Electronic Display Wizard Aelred Kurtenbach of Daktronics, Inc. Named 2000 National Ernst & Young Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year.Business Editors NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2000 South Dakota South Dakota (dəkō`tə), state in the N central United States. It is bordered by North Dakota (N), Minnesota and Iowa (E), Nebraska (S), and Wyoming and Montana (W). Entrepreneur Receives Top Honors at Prestigious 14th Annual Awards Conference Recognizing Leaders of Tomorrow At this year's Olympic Games Olympic games, premier athletic meeting of ancient Greece, and, in modern times, series of international sports contests. The Olympics of Ancient Greece Although records cannot verify games earlier than 776 B.C. in Sydney, Australia, all eyes were on Daktronics, Inc. (Nasdaq: DAKT) - literally. As the supplier of more than 60 scoreboards and displays used at the Games, Daktronics put on a performance worthy of its own gold medal gold medal traditional first prize. [Western Cult: Misc.] See : Prize . Leading the team was chairman and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Aelred Kurtenbach, who has been named the 2000 National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year(R) in the Manufacturing category. A former professor of engineering, Kurtenbach started Daktronics as a way to prevent graduates of South Dakota University from leaving the area for greater opportunities. Since then, he has succeeded in growing Daktronics from a small company operating out of a garage into a world leader in the display industry with annual revenues that are expected to exceed $120 million by the end of this year. Kurtenbach, along with national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winners in eight other categories, was selected by an independent panel of judges Panel of Judges is an indie pop band from Melbourne, Australia. Members
"Entrepreneurs like Aelred Kurtenbach are changing the landscape of business and are having a profound effect on our lives," said Gregory K. Ericksen, National Director of Entrepreneurial Services for Ernst & Young. "He is a model for future entrepreneurs to follow in this technological age where virtually anything is possible." Engineering His Own Success Kurtenbach was introduced to electronics in the military, where he served as a radar equipment technician and personnel supervisor. From there, he went on to earn Bachelor of Science Noun 1. Bachelor of Science - a bachelor's degree in science BS, SB bachelor's degree, baccalaureate - an academic degree conferred on someone who has successfully completed undergraduate studies , Master of Science, and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering electrical engineering: see engineering. electrical engineering Branch of engineering concerned with the practical applications of electricity in all its forms, including those of electronics. from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, at Rapid City; state supported; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1887 as Dakota School of Mines, renamed 1943. , the University of Nebraska, and Purdue University Purdue University (pərdy  `, -d`), main campus at West Lafayette, Ind. , respectively. After working in academia as a professor of engineering for almost 10 years, Kurtenbach and engineering colleague Duane Snyder formed Daktronics in 1968, obtaining investments from community leaders who shared their vision of creating a company that would persuade South Dakota's college students to stay in the area after graduation. It's clear their plan worked - to date, Daktronics has employed more than 2,500 South Dakota State University South Dakota State University, at Brookings; land-grant support; coeducational; chartered 1883 as Dakota Agricultural College, opened 1884. In 1907 it became South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, and in 1964 its present name was adopted. graduates. Daktronics began as a designer and manufacturer of electronic voting Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes. systems for state legislatures. Before long, the company had expanded into the sports arena, creating the innovative Matside(R) scoreboard for high school wresting matches. It was this product development that led to the design of the All Sport(R) line, a complete line of scoreboards used today by such professional teams as the New York Jets In 1997, Kurtenbach led the company in the launch of its ProStar(R) VideoPlus display technology, which uses red, green, and blue Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) configured in various pixel sizes to provide dazzling video images in 16.7 million shades of color. Since then, the technology has quickly become the new standard for large screen video in sports and entertainment facilities, and has made large screen video affordable for smaller customers like high schools, minor league baseball
