TimeBlok Presents: Hard Tech and The Future of Work. Hard Tech Week, 47G + Utah Tech Week, October 26 to 30, 2026
Friday, October 30, 2026  |  4 PM Doors  |  Arch Nexus, 2505 E Parleys Way, Salt Lake City
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TimeBlok Presents: Hard Tech and The Future of Work. Hard Tech Week, 47G + Utah Tech Week, October 26 to 30, 2026

Run of show

Vanessa Perez moderates every panel. Questions come through the event app: we acknowledge the person asking, then ask the panel.

4:00Doors: snacks, beverages, networkingDownstairs
5:00Intros: Joel, then Vanessa PerezTheater, upstairs
5:10Trades, 5:10 to 5:35
5:40Marketplace, 5:40 to 6:05
6:10Culture, 6:10 to 6:35
6:40Labor on Demand, 6:40 to 7:00
7:05TimeBlok Launch and Pilot Signup, 7:05 to 7:20
7:20Networking until 8:00, Remembering Dr. Jon Mott
TimeBlok Presents: Hard Tech and The Future of Work. Hard Tech Week, 47G + Utah Tech Week, October 26 to 30, 2026

Intros

5:00 to 5:10 PM

Joel McKay Smith
Host
Opens on the final day of Hard Tech Week: skilled trades are short of people, culture decides who stays, and labor on demand is rewriting how businesses staff. Honors Dr. Jon Mott. Throws to Vanessa.
Vanessa Perez
Moderator and MC
Board trustee at Mountainland Technical College and workforce development leader. Inventor and hard tech builder. Keeps every panel on the clock.
TimeBlok Presents: Hard Tech and The Future of Work. Hard Tech Week, 47G + Utah Tech Week, October 26 to 30, 2026
5:10 to 5:35 PM

Trades

Skilled trades are short of people. What would make a trade a first choice career, and how does on-demand work help without cheapening the craft?

Becky Guertler
Utah Veteran Business Resource Center
Executive ecosystem builder. Co-chairs the Silicon Slopes Military Chapter.
Lisa Duckworth
Silicon Slopes Veterans Council
Utah's Military Friendly Veteran of 2025. Co-chair, Silicon Slopes Military Chapter.
Steve Thomas
Director, Currie & Brown
Energy, utilities and high-tech infrastructure: cost management, PMO and advisory.
Patrick Fabian
Founder, TimeBlok.Work
Built the MVP at Spa Tender and a services company before launching TimeBlok.
TimeBlok Presents: Hard Tech and The Future of Work. Hard Tech Week, 47G + Utah Tech Week, October 26 to 30, 2026
5:40 to 6:05 PM

Marketplace

What makes a labor marketplace trusted rather than transactional? Two marketplaces, one stage.

Joel McKay Smith
Founding CTO, TimeBlok.Work
Verified competency plus community accountability.
Luke Gunderson
Builder and Investor, Beehive VC
Longtime Silicon Slopes community builder, introducing the Silicon Slopes Job Marketplace.
Andrew Berman
Product Manager, TimeBlok.Work
How the marketplace is built and what is live today.
TimeBlok Presents: Hard Tech and The Future of Work. Hard Tech Week, 47G + Utah Tech Week, October 26 to 30, 2026
6:10 to 6:35 PM

Culture

Culture decides who stays and who leaves. How do you build belonging for people who work one shift for you?

Andrea Stone
Founder and CEO, Ascenta HR
Guided, AI-assisted HR: the next action, a script and a daily culture practice.
Holly Welch
Founder, Anvil & Yield
Fractional CRO and CMO for founders and CEOs. Revenue strategy and customer experience.
Makayla Greathouse
Elevate Intent
Fractional CHRO and people strategy for scaling companies.
Aidan Abrahamson
COO, TimeBlok.Work
Runs the BlokEE pipeline. Community accountability as a trust mechanism.
TimeBlok Presents: Hard Tech and The Future of Work. Hard Tech Week, 47G + Utah Tech Week, October 26 to 30, 2026
6:40 to 7:00 PM

Labor on Demand

Labor on demand is quietly rewriting how businesses staff shifts, jobs and seasons. What does skilled, dignified on-demand work look like?

Patrick Fabian
Founder, TimeBlok.Work
Why he built it, from the staffing pain in service businesses.
Joel McKay Smith
Founding CTO, TimeBlok.Work
What verified competency changes, starting in Utah.
Aidan Abrahamson
COO, TimeBlok.Work
Where the workers come from and why they show up.
Andrew Berman
Product Manager, TimeBlok.Work
What a business sees when it posts a shift.
TimeBlok Presents: Hard Tech and The Future of Work. Hard Tech Week, 47G + Utah Tech Week, October 26 to 30, 2026
7:05 to 7:20 PM

TimeBlok Launch and Pilot Signup

TimeBlok.Work is a labor on demand marketplace where businesses post shifts and verified workers fill them. The pilot starts at this event. Join it tonight.

Joel McKay Smith
Leads the launch
The pitch, the pilot ask and the signup.
Patrick Fabian
Founder
The why, in under a minute.
Aidan Abrahamson
COO
Who the pilot is for and what happens next.
Andrew Berman
Product Manager
How to sign up and what week one looks like.
Then networking from 7:20 to 8:00 PM, Remembering Dr. Jon Mott. Remembering Dr. Jon Mott.