexa has an internal “innovation and development engine” called Dialexa Labs with the goal of spinning off new companies, like a software platform for connected cars called Vinli and a lawn care service network called Robin. But even aside from that, the company encourages its employees to be creative problem-solvers and allows them to devote some of their time to exploring new ideas.

“It’s just allowing people to be creative and not keeping such a close eye on ‘How much did you spend on that?

How much time did that take?’” says Scott Harper, who co-founded the company in 2010 with Mark Haidar. “Having at least some leeway, without formalities and being overburdensome about approvals, giving people some flexibility and breathing room— you’re going to see lots of really interesting things come out.”

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

25

F E AT U R E

Continued from Page 24

“Whether you recognize it or not, your employees are looking at you and watching you, and trying to decide how they should behave and how they should act relative to how you act,” Mak says. “Now where I think the mistakes happen, is walking the talk, especially when the business has taken a turn for the worse.” He cites the example of a company that says one of its core values is that “people are our most important resource,” and yet unceremoniously lays off workers with little notice or severance when times are bad. Companies should ask themselves how well they’re prepared to navigate such corporate stress tests, even if they expect the good times to keep on keeping on.

Scott Harper, co-founder of tech and product design studio Dialexa, which is based in downtown Dallas, agrees that too many organizations put too much emphasis on what they say versus what they do when it comes to instituting a productive culture. “It’s like they say it, and it’s like they want to wish it into existence, which is just f****ing crazy,” he says. “It doesn’t work that way. Your culture is who you are.”

Dialexa describes itself as a company “built by engineers that are also great business people.”

The danger for a company’s leadership in operating with inconsistency between what they say and what they do is a loss of trust among employees. If a company says, for instance, that it believes in transparency as one of the central tenets of its operations but then only communicates positive rather than negative financial news at employee meetings, that’s a problem. Marnie Robbins, director of people and culture at Fort Worthbased startup Koddi, which provides tech marketing solutions to the travel industry, praises the benefits of being candid with employees. “It’s building trust,” she says. “If they think we’re only delivering company-wide news when it’s in a positive fashion, then there’s a lack of trust there. So it’s very important to share both the positive and the negatives.”

Each of the six firms with which we spoke—ranging from relatively young startups to multinational corporations— had unique ways of emphasizing and enhancing their corporate cultures (see “Innovation Lab” sidebars throughout), but they all agreed that establishing a healthy and inspiring culture is a vital component to any organization hoping to innovate in its field.

A distrustful team is a demotivated team, and demotivated team members are sending out their resumes in search of escape hatches, not looking to help the company.

Continued on Page 28

26

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

KODDI Open work spaces reflect the company’s flat hierarchy that features few bosses and an open-door policy for managers. Koddi offers complimentary healthy snacks, not to mention an office “kegerator” with local craft beer on tap.

F E AT U R E

INNOVATION LAB

KILLING IT CURIOUSLY

P H OTO G R A P H Y : E R I N G I L L I AT T

Marnie Robbins, director of people and culture for Koddi, says it’s the company’s core value of inquisitiveness that most contributes to innovation.

She describes a new engineer who, a few months after starting with the company, spoke up about a particular report that he thought could be run faster than was being done.

The changes the engineer suggested resulted in a reporting time of days being reduced to minutes.

“So that was pretty amazing. And it wasn’t because it was something that the business asked him to do. It was because it was something that he acknowledged that he wanted to do,” Robbins says. “That’s what we’re built on—the being curious and leaning into solving problems, or growing our clients and ourselves for that matter. It’s what has made us successful and kind of put us into this high-growth trajectory.”

Koddi is a cloud provider of marketing technology for travel brands, and its partners leverage the Koddi platform and its fully automated and customizable reporting features to manage marketing investment for hundreds of thousands of hotel properties globally.

Headquartered in Fort Worth, it has offices in New York, Ann Arbor, Austin, the San Francisco Area, and Düsseldorf.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

27

F E AT U R E

SALESFORCE

P H OTO : M I C H A E L S A M P L E S

Stephanie Kinser Enterprise solutions executive, Salesforce

Salesforce’s philosophy of “Ohana” extends to collaborative workspaces that offer bright colors and sustainable materials.

Continued from Page 26

As companies grow larger, their cultures must evolve along with their approaches to innovation, according to Mak. A startup should have one overriding vision—the vision of the founder or founders—to guide the enterprise. The focus in those earliest days should be marshaling a team to execute that vision, as opposed to constantly trying to innovate beyond it. “On the other hand,” Mak says, “with a corporation, you need a lot of people thinking up new ways to grow the vision—thinking of ways to grow the business.”

Salesforce will occupy 100,000 square feet in The Union, a 22-story office tower in Uptown Dallas. The company took multiple floors in the new office tower to consolidate its space in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Stephanie Kinser, a Dallas-based enterprise solutions executive with Salesforce, the customer relationship management software giant, says the key to maintaining culture across such a massive organization is finding ways to communicate consistency among its tens of thousands of employees in 64 offices across 28 countries worldwide. “That’s really important to our employees,” she says. “Our use of technology has helped to support that. Our employee engagement experience is important … We are using some of our technology to help employees collaborate socially and eliminate those meetings where you might not be accomplishing as much as you might think that you might be.”

Salesforce has been named one of Forbes’ “World’s Most Innovative Companies” eight years in a row and is No. 2 on the Fortune “100 Best Companies to Work For” List.

Continued on Page 30

28

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

P H OTO : J O S E P H H A U B E R T C O U R T E S Y O F P E L OTO N

Communication is key

C LT U R E FU E AT

INNOVATION LAB

BOUND TOGETHER

When Salesforce moves into its offices at The Union in December, employees will have access to a meditation room as part of a company initiative to promote well-being and “mindfulness,” as well as innovative ideas.

P H OTO G R A P H Y C O U R T E S Y O F S A L E S F O R C E

Salesforce borrows the Hawaiian concept of “Ohana” as one of its organizing philosophies.

The idea is that the company’s employees, partners, customers, and members of the communities where it has offices are bound together in a sort of interdependent ecosystem.

“If you ever come to a Salesforce lunch or you come into a Salesforce workspace or you come to a Salesforce volunteering event, you’ll feel this for yourself,” says Stephanie Kinser, a Dallas-based enterprise solutions executive with the company. “It’s this connectedness to our mission and to the ecosystem.”

It’s one of the elements that allows the company— the fastest growing of the top 10 enterprise software companies— to maintain a consistent corporate culture across a massive, distributed workforce. It extends even into the way in which the company designs its offices, including the space in which it is now consolidating its North Texas operations in Uptown Dallas.

“So if any Salesforce employee around the world walks in then, there are certain things that they see that they’re going to know, and they’ll feel comfortable as well,” Kinser says.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

29

F E AT U R E

DELOITTE UNIVERSITY

P H OTO : E R I N G I L L I AT T

Heidi Soltis-Berner Deloitte University

Continued from Page 28

Financial services and consulting giant Deloitte likewise faces the challenges of uniting hundreds of thousands of workers distributed all over the world under a common banner. One of the ways in which it works to do so is apparent at “Deloitte University,” which it operates in Westlake. Deloitte seeks to hire people with exceptional problem-solving skills, ones who enjoy exploring how strategy, business processes, and technology help shape the future of organizations. The more than 700,000-square-foot campus was the first dedicated training ground (the company now has five worldwide) for employees from all over the country. They come there for onboarding and additional education in various aspects of the professional services that Deloitte provides its clients.

“We have a goal that we get individuals here within the first 90 days of being part of our Deloitte organization,” says Heidi Soltis-Berner, the managing director of Deloitte University. “We want to embed them in our culture because Deloitte University really embodies our cultural experience and helps them get up and running and understand the expectations of what it means to be a consulting professional.” Visiting employees at DU are provided a break from their usual dayto-day work and encouraged to be creative and innovative.

“Deloitte University brings that culture to life each and every day,” Soltis-Berner says.

Continued on Page 32

30

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Inventive physical and mental well-being offerings include energy breaks, which are incorporated into program agendas.

F E AT U R E

P H OTO G R A P H Y © C L AY H AY N E R

Deloitte University in Westlake places a premium on well-being and has a commitment to “phasing out the familiar and continually reinventing ourselves.” The picturesque campus incorporates nature with calming water features.

Yoga is just one of the classes offered at Deloitte University.

INNOVATION LAB

STRATEGIC RETREATS Deloitte University opened in 2011 following an investment of about $300 million into constructing the massive campus that’s on about 107 acres of the Circle T Ranch in Westlake. The natural setting alone provides an atmosphere to encourage the more than 65,000 people who have passed through DU’s doors to escape the everyday demands of their jobs and focus on new ideas.

“If you were here and you entered our front gate, what you start to experience is a winding road that takes you down almost into a valley, and it is very calm, serene,” says Heidi Soltis-Berner, managing director of Deloitte University.

“Then, as you come around the bend, you see this beautiful building that was purposely designed to actually fit in with the surroundings that you see here.

And there’s a calmness that comes over you, and you start to come out of your daily world.”

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

31

F E AT U R E

Continued from Page 30

Perhaps just as important as establishing an honest and transparent corporate culture that encourages employees to get creative is what a company does when those attempts at innovation fail. Too many leaders want to brush missteps under the rug when an idea doesn’t work out. Instead they should reward employees simply for taking smart risks, regardless of the outcome and communicate in advance that they will have their backs if the worst-case scenario comes to fruition.

“You have to say, ‘If you are going to try this, I just want to let you know, if things don’t work out, don’t worry. You’re not going to get fired,’” Mak says.

Another unfortunate tendency among companies is wanting employees to work up new ideas in their own spare time, rather than providing workers resources to support their ventures. All of the firms we spoke with cited a lack of time—due mostly to the legitimate need to focus on necessary day-to-day business—as the most significant stumbling block to innovation.

A few of the firms said they’ve been able, at various stages, to dedicate teams to researching and developing new ideas. IT services and consulting firm Atos, which recently relocated — SIMON MAK its North American headquarSMU’S COX SCHOOL ters to Irving and unveiled its OF BUSINESS latest Google Cloud Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab there, actually hired a digital transformation officer this year specifically to help “move the envelope” on innovation, according to Amy Brown, a senior vice president of human resources with the company.

“He’s working on building our portfolio and simplifying it and bringing together where we have those pieces and those pockets throughout the organization that are focusing on innovation in different ways,” she says. “Our industry is constantly changing. I look at what we did five years ago, compared to what we do today, and compared to what we’ll do in

ATOS

Continued on Page 34

32

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

P H OTO G R A P H Y : M I C H A E L S A M P L E S

“YOU HAVE TO SAY, ‘IF YOU ARE GOING TO TRY THIS, I JUST WANT TO LET YOU KNOW, IF THINGS DON’T WORK OUT, DON’T WORRY. YOU’RE NOT GOING TO GET FIRED.’”

Atos’ priority is its employees and has been recognized for its engagement and well-being programs.

Atos consolidated multiple DFW locations for its North American Regional Headquarters in Irving to reimagine a culture of collaboration. The facility offers state-ofthe-art technology for its employees, along with an open environment with large workspaces, touchscreen interfaces, and wireless presentation tools.