ProStar VideoPlus is also the technology behind a spectacular multi-million dollar project which will be located in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of City's Times Square and will soon illuminate more than 6,200 surface square feet of a new building with video animation, stock quotes, financial news, news headlines, and other information. Additionally, Daktronics provides indoor LED displays for several airports, including Logan Airport in Boston and LaGuardia Airport in New York. Other Daktronics customers include bus and train terminals, state departments of transportation, banks, and retail businesses throughout the world. Secrets of Success Kurtenbach maintains that one of the biggest reasons for the company's success is its commitment to technology. More than $4 million is invested annually in research and development, and new products are brought to market on a regular basis. Another distinct advantage Daktronics has over competitors is its willingness to take responsibility for the installation and maintenance of its systems after purchase. Other companies have decided that installation and maintenance are too difficult and time-consuming to be worth the effort, but Kurtenbach feels strongly that performing such services is simply good business. Kurtenbach also feels that communication between top management and staff is good business. In fact, he feels that it is vital to the continued growth of the company. To that end, he created an ongoing internal program called, "Lunch With the President," in which employees from different areas of the company are invited to discuss items of importance to them in a casual yet dynamic environment. He also holds monthly employee meetings to keep all employees informed of upcoming projects and changes in company policies, benefits, safety matters, etc. Kurtenbach is determined for Daktronics to become the world leader at informing and entertaining people through dynamic visual communications systems. He hopes to achieve this goal by staying focused on the customer, adapting to market needs, being resourceful, and continuing to attract and retain top talent. National EOY EOY Entrepreneur of the Year EOY End-Of-Year EOY Every Other Year (timeshare) EOY Entertainer Of the Year EOY Eyes-On-You Finalists In the Manufacturing Entrepreneur Of The Year category, national finalists are: John Fan, founder, president and CEO, Kopin Corp. (Nasdaq: KOPN), a manufacturer of telecommunications components and microdisplays for consumer electronics, Taunton, Mass.; and Edmund O. Schweitzer, president and CEO, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. is a power systems protection company based in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1982 by Edmund Schweitzer, SEL shipped the world's first digital protective relay. , a manufacturer of all-digital microprocessor-based protective relays for utility companies, Pullman, Wash. About The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards Program The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol to honor outstanding entrepreneurs whose ingenuity and perseverance have created and sustained successful growing business ventures. It is co-sponsored nationally by USA Today, The Nasdaq Stock Market Nasdaq stock market The first electronic stock market listing over 5000 companies. The Nasdaq stock market comprises two separate markets, namely the Nasdaq National Market, which trades large, active securities and the Nasdaq Smallcap Market that trades emerging growth companies. , and the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In addition to the Manufacturing award, award finalists and winners were honored in eight other national categories, including the following: Master Entrepreneur Of The Year; Health Sciences Entrepreneur Of The Year; Service Entrepreneur Of The Year; Real Estate/Construction Entrepreneur Of The Year; e-Business Entrepreneur Of The Year; Technology/Communications Entrepreneur Of The Year; Retail Entrepreneur Of The Year; and Supporter of Entrepreneurship. Additionally, for the fourth year, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, co-chairman of Franklin Covey Co., presented the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award for Principle-Centered Leadership. The award, which recognizes entrepreneurs who have achieved outstanding business results in a deeply principled manner, went to Jack Lowe, Jr., CEO and chairman of the board, TDIndustries, an employee-owned construction and service company located in Dallas. Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, helps clients to quickly and confidently make financial decisions designed to enhance value. Its 77,000 people in more than 130 countries have the industry and financial experience to provide fresh perspectives on operating in the new economy. Ernst & Young offers traditional audit and tax services, as well as customized services in corporate finance, online security, risk management, the valuation of intangibles and e-business acceleration. In addition, legal services legal services n. the work performed by a lawyer for a client. are available in various parts of the world where permitted. A collection of Ernst & Young's latest ideas on the new economy can be found at www.ey.com/thoughtcenter. Ernst & Young refers to the U.S. firm of Ernst & Young LLP and other members of the global Ernst & Young organization. Digital photos of winners and video highlights from the 2000 EOY Annual Conference and Awards Gala are available online at www.ey.com/us/eoy. INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion