Announcing my Tech Bloc retirement, with heartfelt thanks to all
From CEO and co-founder, David Heard
Bob Rivard warned me two years ago.
“It’s really hard to successfully leave when you’re a founder.”
It was eight years ago that many of us came together for the first time as “Tech Bloc.” Outraged that city council had voted rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft out of our city, I worked with Lew Moorman and Lorenzo Gomez to pull a small group together to organize “a rally.” We hoped as many as 200 might respond to our simple Facebook flyer. Instead we got 2,000 and a fire marshal barricade to keep more from pouring in.
As former Rackspace president and my Tech Bloc co-founder Lew Moorman said when speaking from the rafters above the crowd that night: “We love margaritas… We love mariachis... But the future will be driven by tech, and San Antonio must also be part of the new economy, and have its best days ahead!”
The response was electric. In 24 hours we went from planning a one-off event to founding a new non-profit that would be a single political voice for tech companies and workers across Bexar County. Our tech industry wanted a seat at the civic table, and we got one.
San Antonio’s changed a fair bit in the years since, and our tech scene along with it. We’ve had our share of wins in partnership with Bexar County, COSA, and a host of great corporate and private developer sponsors. I won’t boorishly recant them here.
But the most defining part of that first rally and every moment since was and always has been you. It’s the energy and commitment of our city’s tech community and supporters that launched and has sustained our movement. Yawl always show up!
As for me, the pandemic interrupted plans to step away as CEO earlier. Now the time is right, in large part because our former operations director and longtime volunteer Ileana Gonzalez has agreed to return to lead our non-profit. Ileana is former student body president at UTSA, and has worked in capital formation for Capital Factory and Techstars. I recruited Ileana personally, and she has the full confidence of our board of directors. Ileana will be a wellspring of new ideas and energy, and I look forward to cheering her on from the cheap seats.
I will be forever grateful to our founding board of directors Lew Moorman, Lorenzo Gomez III, Jill Giles, Brad Parscale, Tom Cuthbert, and David Spencer, our current board and chair Dirk Elmendorf, and previous staff Marina Alderete Gavito, Ashley Jones, Dax Moreno and Ileana Gonzalez.
I’m deeply indebted to a generous group of volunteers who helped power many of our events and projects over the years – John Flores, Emily Bowe, Jenny Park, Deborah Carter, Lauralynn Arellano, Maricela Resendiz, Shaz Mahmud, Kat Hartman, Lamont Sharp, Yumi Jeon, Colleen Materna, David Ramirez, Christian Torres, Sophia Erian, Matthew Espinoza, Amir Samandi and many others.
And I’m ever thankful for all of my partners at SecureLogix (my day job) for tolerating my Tech Bloc volunteerism these past eight years.
It’s been a wild ride, and Rivard was every bit correct. It’s not easy finding a way to successfully leave. But this movement has always been about all of you, the talented and ever-inspiring San Antonio tech community. And your best is yet to come.
Wishing you all the best,
David Heard