F E AT U R E

INNOVATION LAB

FROM THE GROUND UP

The space highlights accessibility and environmental sustainability, two key elements of its design.

Atos operates seven Business and Technology Innovation Centers at its offices around the world.

One of them is on the fourth floor of its building in Irving.

These BTICs, as the company calls them, show off some of the solutions that Atos has worked up for its customers—like connected coolers for Coca-Cola.

Employees and customers alike are invited to check out demonstrations and presentations there.

They also host events meant to spark further innovation, like a hackathon for students from the University of Texas at Dallas earlier this year.

Another benefit of that is the possibility of future recruitment of talent from the school.

“We’re trying to build that momentum around really bringing in these super-talented graduates and interns and growing them from the ground up,” says Amy Brown, senior vice president of human resources.

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 110,000 employees in 73 countries, 18 R&D centers in nine countries, and 5,000 patents. At Atos’ regional headquarters in Irving is its Business Technology and Innovation Center, the first of its kind in North America.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

33

F E AT U R E

ALK AMI

Stephen Bohanon Founder of Alkami

Continued from Page 32

34

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

P H OTO G R A P H Y : M I C H A E L S A M P L E S

three years—it’s vastly different.”

Meanwhile Adrianne Court, chief human resources officer of Plano-based Alkami—which is recognized among the nation’s fastest-growing companies—emphasizes that the digital banking company works to ensure that its culture encourages a bottom-top as opposed to top-bottom approach to innovation by keeping every member of its team (whom they refer to as “Alkamists”) accountable for it.

“Courageous innovation is really key to our culture,” she says. “We talk about it in our performance reviews. We talk about it when we win deals. We talk about it, and that’s what encourages original thinking.”

Indeed, that sort of feedback and willingness to adapt a corporate vision to the ideas generated and lessons learned by people in its organization—as well as from clients and customers—is a hallmark of companies that are primed to maximize innovation.

Mak recommends that companies continually innovate— but not necessarily always be focused on big, transformative ideas. “You should have a pipeline of short-term innovation, mid-term innovations, and long-term innovations—or, lowrisk innovation, middle-risk innovations, and high-risk innovations,” he says. “We call that a portfolio approach. You should have a balanced portfolio.” ■

The fintech firm is growing, fast: Alkami recently more than doubled its Plano office.

Alkami places high importance on a collaborative environment that’s equipped for a culture based on personal and professional transformation. Alkami employees work and play hard: There’s an ongoing leadership development program, continuous learning opportunities at Alkami University, volunteer programs, an on-site gym, and free lunch.

F E AT U R E

INNOVATION LAB

A BALANCED APPROACH

Global design and architecture firm Gensler spearheaded Alkami’s new space at Granite Park.

Alkami draws its name from a phonetic spelling of “alchemy,” the medieval science that sought to turn ordinary metals into gold. Alkami describes to its employees and customers the need for balance between the various aspects of its business, like sales, which it likens to the ancient conception of the elements— fire, water, wind, and earth.

“Our founder, Stephen Bohanon, had worked for software companies and technology companies before. He always found them to be lopsided, like they were a sales and marketing-driven company or focused on research and development,” says Adrianne Court, chief human resources officer. “By having the elements, not one is more important than the other.”

So “fire” is their sales team. Foundational functions like HR, finance, and accounting are the earth. Water is the product team, and wind is the company’s client implementation and support functions. “For us, the alchemy is transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary,” Court says.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

35

TA L E N T P O O L

Putting the ‘I’ in D&I Diversity and inclusion practices are evolving, with recent research showing that businesses are scuttling traditional programs in favor of ones that speak directly to the issue: It’s personal. Southwest Airlines, for example, is exploring neurodiversity by providing opportunities to individuals with variations in neurocognitive functioning. D&I comes in many forms, and companies large and small are choosing to embrace the ever-changing landscape head-on to have a more competitive advantage.

‘I AM WHO I AM’ A State Farm intitiative for sharing stories sparks conversations and strengthens relationships.

Annette Martinez is Senior Vice President at State Farm. We recently asked her a few questions about the company’s diversity and inclusion programs.

Do you have any new initiatives or partnerships to increase diversity and inclusion at State Farm?

How have your diversity and inclusion programs benefitted the company?

For us, diversity and inclusion is a business strategy that better positions us to provide remarkable service to our customers, attract, engage and retain employees, and grow State Farm. We believe we are stronger and better when we seek the broadest perspectives, invite fresh, new ideas, and encourage healthy, respectful debate. Each day, we commit and empower ourselves to continue to nurture an environment where diversity and inclusion are welcomed and expected in everything we do. Our diversity and inclusion programs support this philosophy.

36

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

P H OTO S : C O U RT E S Y O F T H E C O M PA N I E S

Something that’s really taken off in our organization is our I Am Who I Am initiative. Employees and leaders across the organization are encouraged to participate in writing and sharing what we are calling “I Am Who I Am” stories to generate conversation and strengthen relationships. Sharing personal details about one’s life in a story format helps all employees understand that diversity comes in many forms. The I Am Who I Am stories have helped us promote and maintain an inclusive workplace where everyone can feel welcome and free to be their authentic selves at work, and have opened another avenue for personal connections.

Mandy Price

Lane Conner

Benjamin Vann

CEO and Co-founder Kanarys

Founder and CEO Fuzse

Founder and CEO Impact Ventures

Inclusive workplaces don’t happen by chance. They are planned carefully and intentionally. We are seeing a shift in corporate America where companies are moving beyond “check the box” diversity initiatives and getting intentional about inclusion.

While having a diverse workforce is a step in the right direction, it’s only the beginning for creating a thriving, productive and engaged workforce. In fact, companies that are inclusive see up to 44 percent higher ROI than those that aren’t.

Leadership at the most inclusive companies in DFW value diverse backgrounds and perspectives. Today, training, workshops, and systems are imperative for fostering an inclusive workplace where all voices are heard. Through data and transparency, the Kanarys platform gives employees a seat and a voice at the table and helps companies shift culture and embrace everyone.

As a leader, you either decide to put D&I as a top priority or you don’t. And, don’t effuse diversity and inclusion as an organization if your executive team is all white men. It drives me crazy when I see organizations that have a whole area of their website devoted to diversity and inclusion and when you click on their executive team, they all look the same. If you don’t have a diverse team, you aren’t trying hard enough. If you have a group of people who all look alike and all have the same background, the diversity in thought is not as robust as if it weren’t. You want to be able to have those around you that think differently than you do because of their life and work experience.

Just do it.

Diversity and inclusion are drivers of innovation.

With our focus on the tech pipeline we address the income and wealth gap for women and minorities through tech career pathways, inclusive entrepreneurship, and venture capital. The values of diversity, of not just in gender and ethnicity, but thought, age, experience, and perspective, drive how we address the unique challenges in preparing the tech talent of tomorrow.

We build a culture that puts the whole human at the forefront. Negating the barriers like stereotype threat, unconscious and conscious bias, we’ve intentionally built a team based on closing the gaps who traditionally would not work in the tech startup space. Additionally, we’ve officially marked Dallas as a ‘TechHire’ City as a member of the national TechHire initiative started in 2015 by the Obama Administration.

It is a multi-sector initiative between employers, training partners, funders, and institutions to get low to moderate income individuals up-skilled or re-skilled to enter today’s growing tech workforce.

TALENT POOL L O C A L S A R E N ’ T T H E O N LY O N E S V Y I N G F O R J O B S I N DA L L A S - F O RT W O RT H .

H E R E ’ S W H Y T H E A R E A I S N O W T R E N D I N G N AT I O N A L LY.

P E O P L E P OW E R E D

I M AG E : A S T E R I S K

HACK CULTURE THE HACKER GAMES: Hackathons are all about coding collaboration in the extreme.

Participants build, create, and deliver a product. Asterisk’s hackathons deliver on all levels for both companies and the talent—from problem-solving to meeting potential job candidates, and more. When registration for its first hackathon proved overwhelming, the Asterisk team decided to think even bigger.

B

ORN IN THE NETHERLANDS, ADAM KILA IS AN ENTREPRENEUR AND UTD GRAD-

uate looking to bring people together through the power of shared experiences. In this case, he’s using hackathons to unite problem-solvers and redefine everything from recruiting to how a company uses technology. It all started in 2014 when Kila, a regular attendee at hackathons on the East and West Coasts, decided to bring the action to North Texas. Kila says he was inspired to put together a Dallas-area hackathon after seeing talented participants from the region traveling to far-flung events. So, Kila and his team—which includes some of his former UTD classmates—set to work assembling their first local hackathon.

The effort caught the attention of SMU, which reached out to him in hopes of teaming up. The partnership worked out and, within 36 hours of opening registration for their first hackathon, some 1,600 applicants had signed up. Overwhelmed with interest, the Asterisk team started thinking bigger, he says. Before long, Kila and his team had brought big-name judges on board, including Mark Cuban, Michael Irvin, and American Airlines CEO Doug Parker. —Payton Potter D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

37

TA L E N T P O O L

IN DEMAND: The interactive and collaborative Plano office of global IT service provider NTT Data offers digitally immersive experiences for both employees and clients. When it comes to talent, while education and experience are important, the company looks for applicants “who have the ability and desire to learn, contribute as a team player, and think innovatively,” says Elizabeth Towson, head of human capital. Interpersonal skills count: “Managers aren’t just looking for someone who can write code. They want someone who can communicate and be a team player within both their direct team as well as other organizations throughout the company,” she adds.

38

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

TA L E N T P O O L

MEANING, MISSION, IMMERSION

How the Dallas region draws the top IT talent

by DAV E M O O R E

Ping pong tables, flexible schedules, and collaboration spaces have become nearly de rigueur for high-tech professionals in the Dallas region, which employs nearly a quarter-million workers, and grew by nearly 30,000 jobs between 2015 and 2019.

While all these niceties make working sound more like Sunday Funday, what employers are finding is that prospective hires are looking for more than fringe benefits.

They’re looking for a mission and meaning in their work. And they’re finding it in the region, where corporate offices are increasingly harnessing terabytes of data to improve their operations.

P H OTO : N T T DATA

‘A Greater Goal’ “One day I was getting gas in my Tundra truck, and a guy came up to me, and he says, ‘I really like your truck. You know, there’s an online group for that truck,’”

says Mark Dirkson, group manager for Toyota Financial Services’ IT arm and its Digital Academy & Talent Growth. “We have a large following, and in some cases, a cultish following, but what people are starting to discover is, it’s not just the car. It’s the inside-of-the-car experience.

It’s the connectedness.”

Dirkson says Toyota Financial’s IT arm—referred to as Information Digital Systems—is rewriting its model to match the intuitive operations of a fintech company. The team’s mission is, in short, to arrange financial means seamlessly for customers, to allow them to drive Toyotas, and to acquire related products and services. Information Digital Systems builds, among other things, the software that Toyota sellers use when arranging financing for buyers and arranging for mobility solutions in the future, he says.

