Though the North Texas tech and startup scene saw the number of job postings decline in recent weeks, there are a number of companies moving to or expanding in the region, which could mean more job growth on the way.
Based on September data from CompTIA, DFW slipped to the No. 4 spot for tech job openings from its No. 3 position the previous month, with about 9,700 openings. However, overall Texas still holds the No. 2 spot for statewide tech jobs.
And last month, grant funding from cities have helped companies like MyTelemedicine, From the Future and TeamofDefenders put in motion plans to hire thousands, while larger enterprise tech companies like Trox and Newline Interactive are also planning new hires.
To help keep up with who is coming and going from the Metroplex, we’ve rounded up the top hires and departures in North Texas from October.
Pro tip: You can read daily updates on hirings, departures, funding, M&A and VC activity in our newsletter The Beat.
Hiring
As it looks to rebuild its roster, the Dallas Fuel, the Overwatch League team of Envy Gaming, has named a new assistant coach. Go “Aid” Jae yoon will serve under head coach Yun “Rush” Hee-won, who took over the position from former head coach Aaron “Aero” Atkins last week. Also joining the assistant coaching staff is Kim “Yong” Yong-Jin. In addition to new members at the top of the organization, the Dallas Fuel has also added support players Kwon “Fielder” Jun, formerly of the Paris Eternal, and Kim “Rapel” Jun-keun, previously of the Houston Outlaw.
Irving-based health care billing and practice management solutions company abeo announced Joe Ferro as its new chief technology and innovation officer. In addition to his new role at abeo, Ferro will continue to serves as the president of Trustedi10, an evaluation and management coding assignment application, which he founded in 2016 and was acquired by abeo last year. Financial terms of that deal were not disclosed.
After dropping all but one player from its roster, the Dallas Fuel, Envy Gaming’s Overwatch League team, has begun signing new players for the upcoming season. The team announced adding Yun “RUSH” Hee-won as the team’s new head coach and adding Choi “Hanbin” Han been and Kim “Sp9rk1e” Yeong-han as new players, The Dallas Morning News reports. All of the new members come from French team the Paris Eternal.
Demetra Brown has joined The Dallas Entrepreneurial Center Network as its new senior director. She joins the local business nonprofit from her previous role as a regional partnership lead for Generation USA, a career training and connection company. In her new role with The DEC Network, Brown will focus on growing the entrepreneurial and small business community in the southern part of Dallas.
Dan Karas has joined Dallas-based Allied Affiliated Funding as its new executive VP. While not a VC firm, Allied, which is a division of Axiom Bank, focuses on providing alternative funding routes to companies who don’t meet the requirements of typical commercial bank loans. He joins the company from his previous roles as executive VP and chief lending officer at TBK Bank.
Following the announcement that its CFO Michael Paxton is retiring by the end of the year, Plano-based cybersecurity company INTRUSION is looking to add to its leadership team. The company is looking to hire a new CFO, in addition to a new VP of sales and VP of IT. The move comes as the company is expecting new growth as it eyes new markets in the cybersecurity industry. Following his retirement, Paxton will continue to serve on INTRUSION’s board of directors.
Dallas-based early-stage VC firm Perot Jain announced a new partnership with California’s FalconX, a B2B startup accelerator, in an effort to identify, grow and fund startups in the two regions, as well as across the globe. As part of the move, Perot Jain Co-Founder and Managing Partner Anurag Jain will join FalconX’s board.
Dallas- and California-based biotech company ReCode Therapeutics is adding to its executive suite. The startup, which focuses on treating respiratory diseases, hired Julie Eastland as its new COO and CFO. Eastland joins the company from her previous role as CFO and chief business officer for Rainier Therapeutics.
Former Travelocity CEO Carl Sparks is joining Dallas VC firm Interlock Partners as a managing partner. The firm, which has eight companies in its portfolio, focuses on Series A funding rounds between $4 million and $10 million. In addition to his new role at Interlock, Sparks also serves on the boards of Dunkin Brands and Avis Budget Group.
After launching last year and expanding to Texas in September, Boston-based fintech startup Knox Financial made a new hire in the region to support its growth in the residential rental management industry locally. Tabatha Green, a former real estate agent for ICONIC Real Estate has joined Knox’s Dallas team as the company’s property expert. The company made similar hires in Atlanta and Houston, bringing Knox’s full-time staff to 17.
Rowlett-based IT services and telecom company LinkAmerica hired Pablo Salazar as its new CTO, as the company looks to expand its IT initiatives. He joins the company from his previous role as CIO and chief compliance officer at AT&T Mexico.
Dallas-based esports organization Envy Gaming is getting back into competitive Halo, The Dallas Morning News reports. After dropping its Halo team in 2018, Envy is planning to create a new team. It has hired Justin “iGotUrPistola” Deese, Tommy “Saiyan” Wilson, Joey “TriPPPeY” Taylor and Bradley “aPG” Law to make up the team’s roster, while Alex “Swift Kill” Ramirez has been hired to coach and manage the team.
Two North Texans joined a newly created industry advisory board for health care-focused VC firm Gore Range Capital. The firm announced adding Plano dermatologist Dr. Seemal Desai and Dallas dermatologist Dr. Aaron Farberg, along with five others in the skin health field to advise it on new investments in the industry. The announcement coincides with the launch of the Gore Range Capital Fund II, which is focused on new technologies and treatments in skin health.
