Late in 2003, a small technology company with two employees moved into NDSU’s Research and Technology Park to start development of a software application that would connect and automate sensor-enabled physical assets.
Still headquartered out of Fargo, N.D., Pedigree Technologies has become an award-winning machine-to-machine business solutions provider with a national footprint. Since the commercial launch of its OneView application suite in 2009, Pedigree has more than doubled its customer base each year, with a 226% increase in 2011 alone.
From its office in NDSU’s Technology Incubator, the company provides cloud- and tablet-based applications that locate, monitor, and diagnose high-value assets, equipment, and vehicles. This technology allows machines to engage in real-time dialogue with the enterprise and the mobile workforce, improving operations and logistics for more profitable fleet and field service management.
“This kind of rapid growth speaks not only to demand for the technology, but to the quality and innovation coming out of our region,” said Alex Warner, founder and chief executive officer of Pedigree Technologies. To support this growth, the company has added 40% more employees since the commercial launch and is preparing to relocate to its own facility in the Urban Plains area of Fargo. With a satellite office in Sioux Falls and a national sales presence, Pedigree Technologies serves several industries, including oilfield services, heavy and mobile equipment management, transportation and logistics, agriculture, and mechanical services.
“Pedigree’s success and rapid growth is illustrative of the economic stimulation being created at NDSU. They are one of a growing number of North Dakota success stories we are proud of having started here,” said NDSU President Dean Bresciani.
"We congratulate Pedigree Technologies and Alex Warner on all they have achieved during their impressive growth in their initial years at the NDSU Research and Technology Park," said Tony Grindberg, executive director of the Park. "A number of companies such as Pedigree have achieved success after their start-up phase and graduated from the Park. We continue to support start-up businesses that coincide with core research competencies at NDSU."
The company got started with a 2005 trial project using wireless sensors and remote temperature monitoring in sugar beet piles, which introduced the company as an innovator in remote monitoring and machine-to-machine technology. In 2007 Pedigree was awarded a multi-million dollar contract with the U.S. Navy for the implementation of an intelligent wireless operating network. Pedigree Technologies has been recognized on the international M2M Top 100 list from trade publication Connected World for five consecutive years. Most recently, Pedigree Technologies was presented with the Frost & Sullivan 2011 North American New Product Innovation Award in M2M-based Fleet Management Software.
“The company was founded years ago on a philosophy that hasn’t changed,” said Warner. “It’s that web-based software and services can improve operational efficiencies without significant investments in infrastructure or technology resources.”
Locally, Warner was recently announced as a finalist for the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Warner attributes the nomination to the success of his employees and looks forward to celebrating the company’s rapid growth in the new facility this June.
“The NDSU Research and Technology Park provides a space that facilitates innovation and community-building among entrepreneurs at early-stage companies, allowing them to focus on the core business in the early years,” Warner said. Pedigree Technologies was located at NDSU’s Research 2 before moving into the Technology Incubator in 2007.
"NDSU’s Research Park and Pedigree have been partners from the beginning, bringing opportunities to the region,” said Dr. Philip Boudjouk, NDSU vice president for research, creative activities and technology transfer. “Our researchers and students continue to work with area companies such as Pedigree, contributing to technology-based economic growth. We congratulate the company on its many successes and look forward to continuing as research partners in the future."