“You can buy financial protection products like gap insurance, key fob inD A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

39

TA L E N T P O O L

P H OTO : S O U T H W E S T A I R L I N E S

ALWAYS ON: The region’s eighth-largest employer, Southwest Airlines, is known as a pioneer in the social media sphere as well as in information technology. Its state-of-the-art “Listening Center” is a command post where experts in Dallas monitor and manage the company’s many social channels.

surance, and tire and wheel protection,” he says. “Our core objective is to offer it seamlessly, without any friction. We need talented people to be able to do that.”

That challenge—smoothly weaving the financial process into the overall Toyota experience—is as much a draw for talent as the Toyota name and lore, says Dirkson, who works with other Toyota Financial Services IT pros at the Toyota Motors North America campus in Plano.

From a technical standpoint, Toyota Financial’s IT team needs scrum masters, business systems analysts, developers, and designers, particularly those who understand the cloud and are able to program in the cloud. Dirkson says while they need professionals who know Java and are familiar with the agile method of project management, that’s just the start of what he’s looking for.

“We like folks who know agile [project

40

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

management style], but we’re approaching this with a Toyota financial services version of agile; we come in, and help them understand how that ties into the Toyota Way,” he says. The agile project approach allows more flexibility in how projects are executed, compared to its predecessor, waterfall.

“Once you get away from the notion of talent, you ask, ‘Are they the right fit?

Do they have the soft skills necessary to thrive in our environment? When you interview with candidates, do they demonstrate a zest to do what they do best? Are they motivated by a greater goal?”’ he says. “We’ve ended up with phenomenal people over the years.”

Drawing IT Talent Some of the biggest names in tech have major operations in the region. Microsoft’s second-largest U.S. campus— which employs about 2,000—is located in Las Colinas. In early 2019, digital

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

customer service giant Salesforce announced it was leasing 100,000 square feet of the 22-story Union office tower in Uptown Dallas. In August 2019, Uber announced it was relocating a significant portion of its West Coast operations to the Deep Ellum neighborhood near Downtown Dallas. Uber announced it would relocate 400 employees to Dallas, and employ a total of 3,000 professionals. Amazon Web Services, which leased space in the Galleria area in North Dallas in 2014, employs more than 1,000 team workers who focus on company operations and enterprise sales.

Between 2014 and 2019, tech-driven firms such as Toyota, Raytheon and NTT Data have expanded or relocated headquarters to the region, bringing a strong appetite for information technology talent with them. Like Toyota, many of them are integrating data and a design-build approach across their organizations.

P H OTO : A N D R E W S M I T H

TA L E N T P O O L

“This region is becoming an IT center,” says Lori McColl, business development director at Zycron, a subsidiary of Dallas-based BG Staffing, which specializes in recruiting IT professionals. “All the quality-of-life things are super important,” she says, describing what’s moving information tech talent to Dallas. “Especially for those who have a family. Single people are more likely to relocate; they may have some other things they’re looking for.”

Earlier in 2019, CompTIA (the nonprofit Computing Technology Association) ranked the Dallas region fourth among 20 U.S. metros as a destination where IT professionals would most likely want to put down roots. Of primary concern for the nearly 1,000 IT pros CompTIA surveyed was cost of living for both Gen Zers and millennials. They split on motivating factors after that— Gen Z IT pros want affordable housing; millennials are looking for decent commute times and good weather. At least half of the Gen Z workers says having both a meaningful career and income were important considerations. Threefourths of all millennials says income and job security were the most important considerations.

A 2019 C2ER Cost of Living Survey indicates the Dallas region’s cost of living is roughly half of San Francisco’s, more than half of NYC’s; and a quarter less than in Boston and Seattle.

“When these corporations move here, these people are giddy with what their dollars can buy them,” McColl says. “I can’t think of a better market in the U.S., when you think of the major opportunities. And for families, if something changes with your job, it’s probably not the only job in town. If you can bear with the weather, because the market is so tight, it’s a buyer’s (employee’s) market.”

The demand for skilled IT pros is so intense in the region that BG is encouraging employers to reach beyond just great workplaces, and to offer unlimited

TALENT FARM: State Farm has also created a satellite campus at the University of Texas at Dallas campus in Richardson, where students work on State Farm projects.

“WE SEE MORE AND MORE CANDIDATES APPLYING WHO AREN’T LOCAL AND ARE WILLING TO RELOCATE AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE. WE HAVE GREAT SCHOOLS, AFFORDABLE HOMES, AND GREAT JOBS—WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR?” — vacation time and other benefits.

“I can’t think of a better place for IT professionals,” McColl says.

Plano-based fintech Alkami says job candidates are leveraging that demand in palpable ways.

“We see more and more candidates applying who aren’t local and are willing to relocate at their own expense,” says Courtney Amigh Mrsny, manager of corporate recruiting for Alkami. “We have great schools, affordable homes, and great jobs—what more could you ask for?”

COURTNEY AMIGH MRSNY, ALKAMI

Finding Challenge/Meaning In Work More than 1,000 IT professionals work at Fidelity Investment’s Westlake 5,600-person campus.

Employees are recruited not only with benefits—from repayment of their student loans, to collaborative work spaces, to having their oil changed while they work—but also with the notion of personal and professional development.

The question of “How am I going to grow as a person and learn?” is often a factor job candidates pose when considering jobs, says Tammy Gilbert, CIO and Texas D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

41

TA L E N T P O O L

HIGH FIDELITY : More than 1,000 IT professionals work at Fidelity Investment’s Westlake 5,600-person campus.

“WE HAVE A LOT OF FOCUS ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE HERE. USED TO BE, YOUR JOB IS YOUR JOB AND YOUR HOME LIFE IS YOUR HOME LIFE. BUT THEY’RE INTERTWINED.” —

42

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

gether for years, they can be a bit stagnant. Moving around keeps things dynamic, and addresses problem-solving in different ways.”

How does Fidelity’s team react to this?

“Our employee base loves it,” she says.

“They demand it. We’re seeing millennials who want to learn and grow. They’re not interested in moving up the corporate ladder. They’re interested in learning and experiencing new things.”

On the “personal growth” side of things, Fidelity also encourages its employees to get involved in the community. For example, last year, more than 100 Fidelity technologists teamed up with 15 nonprofits to solve their tech challenges.

One such endeavor lead Fidelity techs to a four-month project with Southern

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Changing the Drive, Leveraging Population Growth The region’s expanding population, access to universities, and a diversity of people and talent prompted State Farm to choose Richardson to serve as one of its hubs years ago.

“Our overall enterprise talent (recruitment) strategy is, ‘How do we leverage the vibrancy of this market?’” says Mike Fletcher, enterprise technology executive at State Farm’s CityLine campus.

State Farm hasn’t been shy about harnessing student brain power.

Aside from reimbursing workers for up to $7,500 per year in tuition for approved degrees, among other benefits, State Farm has also created a satellite campus at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, where students work on State Farm projects, including its Drive Safe & Save program.

P H OTO : F I D E L I T Y I N V E S T M E N T S

Regional Leader for Fidelity. The Westlake IT team works on matters affecting Fidelity’s digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and app development, which includes personal investment portfolios and workplace investments, she says.

“They don’t get the feeling that they’ll be boxed in for the next 30 years,” Gilbert says. “We have a lot of focus on work-life balance here. Used to be, your job is your job and your home life is your home life.

But they’re intertwined.”

At Fidelity, there are no permanent roles, which last three to four years, Gilbert says. Jobs are completed in sprints, not in long-term, drawn-out endeavors.

“We like them to try new things,” she says. “It brings diversity of thought.

When you have a team that works to-

TAMMY GILBERT, FIDELITY

Methodist University’s The Budd Center, to use data visualization to more quickly identify local public-school students who are struggling.

TA L E N T P O O L

That initiative allows State Farm customers to use driving data to help improve their driving habits, and, in the process, receive discounts for good driving.

“Upper-level UTD students do capstone programs,” for State Farm, Fletcher says. “They’ve worked in the [Drive Safe & Save] telematics space. It’s been fascinating. I would say the talent pool is vibrant and diverse, and yes, it’s competitive. Not just at UTD, but other schools as well.”

Like other high-tech employers, team members from State Farm attend meet-ups and conferences that focus on areas they’re developing. It gives them a chance to share what they’re working on, and to learn what projects/challenges their peers are working on.

‘Working With Friends’ Dallas-based Active Network is no exception, allowing jeans at work, a happy hour every pay day, yoga every Wednesday at lunch, and two extra paid off days per year to allow employees to pursue their favorite activities.

Active Network—a software-as-a-service company that develops apps for organizations such as Tough Mudder, 5ks, and triathlons—views its employees among its biggest talent lures.

“Not only do we hire for skills, but also to make sure the teams can work well together,” Jeanette Revis, a firm recruiter, says in an email. “Many of our employees have friendships with coworkers outside of the office.”

Many managers have risen through the ranks at Active Network, further contributing to a low turnover rate, she adds.

“Being in a midsize company, our employees can directly see how their work impacts and contributes to the company,” she says.

Cultivating Talent “The talent gap is significant,” says Karen Moree, co-founder of AustinCSI, which assists companies in digitizing their operations. “Some of our job is attracting talent here … [but] talent here can be cultivated to meet demands.”

Moree says often AustinCSI needs employees with non-technical backgrounds, such as effective writers, or people with excellent interpersonal skills. She says often, those professionals can learn the technology necessary to get the job done.

“We’ve gambled, and we’ve [sometimes] missed,” in making hires, she says.

“There are key things we look for when hiring—it comes from looking at how hungry they are. It’s who they are as a person. More than the hard skills, it’s the soft skills. We typically meet with a lot of their parents. We’re a small company, and when you meet the parents, you get an indicator of what they will turn out like.”

IT PEOPLE

Sailendu Mohapatra Technical Product Owner, Toyota Financial Services Sailendu Mohapatra came to the Dallas region via his job at RouteOne in Farmington Hills, Mich., where he worked as a senior manager of IT delivery and a senior manager of product development. RouteOne develops tech solutions for the auto finance sector.

“I had worked (on projects) with Toyota for more than decade,” says Mohapatra, who moved to Michigan from his home in India roughly 13 years ago after he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineerin and learned Java. “I had visited the Toyota campus in Plano, and I loved the set-up. I had a couple of friends who worked there. And though I wasn’t looking for a job, I said, ‘If there is an opening, let me know.’”

Mohapatra moved to the Dallas area in February 2019 to take a job at Toyota Financial Services as a technical product owner. He helps perfect the software used

by Toyota dealerships when they arrange financing for buyers.

Within six months, his wife and kids—ages 6 and 11—had purchased a home in Frisco.

The combination of the Toyota culture and the quality of life in the Dallas region, including the

weather, made the decision to move easy, he says.

“I wanted to work for Toyota because of how they respect people,” Mohapatra says. “I knew what I was walking into, but I didn’t know how easy it was going to be. It feels like home.

They’ve been very welcoming. It helps that they have a wonderful campus.”

From the choice of desks— including standing desks—to the variety of meeting spaces available, the Toyota Financial Services office is ideal for collaborations, he says.