Farmers Branch-based CCS Medical, an American Capital-backed medical supply and service company, announced naming Tony Vahedian as its new CEO. He joins CCS from his previous role as president of Cardinal Health Canada. CCS said it has been experiencing rapid growth due to the pandemic, and Vahedian will oversee the company’s expansion its product lineup and platform solutions.
Plano-based specialty coffee company NuZee, which does business as Coffee Blenders, announced forming a new sales advisory team. Making up the initial team is Stanley Soebianto, VP of global sales at Greenfolia; Jill Talcott, product development manager at Starbucks; Brent Toevs, owner of SEB Coffee; and Tokunori Yamamoto, research professor at Nagoya University Hospital. The group is tasked with developing new growth strategies and partnerships. NuZee relocated its HQ to Plano from California last year, filing a $12 million IPO in November.
Alice Rodriguez, who serves as JPMorgan Chase’s head of community and business development in Dallas, was selected as the new board chairwoman of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She will serve a two-year term at the national Hispanic chamber.
Frisco-based media technology solutions provider MediaKind named Jennifer Yohe as its new executive VP of business affairs. She joins the company from her previous role as president and chief business officer at Xtreme Concepts Racing.
Joining the local tech scene, Dallas-based STEM education nonprofit The National Math and Science Initiative, hired Laure O’Neal as its first chief development officer. O’Neal joins the team from her previous role as director of institutional advancement at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. In her new role, she will oversee the diversification of the organization’s funding sources, as it looks to offer more digital training solutions amid the pandemic.
Petal, a maker of germ-freezing waste bin technology that recently launched in Fort Worth, announced adding Danby Appliances owner and CEO Jim Estill to its advisory board in the role of growth coach. The move comes on the heels of a strategic partnership between Petal and the specialty appliance distributor. Under the agreement Danby will act as the sole manufacturer and servicer for Petal’s product.
Scentisible, the parent company of Addison-based toilet spray startup Poo~Pourri, announced appointing Jeff Berry as the brands’ new CEO. He takes over from Suzy Batiz, who founded the company in 2007. Batiz will transition into the role of chairwoman and chief visionary officer, as well as the CEO of the company’s cleaning and lifestyle brand supernatural. Berry most recently served as the president of skincare brand Yes To, Inc.
The Dallas Regional Chamber named Latosha Herron-Bruff as its first senior VP for community engagement. The position was recently created as part of the chamber’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, which formed in June. Herron-Bruff will help oversee the DRC’s economic development, education, workforce, public policy and DEI initiatives. Most recently, Herron-Bruff served as Habitat for Humanity’s VP of government and public affairs.
Promotions
As Dallas-based senior-focused video storytelling SaaS startup OneDay has seen a more than 150 percent increase in its customer base during the pandemic, it is looking to identify new markets to expand into. And to help with that, the company announced promoting Kyle Goodman to the newly created role of director of emerging markets, where he will oversee determining the viability of new markets. Goodman joined OneDay in 2019 as its director of business development. The company also announced promoting Kelsey Rea to the position of director of people and culture. She originally joined the startup in 2019 as an executive assistant. In her new role, Rea will oversee culture, employee development and other HR responsibilities.
Local data-driven integrated marketing agency Imaginuity, which landed on last year’s fastest growing small private companies list, announced promoting Kristin Nuckols to the role of chief media officer. She first joined the company about four years ago, after serving as media director at Sq1.
Departures
The Dallas Fuel, local esports organization Envy Gaming’s Overwatch League team, released nine players from its lineup, The Dallas Morning News reports. Starters Stefan “Onigod” Fiskerstrand, William “Crimzo” Hernandez, Noh “Gamsu” Young-jin, Lucas “NotE” Meissner and Nolan "Paintbrush” Edwards did not have their contracts renewed. The team also parted ways with its reserve players Benjamin “uNKOE” Chevasson, Ash “Trill” Powell, Jung “Closer” Wonsik and Dylan “aKm” Bignet. That leaves the Dallas Fuel with one remaining player from last season - Kim “DoHa” Dongha.
Irving-based integrated events consultation and production company The Expo Group is furloughing nearly 115 employees, the Dallas Business Journal reports. The move comes as many in-person events have been cancelled or banned amid the pandemic. The furloughs will affect about 50 percent of the company’s DFW HQ. The Expo Group also has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Austin and Chicago, among other places.
The Dallas Fuel’s assistant coach Kang “Lo’Jin” Min-Gyu is leaving his role at the Overwatch League team of Envy Gaming. Min-Gyu first joined the team in 2018 and had been taking over the responsibilities of former Fuel head coach Aaron “Aero” Atkins, after his departure from the team in August. The Dallas Morning News reports the team is considering “massive” personnel changes, following a disappointing season. One of the biggest personnel changes came with the announcement by former CEO Mike Rufail that he would be stepping down from the role to take over in the newly created position of chief gaming officer.
Granbury Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mike Scott, announced plans to retire on Dec. 31. According to the Fort Worth Business Press, Scott has been with the Granbury chamber for more than 23 years.
Her.HQ, a female-focused coworking space in Oak Cliff, announced it closing its doors, due to declining revenue during the pandemic. Launched in 2018, Her.HQ was operating out of a popup space in downtown Dallas prior to opening its permanent location in October of last year.