“If you want to talk to someone, you don’t need to worry about booking a conference room; you can grab someone and head to a collaboration space,” he says.

Had Toyota asked Mohapatra to move to its former location in Torrance, Calif., it might have been a tougher sell, given California’s higher cost of living, he says.

“I did not want to do any more snow shoveling” in Lincoln Park, , Mohapatra says, adding that Texas’ summer heat doesn’t bother him. “I’m from the East part of India. It gets up to 118 degrees there,” he says.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

43

TA L E N T P O O L

Cultivating a Solid Pipeline Not every company is a tech company—or are they? “Demand for tech skills spans beyond the tech industry as the need and expectation for everyday technology becomes the norm,” says CBRE’s Tracy Cobb. As companies embrace technology for better, faster, and smarter results, Dallas-Fort Worth is reaping the rewards. With the fifth-largest tech labor pool in North America, DFW has nearly doubled the number of its tech graduates in the last five years to 6,500 per year, Cobb says. All of which means the area is the eighth-largest tech-producing market in North America—one deep talent pool from which we all can draw. That’s something all companies—large or small, and even nonprofits—depend on.

Matt Chambers

Timothy Scott

Eric Paul

Suzanne Smith

Travis Considine

CIO Baylor, Scott & White Health

Team Lead Talent Acquistion Southwest Airlines

VP Global Talent Management Sabre

Founder and CEO Social Impact Architects

Communications Manager Uber

With projected talent shortages on everybody’s radar, this is an excellent time to enter the workforce. What I am seeing, time and time again, is that many of those entering the workforce for the first time today want to make a difference. Healthcare is the perfect industry to make a difference. Beyond technical skills, I’m looking for people who are self-motivated, engaged and fit our culture. Remember that adage about leading a horse to water? We want them to gallop and get there first. Culturally, we’re very collaborative, open to admitting faults and learning from each other.

I put a premium on those who demonstrate “We are in it together,” one of our values. We approach work with a mindset of we are in it together, so we are always seeking out talent that wants to achieve work through collaboration.

It’s imperative in the technology space to provide opportunities for employees to work on projects that stretch their skills and build their acumen. People want to work on projects that are meaningful, have a tangible impact, and allow them to learn emerging technologies. To attract the best talent, you have to be intentional about giving them opportunities to work on projects that empower their

North Texas needs to take the nonprofit industry seriously. We comprise 10% of the workforce, but we don’t have a strategy for capacity-building and talent development like for-profits do. We need a trained workforce, especially on newer concepts, such as sustainability, impact, and collaboration.

As a society, we want nonprofits to achieve meaningful change, but we haven’t put the effort into teaching this in schools or retraining our workforce as a whole around these gamechanging trends.

Through Uber’s unique and innovative partnership with Harvard Business School Online, we offer world-class executive education to current and aspiring leaders, with a specific focus on the topics of culture, leadership, and inclusion. And throughout 2019, we’re piloting a variety of sponsorship, mentorship, and coaching programs for employees at every level—with an eye toward rolling them out at scale, across the company globally. And, at Uber, we enjoy working on hard problems together because the hardest challenges are often the most rewarding.

professional development.

The rapid pace of change and technology advancement has created an environment where those who are successful will be able to learn, unlearn, and relearn skills quickly. Creating a culture of learning—one where team members are supported in their efforts to learn and deploy new skills—will be an enabler of successful companies in the future.

Companies must plan for the investment required to develop this culture whether it’s time for development, funds for development programs, individuals who can coach and groom others, or the planned movement of people through multiple assignments to develop the new skills.

Soft skills count. Here’s what companies are looking for in a new hire.

Hustle, grit, tenacity, and an eagerness to learn, fast. Gig Wage wants people putting forth their best work, daily. The best work is inspired work.

Flexibility and a strong competitive spirit— though those don’t always come in the same package, both are needed.

Craig Lewis, CEO and Founder, Gig Wage

44

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S | T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E | 2 0 1 9

Michael Cupps, SVP, OpenConnect

Adaptability, mission-alignment, and authenticity. You have to believe all people should be valued.

Taylor Smith, Senior Manager, People, PerScholars

TA L E N T P O O L

“THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP NEEDS TO LOOK LIKE THE POPULATION.” Brooke Armstrong JLL

Kimberly O’Neil

Bill Bodin

CEO Giving Blueprint

Chief Technology Officer rewardStyle

Talent for nonprofits should be attracted based on the experience needed in the organization.

We sometimes fail to remember that a nonprofit is a business that just happens to be a charity.

When recruiting and hiring talent, we should be searching based on our need. Where we fall short is not being able to pay a competitive wage that’s fair to the organization’s budget and a livable wage for the prospective talent.

I think the issue lies in the mindset that nonprofit talent—or prospective talent—should be expected to do more in the name of good. We should want to pay the best because we need the best to address the missiondriven challenges.

At our company, software engineers always have the opportunity to contribute in multiple areas. At rewardStyle, it’s my job to ensure our technology is beyond current. If you want to be challenged, if you want to invent, and if you want to change the way the world operates— you want to be here. Our business model provides headroom for boundless growth and our platform implements the absolute best components and technology in the industry.

We extend the value of virtually anything you can buy, creating a stage for influencers, maximizing the visibility of products to consumers, and optimizing the way brands market and sell.

Advanced AI-powered analytics combined with a fluid frictionless mobile experience is forever changing the retail industry.

Participants at the AT&T 2019 Hello Sunshine Filmmaker Lab got an 8-day crash course in professional film production.

ADVANCING HARD SKILLS, SOFT SKILLS AT&T invests in programs supporting STEM and technology Mylayna Albright is assistant vice president for Corporate Social Responsibility at AT&T. We recently asked her a few questions about the company’s hiring initiatives.

How does your company help promote women in technology?

AT&T collaborates with organizations including Black Girls Code, Girl Scouts, and Girls Who Code to increase the number of under-represented people—including women of color—in the digital space. AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have invested more than $144 million to support STEM initiatives in the past 30 years. We’ve given nearly $12 million to support women in STEM in the past 5 years.

How can we encourage younger people to enter certain fields or careers that they have not previously considered?

With a financial commitment of $550 million since 2008, we work with programs such as Genesys Works and Per Scholas to help increase the number of young adults that have access to the technical and professional skills training that employers look for, while offering exposure to a variety of career fields through internships with AT&T and others. We also strive to provide opportunities to those who haven’t had traditional pathways into the entertainment industry. We do this so through programs such as the AT&T Media Fellowship, AT&T Hello Sunshine Filmmaker Lab, Turner Voices Youth Media Institute, and Warner Bros.

(WB) First Cut. Mylayna Albright

Smart, ethical, hardworking, likable, and service/ team-oriented. At a place where individual contributions are valued, these are essential to success.

Yvette Ostolaza, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP

P H OTO : AT & T

What advice do you have for young people, especially college students, in entering the workforce?

Advances in technology not only require a focus on “hard” skills such as coding and data analytics, but also emphasize the importance of the “soft” skills that technology cannot replace, including leadership, collaboration, and effective decision-making. Finding ways to develop those skills early on and grow them throughout a career will be crucial to one’s ability to be competitive, especially as the needs of the workforce continue to evolve.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

45

EDUCATION T H E N E X T G E N E R AT I O N O F S T E M S TA R S I S G E T T I N G P R E PA R E D F O R A T E C H TA K E O V E R

S T E M H OT B E D

P H OTO S : R E C F O U N DAT I O N

ROBOTICS ROCK STARS DALLAS DNA: “STEM education is part of our DNA in Dallas, and the extensive STEM and robotics community locally is not just important in our schools but in also recruiting companies, jobs, and workforce to the Dallas area,” Monica Paul, the executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission, says. “Bringing the VEX Worlds to Dallas embodies the out-of-the-box thinking that we have embraced the Dallas Sports Commission as we expand our portfolio of events.”

T

HE LARGEST ROBOTICS COMPETITION IN THE WORLD IS HEADED TO DALLAS,

for the first time in a decade. The VEX Robotics World Championship—a weeklong celebration of students’ technical skills—returns to Dallas from 2021 through 2024, bringing with it top global teams in robotics who will go head-to-head in creative design thinking and problem-solving. The return was announced by the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and the Dallas Sports Commission, and will be presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation. Headquartered in Greenville, Texas, the REC Foundation wants to increase student involvement in STEM through robotics and engineering programs. The event previously was held in Dallas in 2009 and 2010. The REC Foundation credited Dallas’ standing as a “hotbed for STEM jobs” as a driving factor that brought it back to its home base. For now, visitors at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science can try out VEX robots at the newly upgraded Texas Instruments Engineering and Innovation Hall. —Lance Murray D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

47

E D U C AT I O N

FUTURE WORLD 48

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Area universities prepare tech workers for a rapidly changing world

by TA R A N I E U W E ST E E G

E D U C AT I O N

LIGHT IT UP: Students work in the projection mapping studio at UTD’s School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication.

P H OTO : S A R A H WA L L , C O U RT E S Y U T D

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS, ANNE BALSAMO IS TEACHING A FRESHMAN FOUNDATION CLASS. IT’S THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER, AND AS USUAL, THE STUDENTS ARE A LITTLE ANXIOUS.

A silent question looms in the room, weighing heavy on their minds. In a few short years, they’ll don caps and gowns and receive their diplomas. But then what? What kinds of jobs will await them on the other side of the graduation stage?

Balsamo pulls up a PowerPoint presentation and clicks to one of the slides. It lists out jobs that emerged in 2009—10

jobs that didn’t exist until 10 years ago. “Ten years ago,” she says, “who knew what an ‘Uber driver’ was?”

The next column of the slide—five jobs that didn’t exist until 2014—helps drive the point home. It isn’t that Balsamo thinks her students will become drivers or social media influencers; she wants to illustrate how fast the world changes. Technology is evolving at a breakneck pace—so quickly that it’s hard to predict what the future might hold. What we know for sure is that, to fill tomorrow’s jobs, we need cutting-edge education programs that can train tomorrow’s talent.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

49

E D U C AT I O N

UNT’s Center for Agile and Adaptive Additive Manufacturing is at the forefront of manufacturing technologies, facilitating the creation of complex, threedimensional objects with possibilities for far-reaching impacts.

Here in North Texas, we got our start as a tech hub back in the boom of the 1990s, when telecom companies flooded the area. Today, Dallas-Fort Worth is home to more than 40 Fortune 1000 companies, and the presence of tech giants like AT&T and Texas Instruments have drawn legions of highly skilled workers to the area. Factors like a low cost of living, central location, and low taxes also make this region fertile ground for innovation.

But perhaps the crown jewel of our auspicious collection of qualities—what makes North Texas so formidable on the innovation and tech fronts—is the hub of learning establishments that have long called the area home. The region has more than 40 higher learning institutions, and in just over two hours, you could get in your car and visit each of our seven nationally ranked universities. That includes the University of Texas at Dallas, where Balsamo serves as dean of the School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC).

“Education is the fundamental tenet to enable personal growth, in addition to corporate growth,” Drexell Owusu, senior vice president of education and workforce for the Dallas Regional Chamber, says. “Our businesses can’t thrive without a talent workforce, and

50

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

how we build that talent is of vital importance to every company.”

Fortunately, with so many local universities, North Texas has fostered a collection of pioneer programs in high-level facilities that monitor the pulse of our rapidly changing technological landscape. With world-class faculty members and programs that incorporate on-thejob training, higher education institutions create an employment pipeline that funnels the best and brightest to top companies across the state—and beyond.

“We want every person in the region to have the opportunity to prosper,” Owusu says. “That requires folks to have the right skills necessary to get a job that pays a living wage and does the things they want to do.”

But that begs some questions: What skills does the future require? What programs and areas of study will be crucial in order to teach them? And how do we train the people who are students today to fill the jobs of tomorrow?

While there’s no way to know for sure, experts with their ears to the ground have strong opinions on where the future is headed—and by attracting researchers and academics on the cutting edge of their fields, local universities can do their part to chart the future and prepare their students for what it holds.

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Leigh McMullen, a distinguished VP analyst for Gartner, believes that the most important thing institutions can do is to teach students how to think, and how to do. In a general, nationwide sense, McMullen points to machine learning, blockchain, and cybersecurity as a few disciplines that will be important for the future. Here in Dallas, he says, some of what the future holds will be dictated by our position within the country.

That means networking, because “we’re at the crossroads of the internet,” he explains. “We’re also going to need additive manufacturing—3D printing or other short, small-batch kinds of manufacturing technology—because we’re also at the crossroads of America.”

At the University of North Texas, the Center for Agile and Adaptive Additive Manufacturing is blazing the path forward in the realm of manufacturing technologies, facilitating the creation of complex, three-dimensional objects with possibilities for far-reaching impacts. The center, established in 2018, received $10 million in funding from the Texas Legislature earlier this year.

In addition to data and computer science roles, there’s the medical field to consider: At the University of Texas at Arlington, the North Texas Genome Center uses genomics technology to facilitate strides forward in health research. And, throughout the region, technology is finding its way into art: DataArts at Southern Methodist University utilizes technology to analyze data on arts organizations.

SMU Guildhall is one of the top graduate game design programs in the country, and UTD’s ATEC has its eyes on the horizon when it comes to bridging the gap between art and technology. Balsamo says that she expects to see a continuing demand for animation and experience design jobs, and that in many cases, incorporating new technologies into artistic endeav-

P H OTO : R A N DY A N D E R S O N , C O U RT E S Y U T D

E D U C AT I O N

TECHNOLOGY IN MOTION: Clad in a motion-capture suit, UTD alum Brittany Jones high-fives Dr. Anne Balsamo, dean of UTD’s ATEC program.

“ANIMATION WILL BE ALL OVER THE WORLD AND IN OUR ENVIRONMENTS. WE CAN ALREADY SEE THIS HAPPENING IN BIG CITIES THROUGHOUT ASIA—WE KNOW IT’S COMING.” —

ANNE BALSAMO, SCHOOL OF ARTS, TECHNOLOGY, AND EMERGING COMMUNICATION, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

ors—for example, a filmmaker utilizing drones as part of her cinematography—will be key in the evolution of these disciplines.

“Animation is only going to get bigger—and that’s not only in animation feature films or animation in games,” Balsamo says. “Animation will be all over the world and in our environments.

We can already see this happening in big cities throughout Asia—we know it’s coming.”

In short, the role of technology in the future cannot be ignored or underestimated, and it touches nearly every discipline. We’ve put together a list of some of the area’s most exciting programs—the universities across North Texas that are

truly shaping the talent of the future.

(Page 53) And though the answer to that fearful freshman question—What kind of job will I get when I graduate?—is ever-changing, North Texas is in a prime position to harness technology and help instruct students for the jobs of today, and tomorrow.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

51

No matter who you are or where you’re from, when you Say Yes to Dallas, you’re Saying Yes to more than you might think. s ayye stodal l a s .com

E D U C AT I O N

Jobs of the Future: The Hottest Areas of Tech Education ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ MACHINE LEARNING

At the University of Texas at Dallas, the Center for Applied AI and Machine Learning focuses on applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to create viable industry solutions and educate the next generation of scientists.

The Department of Information Science at UNT, DataScience@SMU, and the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at UTA also offer courses, specializations, and concentrations in machine learning and artificial intelligence that help train students for cutting-edge jobs including software engineering, data engineering, application development, and programming.

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

Software engineering is one field that opens doors in nearly every industry across the globe.

All companies use technology in some way, says Duane Dankesreiter, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation for the Dallas Regional Chamber. “You may be a big bank, but you need data analytics and software engineering to succeed.”

At the University of Texas at Arlington, software engineering students collaborate with local companies to hone their skills for the future, while, at the University of North Texas, students test their mettle by solving practical problems. The Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas is ranked eighth in the country for software engineering research, and boasts cutting-edge forays into semiconductor design, wireless networking, organic electronics, and medical imaging. The school’s internship and cooperative education program places 12,000 students a year at local tech companies.

CYBERSECURITY

With the modern world inextricably linked to technology, information security will only become more important as the future races forward—and these concerns are top-ofmind for everyone from corporate leaders to everyday individuals.

The Cybersecurity Research and Education Institute at the University of Texas at Dallas is poised to address these concerns by conducting advanced cybersecurity research and providing inclusive education and training to enable the next generation of cybersecurity professionals to respond to the cyber threats of tomorrow.

Additionally, faculty at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce is working to solve issues and concerns that revolve around resilience, risk awareness, and cyberphysical security.

AUGMENTED REALITY/ VIRTUAL REALITY

Art and tech overlap more with each passing day. SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development utilizes augmented reality and virtual reality in its teaching projects.

The University of Texas at Dallas houses one of the few motion capture and virtual reality laboratories in the country, and its applications range from gaming to military training scenarios to education and medical research. At UTD’s ATEC School, students incorporate AR and VR into their capstone projects, like the fashion photographer who created an interactive magazine. The photos were digitally coated, and readers could use their phones to access video footage of the fashion models discussing their #metoo moments.

“Augmented reality is emerging as a new and popular media form,” UTD’s Anne Balsamo says. “It involves new technologies, so our faculty and students are investigating how we can use AR in interesting ways that help us as human beings.”

MEDICINE

A pressing need for medical advancements in various disciplines is an expected side effect of a climbing population and across-the-board increased life expectancy.

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center conducts research across a variety of fields, including cancer, heart disease, and neuroscience. With an annual funding of around $470 million, the Center trains around 3,600 health professionals every year.

In the Biology Department at Texas Women’s University, researchers conduct pioneering investigations into pain management, and at the University of North Texas’s Bio Discovery Institute, researchers work with bio-based materials to discover their potential applications in construction, transportation, and healthcare. The UNT Health Science Center contains six schools that tackle forward-looking disciplines, like forensic genetics and Alzheimer’s research. Notable is UNTHSC’s School of Medicine, a joint collaboration with Texas Christian University that aims to create empathetic, globally conscious medical leaders.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

53

E D U C AT I O N

Education Matters to Business There is a need for an educated workforce to fill the jobs of the present and the future. Whether it’s STEM, STEAM, or STREAM education in high schools, technical training centers, or colleges and universities, fueling the high-tech talent pipeline starts at every level. These Dallas-Fort Worth business and nonprofit leaders agree that well-educated, well-trained workers help move companies—and all of North Texas—toward growth and prosperity for all. And here’s what they’re doing about it.

Nina Vaca

Hilary Jackson

Sorabh Saxena

Byron Sanders

Romelia Flores

Chairman and CEO Pinnacle

Vice President, Technology Capital One Financial Services

EVP and President Global Operations and Services AT&T Business

President and CEO Big Thought

Distinguished Engineer and Master Inventor IBM

You can’t be what you can’t see, so part of encouraging students to enter certain fields is to provide them with firsthand experience in those fields. Often students don’t know what career fields they want to pursue, and allowing them to explore potential careers is an important part of their learning process. For example, Pinnacle invests much of our time and resources in the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) program at Thomas Jefferson High School.

Through this program students graduate high school with both a diploma and an associate degree in a STEM field.

Many students just need an opportunity, so we help provide that.

A vibrant community is really built from within.

It requires an ecosystem of people and businesses coming together to create a positive change: When our communities are stronger, our businesses are stronger, and it makes a big difference when we can all work together to make a positive impact.

Let’s continue working together to elevate DFW as a hub for innovation and technology, to get the next generation futureready and to attract world-class talent here.

STEM is cool. We’ve got to show that it’s not hard, it’s cool. The world doesn’t work without technology anymore, nothing does.

So everything that you see has to have STEM behind it. All the kids watch TV. All the kids know of mobile phones— if they don’t have one already in elementary school—and so on.

Middle school is where the breakage happens, because that’s where everything else becomes cool. There is risk-reward, because all stats prove that a STEM education sets you off on a better path in the future. Growth from 2017 to 2027 is anticipated to be 14 percent in STEM jobs.

Growth in other jobs is 8 to 9 percent. Those are the simple facts. So if you can tie the effort and the rigor, it will pay off much better later.

Labels—or lack of labels—stick with a person from their childhood all the way through to their adulthood. I was working at a bank as an investment manager and still had not considered myself a math guy. That is, until I was sitting in a board meeting and somebody said, ‘You’re one of our math guys, so figure this out.’ And I thought, ‘I am a math guy. That’s right.’ So people opting in to say, ‘This is for me.

I’m going to spend my time. I belong.’ It really matters. If we do that with a lens of equity and inclusion, it’s going to be critical. And it’s not just putting up images, but really getting proximate to communities and showing, ’This is what it could look like. Here’s your exposure, and here’s the actual pathway to success.’

Highly soughtafter employees possess the ability to effectively collaborate, communicate, and create with others. Today’s tech-savvy workforce needs are enabling high school and university students to obtain job shadow, internships, and other opportunities when they are in their late teenage years.

This makes it critical for young employees to demonstrate that they have the ability to quickly learn new technologies, adapt to changes in the market, and transform the work they are delivering.

Having the ability to generate impactful results in a rapid ‘agile’ fashion is key in today’s working environment.

“DALLAS ISD HAS INCREASED ITS MATH PASS RATE FOR THE ‘MEETS AND MASTERS.’ WE’RE AT THE HIGH 80S RIGHT NOW. FOR AN URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT TO BE IN THE HIGH 80S IN MATH IS KIND OF — OSWALDO ALVARENGA, DISD UNHEARD OF. DALLAS IS LEADING THE NATION IN THIS.” 54

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

WORK/LIFE

M E E T- U P S , C O W O R K I N G , A N D C A N I N E C O M PA N I O N S C O N S P I R E TO C R E AT E C O M M U N I T Y

S T E M H OT B E D

P H OTO : E R I N G I L L I AT T

MEET YOUR MAKERS

Established in 2010, the Dallas Makerspace began when members of the Dallas Personal Robotics Group needed a place to meet. Now, it has become a model for similar makerspace facilities nationwide.

M

AKERSPACES IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH ARE A GROWTH INDUSTRY. LOOK NO

further than Dallas Makerspace, which has become so popular, it expanded with a 20,000-square-foot addition. The volunteer-run educational nonprofit, billed as the “largest membership-based makerspace in the U.S.,” provides members with tools, worktables, and facilities for hands-on classes across a wide range of subjects. That could include jewelry making, knitting, painting, woodshop, auto work, or printmaking. The group brings in around $1M a year, mostly from membership fees paid by around 2,200 members—but there are no paid employees. Rather, the “spirit of volunteerism is the reason this place exists,” former President Kris Anderson says, speaking to the core group of passionate volunteers who run daily operations. There’s anywhere from 15-20 classes each weekday, but Anderson says the most exciting thing that happens inside is the peer-to-peer community collaboration. “Along with classroom education,” she says, “one-onone skill sharing and skill trading are the backbone of this organization.” —Alex Edwards D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

55

WORK/LIFE

THE STORY OF US P H OTO : M I C H A E L S A M P L E S

56

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Light it up: Aurora, the public art extravaganza of immersive light, video, and sound, illuminated downtown Dallas in 2018 with 17 installations and performances.

A biennial event—the 10th anniversary is set for 2020— this year brought Aurora Expanded: Aurora’s citywide, year-round series that unites art and technology.

WORK/LIFE

Here’s where to meet the like-minded to talk tech and start stuff in DFW.

by TA R A N I E U W E ST E E G

E

VERYONE LOVES AN EXCITING SUCCESS STORY.

Take rewardStyle. This eminently recognizable tech startup, which provides influencers with a platform to monetize their social media presence, first opened shop in a small Dallas studio apartment in 2011. Today, it’s grown into a company with 250 employees across the globe and an international presence.

Other examples include parking solutions startup ParkHub, life insurance alternative Bestow, luxury ride-sharing service Alto, and Fixd, a home repair and warranty business recently purchased by parent company Angie’s List.

These companies all have strong roots in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, and it’s not difficult to see what makes this place so conducive to innovation: We have 22 Fortune 500 companies and seven nationally accredited universities. There’s also the tech-savvy precedent that start-

ed with the telecommunications boom of the 1990s, and a diverse population that comprises a favorable testing ground for new products.

Though these elements set the stage, they’re not the most important pieces when it comes to creating fertile ground for success. In order to launch, startups require the right people—and not just one or two of them.

“It takes an ecosystem,” says Cameron Cushman, director of Innovation Ecosystems at the UNT Health Science Center. “No one person, no one startup founder can do it all themselves. They’re going need help—on accounting, or legal, or investments, or technical expertise. They’re going to need a lot of different things in the development of their business.”

Community collaboration and connectivity power innovation throughout North Texas. After all, a strong and engaged local community is the best way

for entrepreneurs to meet their future business partners, discover talent, connect with funders, and receive feedback.

“This is a very welcoming community that supports each other and the work that’s being done,” says local web developer David Fares. “There aren’t a lot of people holding onto their piece of the pie and not willing to share it with others—there’s a sense of collaboration.”

But in North Texas, where do we go to collaborate? To meet like-minded people? To launch our next big idea?

Sometimes, the first “start” of a startup is as simple as grabbing a cup of coffee.

Startups, Meet-ups, and Coffee Cups Coffee-centric meet-ups are some of the easiest ways that entrepreneurs can plug into the local community. Consider the prevalence of Open Coffee Clubs— there are a handful of these groups

C O U R T E S Y O F N AT I O N A L V I D E O G A M E M U S E U M

VIDEO VIBE Frisco’s National Video Game Museum is a gaming blast-from-the-past.

Dedicated to documenting and preserving the stories behind video games—and letting nostalgia run free by actually making the games playable—the museum is a place to expand on creativity and competitiveness. People can step into the ‘80s, follow a timeline of consoles, or learn in the on-site STEM classroom. This year, the museum offered four $1,500 STEM or gaming scholarships to students.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

57

WORK/LIFE

Network Bar sits at the intersection of business and pleasure. As a dedicated space for professionals to mingle, the atmosphere is designed to promote productivity, inspiration, interconnectivity, and collaboration—with craft cocktails and food on the side. Members get access to a diverse industry network of local talent, which is enhanced through the bar’s mobile app.

58

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

Code group, a designer with the monthly meetup group CreativeMornings, or a user experience professional with the local chapter of UXPA International.

“I’ve always tried to be a connector,” Studley says. “I like to figure out what value I can provide.”

David Fares, who’s on the board of the local Independent Game Developer’s Association, moderates the Video Game Open Coffee Club, which meets in Frisco (typically at Nerdvana) and Plano (at the CityLine Whole Foods Market). This Open Coffee Club offshoot encourages conversation based around the local game development community.

Perhaps the mother of all coffee meetups, though, is 1 Million Cups, a national organization that spawned chapters in Dallas (which typically meets at the Venture X) and Fort Worth (which meets at Locavore). Once a week, one

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

or two local innovators present their startup to a caffeinated assemblage.

When the pitches conclude, the group offers feedback, critique, and ultimately, a question of how the larger community can help the presenters’ startups take their next steps.

These kinds of organized meet-ups are often the best bet to discovering like-minded people in an area with a population that’s burgeoned past 6 million. But, Fares says, setting up and working at business-friendly, locally owned coffee shops can often make North Texas feel like a small world.

“You’ll end up running into people from all over,” he says.

Connecting through Coworking The market for coworking space is competitive, but the companies that differentiate themselves are the ones that provide value to the local startup

P H OTO : E R I N G I L L I AT T

strewn across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Their format is simple: They’re hour-long, before-work meetings where people passionate about technology connect.

Caitlin Studley, who hosts BigDOCC, the Open Coffee Club that meets at CENTRL Office in downtown Dallas, explains the group as a place for discourse on the latest tech news: everything from the scooter phenomenon to the ethics of Facebook to major company acquisitions. Attendees—anyone at any stage of a tech career or entrepreneurial journey—discuss what’s new in the scene, connect over their current projects, discuss job opportunities, and look for ways to help each other.

For Studley, director of culture at Lifeblue, an important part is helping point people in the right direction. For example, she might connect a female developer with a nearby Women Who

9 0 0 L B S P H OTO S : E R I N G I L L I AT ; G U I D E I T P H OTO I L L U S T R AT I O N : M I C H A E L S A M P L E S

WORK/LIFE

scene—generally through programming, events, and reduced-fee or even free coworking. These are the ones that “really get it,” Studley says.

Coworking spaces are some of the best places to find technologists and innovators, and Studley points to Common Desk, Treehouse Addison, GoodWork, and Stoke—all of which offer resources to fledgling entrepreneurs and serve as hubs for the community.

Dallas Makerspace is also a point of collaboration for local innovators. The nonprofit community workshop, which has recently doubled its size to 36,000 feet, provides a slew of different classes and equipment that facilitate tasks as disparate as glassworking, 3D printing, and superconducting. This is a place where people go to be inspired as well as to connect, says Dallas Makerspace board president James Henningson. “From the technology and idea standpoint, you will find no shortage of people willing to assist in your project, and potentially partner and add value to your project if you’re trying to incubate an idea.”

Capital Factory, an Austin company that partnered with the Dallas Entrepreneur Center for its 2018 Dallas market launch, provides programs and support to startups across the state, including coworking, a mentor network, and workshops. Capital Factory’s VC fund is also the most active early-stage investor in Texas, says Bryan Chambers, vice president of Accelerator and Investment Fund for Capital Factory. Capital Factory deals with companies primarily postlaunch, and helps expand entrepreneurs’ connections in the Dallas-Fort Worth locale, but also across the state of Texas.

“Our whole mission and one of our big advantages is that we are working to connect these major markets into one super region, or super city, so early-stage resources flow across markets,” Chambers says. “We think we can unlock billions of dollars in new value in this way.”

WE

DOGS IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH

At some companies, it’s take your dog to work day, every day. It’s a rare benefit most likely to be found at a startup or coworking space, but it’s a growing trend and a desirable perk. In the coworking realm, GoodWork is home to a “growing group of four-legged friends.” Hypergiant, a Texas-based provider of artificial intelligence products and consulting services, sees pets as more than just friends: “It’s scientifically proven that having a pet around makes life better,” CEO and Co-founder Ben Lamm says. GuideIT, a Perot company that provides IT services for business success, has a team member specially trained to teach puppies good manners and provide a socialization environment. The Plano company says its mission is to support Guide Dogs for the Blind, and its guide-dog-in-training and mascot, Amore, is close to graduating as an official Guide Dog for the Blind. Other local companies with their doggy doors wide open are ParkHub and 900lbs.

GuideIT mascot, Amore, is completing her year-long training before she can graduate as an official Guide Dog for the Blind.

Teddy

Teddy, “head of security,” is on patrol at 900lbs.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

59

WORK/LIFE

Think of Nerdvana Frisco as two places rolled into one. On one side is a contemporary American restaurant that celebrates video game culture with game consoles at some tables. The other side is a coffee shop replete with board game decor and games you can buy.

60

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

Center. This online resource offers specialized guidance for entrepreneurs at every step of their journey. Studley points to the Dallas-Fort Worth Startup Community group page on Facebook, and encourages interested parties to seek out invitations to various Slack group chats, including the DFW Devs Channel, which has nearly 1,300 members.

Joshua King, the force behind public art event Aurora, considers Dallas at the forefront of the technology-in-art movement. When asked where he makes his connections, the answer is “everywhere”—from Instagram to LinkedIn. “That’s the great thing about technology,” King says, “you have instant access to an artist or organization.”

Whether we find our co-founder while tapping away on our laptop at

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Mokah in Deep Ellum, connect with a funder during a discussion put on by the Dallas Entrepreneur Center, or receive some good advice in cyberspace, having a diverse population to engage with is a big part of what drives our tech community.

Ultimately, North Texas has many attributes that make the area favorable to technologists, entrepreneurs, and innovators: a low cost of living, an impressive collection of higher education institutions, and a ponderous corporate presence. But ultimately, it’s about us—a community who believes innovation is important not just for individuals, but also for our entire region.

And as long as we can take a little time to lend a hand, make a connection, or simply stop for a cup of coffee, the future is bright.

P H OTO : E R I N G I L L I AT T

Plugging in to the Online Community By “super region,” Chambers refers to the area that comprises North Texas, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston—a dense, geographically unique stretch that holds exceptional competitive advantages. And the main way this “super-region” can share talent, customers, and investors is, of course, through technology.

Chambers says, “if Texas works together, we could compete with any country in the entire world.”

The connectivity that cyberspace provides is important in a community where technology is at the forefront— and our local Dallas-Fort Worth startup scene has a vibrant online presence. In terms of online hubs, Fort Worth boasts Sparkyard.co, a partnership among the city, TCU, and UNT Health Science

WORK/LIFE

Coworking Communities

G O O D W O R K P H OTO : M E R I S S A D E F A L C I S ; A L L OT H E R S C O U R T E S Y O F T H E C O W R K I N G S PA C E S

The nearly 100 coworking locations in North Texas occupy more than 3.4 million square feet of office space—enough to fill a couple of downtown’s largest skyscrapers, according to a report by CBRE. As the industry grows, newcomers are doing more to cultivate a niche audience of like-minded individuals. Here are four with a focus that stand out.

Formation The coworking space at the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters at The Star in Frisco is a one-of-a-kind connection to the team and owner Jerry Jones. It offers a full suite of luxurious amenities, as well as office furniture, tools, and environment like those used by Cowboys executives and the Jones family.

GoodWork The inclusive flexible workspace that is GoodWork does right by its people and planet. Tailored to sustainability and wellness, GoodWork is solar powered, eliminates indoor pollutants, and offers education on how to grow a responsible business. It also aims to be the first in the world that’s dually LEED and WELL certified. And, it’s dog friendly.

Her.HQ Joining female-focused spots like The Slate and The Riveter is Her.HQ, an experiential workspace designed to empower women while creating a community of likeminded individuals. Her.HQ found its home this year in a 6,000-square-foot space in Oak Cliff formerly occupied by Common Desk. Inside are health and wellness programs, creative exploration, and career advancement information.

Locavore In Fort Worth, Locavore—or “local foods”—is a foodie’s take on coworking. The kitchen offers commercial grade appliances for individuals or startups to try and scale their creations in a collaborative, supportive environment. Space can be rented month-to-month, and there’s an event space on-site for pop-up dinners and chef showcases.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

61

WORK/LIFE

Balance, Benefits, and Flexibility There’s an evolution in the relationships between companies and their employees in Dallas-Fort Worth and across the nation. Some people might call it work/life balance. To others it’s work/life integration. Regardless of what it’s called, companies and workers in North Texas are looking for ways to be integral parts of their communities. Achieving that balance can be a tall order, but flexible work schedules and environments can help employees achieve wholeness in their lives, and serve as important tools for companies to attract and retain top talent in their industries.

Matt Chambers

Andrea Hough

Kelley Shimansky

James Helms

Traci Dunn

Chief Information Officer Baylor, Scott & White Health

Head of Talent Management Fidelity

Chief Human Resources Officer Tyler Technologies

Vice President, Design Intuit

Vice President Inclusion, Diversity & Culture, McKesson

We’re in healthcare so it’s inherent that we’re focused on the health and well-being of our employees, patients, members and community.

We can’t care for our patients and health plan members if we don’t also care for our own employees and the health of their families. Work-life balance starts with culture and trust.

We stay away from the phrase “work/life balance” and instead focus on work life integration. In today’s flexible work environments, decoupling work and life is a tall order. We know—and in fact, appreciate—that our employees juggle multiple roles. In any one day, a Fidelity Investments employee may also be a parent, friend, volunteer, community leader, student and beyond. We believe the many roles of our employees provide them valuable insights and skills that help serve our customers even better. “Integration” acknowledges that there will be overlaps, some ebbs and some flows. At Fidelity Investments, we solve for this by focusing on the total employee— providing them with support and benefits to help them thrive both at work and in life.

Each member of our team has a somewhat different definition of work/life flexibility. Age is one of many drivers of what matters most. We continually gather information from our candidates and team members to determine what matters most and how that is changing as we design work/life balance benefits and practices. Younger staff are often driven by opportunities to broaden their base of experience and grow their capabilities.

Those in the later stages of their careers often have a strong desire to mentor, guide, and grow the capabilities of those around them.

We try to build in quite a bit of flexibility—to take care of errands or work from home —to respect our employees’ time. I definitely encourage my own employees to embrace their families, hobbies and passions. I’m a firm believer that creativity requires downtime, outside interests and a certain amount of “semi-productivity.” We are immersed in so many inputs each day, our brains need time to process that in the background. And to create organic “collisions” which force new ideas and connections to form. We see that work/life balance actually yields happier, more engaged employees and ultimately happier customers. And that’s good for business.

Life is a collection of gives and gets. There will be times where you’ll need to be 100% focused on work and times where you’ll need to be 100% focused on home life —and that’s okay.

It’s about finding ways to effectively integrate the two. Our office is designed to offer flexibility in your work. At McKesson, we work in “neighborhoods” instead of assigned seats and all our technology is mobile. This space naturally creates an inclusive environment and promotes collaboration. If you need quiet time or space to focus on a project, there’s plenty of room across the campus to find some peace and quiet. We also have great amenities that help with home life like Amazon Lockers, dry cleaning services, and an on-site gym with fitness classes available throughout the day.

“WORKING WITH SUCH DEDICATED TEAM MEMBERS, IT’S EASY TO GET IMMERSED IN WORK TO THE DETRIMENT OF OTHER AREAS OF OUR LIVES. WE MAKE SURE TO FIND TIME TO CELEBRATE WITH OUR EMPLOYEES TO LET THEM KNOW HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE THEM AND CARE ABOUT THEIR WELL-BEING.

WE RECOGNIZE OUR EMPLOYEES HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF STACKPATH. ” — VICTORIA GUERRE, STACKPATH 62

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S | T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E | 2 0 1 9

S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

THOUGHT LEADERS

900 LBS

64

B G S TA F F I N G

66

D E V M O U N TA I N

68

L I N U X AC A D E M Y

70

SAM’S CLUB

72

W O R K FO R C E S O L U T I O N S G R E AT E R DA L L A S

74

I L L U S T R AT I O N : F E O D O R A C H I O S E A V I A i S TO C K

MUSINGS ON INNOVATION FROM THE REGION’S PARADIGM-SHIFTING COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

63

S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

THOUGHT LEADERS

900 LBS Steve Deitz, CEO/Founder 9 0 0 L B S .C O M

How does your company retain talent?

Our team knows how much we genuinely care about each other at 900lbs. With a great balance of EQ and IQ, we celebrate successes and collaborate incredibly on challenges.

There are a diverse range of strengths on our team and our goal is for everyone to feel valued, especially with the great springboard we have built for personal and professional growth. I am thankful for our ever-learning inspired creative culture. It intoxicates you as soon as you come in the door.

Explain why it’s important to have diversity in the workplace. How does your company maintain and support diversity and inclusion?

It all begins and rests with me. My father was military and respect was ingrained at a young age. I was born in Germany, my mom’s family is Czech and my wife is Latin. I have

64

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

traveled to 31 countries and I have always been fascinated with other cultures. We live in a big, connected world, so, appreciating what makes us all different and creating a sense of belonging is most important in our workplace and our lives.

What role does your company culture play in recruiting and retaining talent?

Passionate creative energy infects prospective team members and clients. While we have invested in an awesome office design, it is our people, clients, projects and swagger that give us a pull factor in the marketplace. People feel appreciated here even in a demanding environment. With a best-in-class onboarding process, we will continue to reinforce our culture and connections to purpose, communities and friendships.

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

What role does tech talent play in innovating within your organization?

The tech and innovative mindset in our office drives us all forward.

Organic problem-solving conversations spawn all around and we feed off of each other. Our “Drink & Learns”, 1:1 “Walks” and “Monkey Business” team think tanks produce compelling solutions for clients as well as fuel our creative spirit. R&D and staying on the leading edge of technology will continue to inspire our team and produce awesome work.

What trends do you foresee in the future of work?

Working in a unique and rapidlychanging environment and embracing accountability while communicating early and often will be key. Technical skills will require a dynamic, ever-evolving mentality as we merge tech and intangible tools together with customization.

This will complement the digital transformation that every company is experiencing in ways we’ve never imagined. What an exciting time to be a nerd!

I M M E R S I V E I N T E R A C T I V E D I S R U P T I V E

INNOVATION

WE DESIGN EXPERIENCES. To the innovation agent pushing to drive results, 900lbs is the interactive design agency who combines emerging technologies and visual tools to bring your big idea to life.

Founded in 2008, we are a future-focused interactive design agency with a mission to serve and empower our clients and industry trailblazers.

As a design and development Special Forces Unit, we create a diverse range of interactive initiatives and visual content to showcase the art of the possible and make it a reality.

900lbs.com | 469.283.8043

S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

THOUGHT LEADERS

BG STAFFING B G S TA F F I N G .C O M

How does your company retain talent?

One of the main ways that we retain talent is by our very robust benefit plans that include Healthcare, PTO, Holiday Pay and Matching 401k.

We also offer a competitive Referral Bonus Program which incentivizes our employees to bring people to us. We are proud to employ Client Engagement Managers which serve as a concierge service with specific goals to enhance our employees work experience. By providing ongoing feedback from our clients and ensuring our employees have tools they need to be successful, we’re able to optimize the overall customer experience.

How does your company contribute to the talent pool in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond?

We operate National Recruiting Practices and advertise across the nation to draw in candidates to the DFW Market. We work proactively to relocate talent and have assisted many organizations to relocate their operations here to the DFW Market.

66

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

What makes your office unique and attractive?

Our Dallas office is unique and attractive for several reasons. For the first time in our history, we have assembled multiple professional brands to operate in one single location. This allows us to work strategically with our clients to present several service offerings based on the specific needs they have. We are aligned with our marketing department to assist on several advertising, PR and communication strategies.

What trends do you foresee in the future of work?

Trends that we foresee include more work-life balance, mentorship programs and flexibility in working remotely. Philanthropy is also an important factor in the decision process for employees when looking for a new job. Organizations are allocating more dollars for conferences, coursework and continuing education to support employees’ career development.

Companies are also automating T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

processes and creating more system enhancements, enabling companies to achieve more with less man hours.

What role does tech talent play in innovating within your organization?

Our internal tech team plays a highly innovative role within BG Staffing

by aligning emerging technologies that complement our business goals.

With technical knowledge combined with feedback from our business leaders, our tech team introduces and implements new ideas, devices and methods thus creating a more efficient and positive experience for our field talent, client partners and internal team.

BG STAFFING BG STAFFING YOUR FUTURE. OUR PURPOSE. YOUR FUTURE. OUR PURPOSE.

We love what we do, Weand love what we do, so should you. and so should you.

­ ­

S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

THOUGHT LEADERS

DEVMOUNTAIN Hideo Hansen, President D E V M O U N TA I N .C O M

How does your company contribute to the talent pool in Dallas?

As a coding bootcamp, we’re always on the hunt for students who have the potential to be the leaders of the tech industry.

It takes a lot of gumption to be successful in the programs at Devmountain, since we have high expectations of students to learn quickly, thoroughly, and produce portfolio-worthy projects. We’ve got a knack for teaching not only programming languages, but also life skills and a work ethic that make our alumni valuable employees for Dallas businesses.

We also know how important it is for Dallas to have an inclusive workforce, so we are launching a diversity scholarship in 2020 to advance an equitable climate in the tech industry.

What makes your office unique/attractive?

Our student housing is included at no extra cost, and students have an “elevator commute” to campus. All Devmountain courses are taught 100% in-person, on campus. This not only creates a nurturing community to help students study, but also allows students the opportunity to work on teams to develop portfolio projects together.

How will job roles evolve in the tech industry and what are you doing to keep up?

We’re always updating our curriculum based on the programming languages that best serve the needs of the industry.

Sometimes, it works the other way around, and companies end up using the languages we teach.

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

69

S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

THOUGHT LEADERS

LINUX ACADEMY Anna Talerico, COO L I N UX ACA D E M Y.C O M

How does your company recruit talented workers?

We are really proud that about a third of our new hires are referrals and nearly a third are former or current Linux Academy students. We’ve built a strong, positive reputation in online user communities, which is a great place for talent searches.

Our presence at major conferences also provides opportunities to connect and attract hard-to-reach talent.

What role does your company culture play in recruiting and retaining talent?

Our culture is everything. This is a hyper-competitive industry and talented

70

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

snacks or chair massages; it’s created and fostered by the people who come to work every day. Changing lives is what drives us, and that’s the underpinning of our culture.

workers align to organizations with a rewarding culture that challenges and supports them. Culture isn’t about free

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Explain why it’s important to have diversity in the workplace. How does your company maintain and support diversity and inclusion?

Differences strengthen the fabric of a company and we are committed to diversity as we continue to expand globally.

We often seek candidates who don’t fit the mold. To build a diverse company, we choose to be intentional. A workforce lacking diversity isn’t competitive or

compelling. And a culture that doesn’t focus on inclusion isn’t a sustainable one. Creating and maintaining a diverse workforce requires a continuous commitment to sourcing and attracting talent that’s representative of the communities we serve.

How will job roles evolve as a result of technology, and how are you keeping up?

Our job is keeping up so our students and the employees of our business customers can keep up. We create the training that prepares the workforce to stay competitive and move towards advancement.

Learn the Latest Cloud Technologies,

by Doing.

Only Linux Academy Empowers IT Learners with Real, Hands-On Experience

EY DE

W

HN JO

Learn by platform

Learn by skill

Transform your career or your entire enterprise with leading cloud technologies. Discover why Linux Academy earns 95% satisfaction from more than 50,000 ratings each month.

LEARN THE CLOUD BY DOING

P R O U D L Y

learn.linuxacademy.com/dfw

I N N O V AT I N G

I N

D F W

S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

THOUGHT LEADERS

SAM’S CLUB

Jamie Iannone

Jamie Iannone, CEO of samsclub.com | Executive Vice President of Membership and Technology Becky Schmitt, Senior Vice President | Chief People Lead

Becky Schmitt

SA M S C L U B .C O M

Tell us about the Sam’s Club Innovation Center.

Jamie: We opened this office in downtown Dallas last year. We have over 200 engineers, designers and product managers creating digital tools for every aspect of our clubs.

These teams work on everything from mobile apps to machine learning to computer vision.

Why did Sam’s Club open an office in Dallas?

Jamie: Dallas was an easy choice for us. There is a rich pool of technology talent, it’s close to many of our clubs and members, and near Sam’s Club Now. What is Sam’s Club Now? Jamie: Sam’s Club Now is a fully digitally-enabled club in Dallas, where members and associates test out new technologies. Members can purchase items through our Scan & Go app, be navigated to items on their shopping list or learn the backstory of our items through an augmented reality experience.

What makes your Dallas office unique?

Jamie: We’re located in the heart of downtown in a building that dates back to 1903. The culture of our office is fun and collaborative – team huddles, table tennis, free snacks, rooftop lunches and more are a part of daily life here.

72

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

What role does tech talent play in Sam’s Club’s company strategy?

Jamie: Our company strategy is People, Product and Digital. The work our technologists are doing in Dallas, and in our other tech offices in the U.S. and Bangalore, is making a big difference in our ability to develop digital tools that reduce friction for our members and associates.

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Are you hiring in your Dallas office?

Becky: Yes! We’re hiring for engineering, product and UX roles across a variety of teams.

How does Sam’s Club recruit the best technologists?

Becky: We operate more like a startup, which is an attractive proposition to use when recruiting great talent.

Our technologists have the ability to test, try and innovate our platforms and technology in real time using actual members and associates. And, that’s not just for entry-level talent, we hire technologists with different backgrounds and levels of experience.

Join the retail revolution.

Start-up passion. Industry-leading innovation. And a real-world proving ground for digitally enabled shopping. Driven through our innovation hub in Dallas.

Here’s a taste of what we’re working on:

Shopping Navigation

This is just the start.

Augmented Reality

Machine Learning

Accelerate your career and join us in radically changing the way our members shop at careers.walmart.com/technology

D A L L A S I N N O V AT E S . C O M

73

S P E C I A L A D V E RT I S I N G S E C T I O N

THOUGHT LEADERS

WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS GREATER DALLAS Laurie Bouillion Larrea, President W F S DA L L A S .C O M

Laurie Bouillion Larrea

Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas (WFSDallas) is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in Dallas, braiding public and private resources in talent development for over 35 years!

WFSDallas manages an extensive and inclusive workforce development system, complementing the robust economic development of the region.

Employers find talent here, and individuals find jobs, skills, education and assistance to work.

74

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

How does your company contribute to the talent pool in Dallas-Fort Worth?

We take a holistic view of talent, including front line workers and their untapped potential. Walmart granted WFSDallas resources to upskill retail workers to qualify for supervisor and manager jobs. “Retail Pays” includes the Online Skills Academy powered

by Penn Foster, with 24/7 access to industry-recognized certifications; and Customer Service, Supervisor and Retail Management certifications through the Dallas County Community College District.

How is your company positioned to lead the tech workforce in 2020 in Dallas-Fort Worth and beyond?

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

Flexibility is key! Retail Pays offers upskilling solutions to inflexible work schedules, managing commuting and family obligations. Online upskilling for retail workers develops higher-level supervisors and managers, with tech skills. WFSDallas pursues partnerships with technology training providers to ensure inclusion and equality by fostering digital literacy.

What trends do you foresee in the future of work?

Our system provides talent to thousands of employers; and similar to retail, changes abound in most industries.

Efficiencies and practical innovations in technology are themes throughout.

Despite disruptions, employers request similar skills across industries – critical

thinking, written and oral communication, and use of technology as a primary tool. Workplace success in the future will belong to the lifelong learner!

How will job roles evolve as a result of technology, and how are you keeping up?

Technology is pervasive in work, especially in retail. Work experience, skills acquisition and demonstration, are critical. Retail Pays exists to upskill talent using technology. WFSDallas is building a network of online learning options for workers at all levels. Skills development matters most to those who are least likely to enjoy continuous learning. We strongly believe working alongside foundations, government and employer-funded initiatives will develop tech talent excellence.

WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS GREATER DALLAS Where employers find talent and individuals find opportunity

Funding provided by Walmart

achieving competitive solutions‌ for employers through quality people and for people through quality jobs.

An Equal Opportunity Employer/Program whose auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities TDD/TTY1-800-735-2989. Funds received from Walmart, the TWC and the US Department of Labor.

RIPPLE EFFECTS

THE HEART OF A COMPANY When your company has an entire role just for giving back, that philanthropic mindset ripples throughout the entire organization.

by A L E X E DWA R D S

A

XXESS IS COMMITTED TO MAKING LIVES BETTER.

As a home healthcare company, Axxess offers stateof-the-art software solutions to improve the care of patients across the U.S. But beyond the company’s suite of technological services, it has a commitment to corporate citizenship—so much so, there’s an entire role dedicated to it.

“My position is somewhat unique in a company of around 300 employees,” Vice President of Corporate Citizenship Stacie Adams says. “In my role, I primarily focus on our input and what we do in the community, really designing and implementing our strategy for philanthropy.”

Stacie Adams From a corporate citizenship perspective, Axxess’ comprehensive strategy is reflective of its mission as a company. It derives from authenticity: With clients all across the world, Axxess innovates to improve, and at a granular level, Axxess wants to give back to the community it’s in.

Adams says the philanthropy strategy, on a local level, centers around a combination of giving and volunteering. Around 80 percent of the Axxess staff are engineers, who each have a heart for STEM education, so most projects tend to derive from that.

In its home city, Axxess has benefited Dallas Independent School District’s Kennedy-Curry Middle School, Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, the University of Texas at Dallas, and many more.

In fact, this year, Axxess gifted UT Dallas $500,000 for a scholarship program benefiting students in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. It was the largest gift ever received by the university to start an engineering school scholarship program.

That endowment translates to the beating heart behind it all—and coincidentally, the heartbeat of all Axxess operations— Founder and CEO John Olajide.

“Everything kind of comes full-circle back to UTD. It’s where John received his start, and it’s where we have given our most significant gift to-date,” Adams says. “It was an absolute pleasure to work with the staff of UTD and John to come up with something that I think beautifully reflected the way he feels about UTD and what he’s committed to for the future of the organization.”

Olajide was born in Nigeria, but came to the U.S. to attend

76

D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S

|

T H E [ T E C H ] TA L E N T I S S U E

|

2019

UTD, where he envisioned Axxess. Adams said it is his passion for philanthropy that truly makes Axxess the place it’s grown to be.

The duo actually met while Adams was working for a museum in Dallas, and happened to sit next to each other at a dinner.

Olajide shared his desire to improve society and succeed beyond making money—she realized he was “the most fabulous person she had ever talked to,” eventually going to work for Axxess two years later.

Olajide’s philanthropic mindset runs so deep, it’s become the true lifeblood of the organization. So it only makes sense that every single Axxess employee would be all about positive impact, too.

“The success Axxess has enjoyed would John Olajide not have been possible without the support and opportunities provided by the Dallas community,” Olajide says. “Giving back is a foundational value at Axxess because I feel very strongly that business is a force for good and we can contribute to making our community better by being responsible corporate citizens.”

Even the most qualified candidate has to be a culture fit to be an Axxess fit. That culture, dubbed The Axxess Way, is about caring. And if you don’t have that, authentically, you shouldn’t work in a place like Axxess.

“If you’re an engineer in today’s market, there are so many great places that you can work. At Axxess, the thing that sets us apart is our culture. If you come and spend any time at Axxess, you will fall in love with it,” Adams says. “When an employee spends time working alongside friends from different departments and doing something that makes a difference in other people’s lives, that’s a great experience at work. We find that our employees—particularly the ones that are most involved with giving back—are some of the happiest.”

While community volunteerism is ingrained in the Axxess way of doing things, Olajide also tends to bring that internally, with his employees. He’ll often do things like take employees to a Stars game if they’ve been working late nights or throw appreciation parties just to show he cares.

“It’s such a joyful place. Of course, we work hard. But people are happy because they know they’re doing good things,” Adams says. “It’s one of those things where if it’s in your blood, and you learn a little bit about Axxess, you’re like, ‘I have to work there.’”

DISCOVER WHAT’S NEW + NEXT IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH DALLASINNOVATES.COM

T H A N K YO U TO O UR S P O NS O RS PLAT INUM SPO N SO RS

S ILV ER S P O N S O RS

GO LD SPONSO R

PART N ER O R G A N IZ AT IO N S

Tech Titans

| TEDxSMU |

Digital Dallas

Texas Research Alliance

|

|

bigBANG!

Dallas Entrepreneur Center |

bionorthTX

| LaunchDFW

| Technology Ball

HOW COMPANIES, CULTURE, AND COMMUNITY MAKE DALLAS-FORT WORTH A FORCE FOR THE FUTURE