The Industry's Trusted Leader 50 Years and Counting

Daktronics started as a small company operating out of a garage.
50 years later, we're the world leader in the display industry.

From Humble Beginnings

With talented students leaving the state after graduating, two South Dakota State University professors of electrical engineering decided to create a company that would keep them in South Dakota. In 1968, Drs. Aelred Kurtenbach and Duane Sander started Daktronics.

This video shares the journey from a small business without a product to a world leader in digital display technology.

Reinventing the way you display since 1968.

1968
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1978
1979
1980
1982
1983
1984
1986
1987
1988
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

1968 - Daktronics Established

Founded on December 9, 1968, in Brookings, South Dakota.
1970 - First Electronic Voting System

First electronic voting system delivered for Utah State Legislature.
1971 - Matside Wrestling Scoreboard

First Matside scoreboard for wrestling was manufactured.
1972 - First Time and Temperature Product

Installed first time and temperature product for Dakota State Bank in Milbank, South Dakota.
1973 - First Message Center Install

Installed first message center for First Federal Savings and Loan in Devils Lake, North Dakota.
1974 - Building 1 Built

Building 1 was built and established the current Daktronics campus in Brookings.
1978 - Sales Milestone

Reached $1 million in annual sales.
1979 - Employee Milestone

Reached 100 employees.
1980 - Winter Olympics

Selected to provide scoring equipment for the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
1982 - Working with Sign Companies

Started working with sign companies to further sell products.

Founders Al Kurtenbach and Duane Sander are photographed with one of their voting systems.
1983 - Building 2 Expansion

Broke ground on Building 2 in Brookings.

Held first sales expo.
1984 - First Large Matrix Color Marquee

Installed the first large matrix color marquee for Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
1986 - Dow Jones Zipper

Installed the Dow Jones Zipper display in Times Square, New York City.

The company reached $11 million in annual sales.
1987 - Senior PGA Tour

Selected to provide products for the Senior PGA Tour.
1988 - First Transportation Roadway Display

First transportation roadway display installed for the Connecticut DOT.

A remote office was opened in Seattle, Washington.
1993- Employee Milestone

Reached 500 employees.
1994 - DAKT Trades Stock on NASDAQ

Stock was first traded on NASDAQ under the national market symbol DAKT.
1995 - Morgan Stanley Ticker

The Morgan Stanley Ticker display is installed in Times Square, New York City.
1996- Sales Milestone

Reached $52 million in annual sales.
1997 - Dow Jones Zipper Updated

Dow Jones Zipper display updated to LED technology in Times Square, New York City.
1998 - First NFL LED Video Display

Installed first NFL LED video display for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida.
1999 - First High School LED Video Display

Installed first High School LED video display for Cicero-North Syracuse High School in Cicero, New York.
2000 - First Centerhung Video Display System

Reached $123 million in annual sales.

Opened an office in Canada.

Installed the first centerhung video display system for the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minnesota.
2001 - First LED Digital Billboard Install

First full LED digital billboard installed for Lamar Outdoor Advertising in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
2003 - Daktronics Opens NASDAQ Stock Market

Opened office in Germany.

In honor of 35 years in business, Daktronics opens the NASDAQ stock market.
2004 - Coca-Cola Display

Opened offices in Hong Kong and United Kingdom.

The iconic Coca-Cola display was installed in Times Square, New York City.
2005 - Employee Milestone

Reached 1,600 employees.
2006 - First Spherical Building Install

Opened manufacturing facilities in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Redwood Falls, Minnesota.

Opened offices in Beijing, Dubai and Shanghai.

Reached $300 million in annual sales.

Completed first spherical building installation for Grand Lisboa in Macau, China.
2007 - Building 6 Expansion

Opened offices in France and Macau.

Completed construction of Building 6 in Brookings.
2008 - Beijing Olympics

Opened office in Australia.

Reached $500 million in annual sales.

Provided products for the Beijing Olympics.
2010 - Japan Office Opening

Installed product in 100th country.

Opened manufacturing facility in Shanghai.

Opened office in Japan.

Reached 2,500 employees.
2011 - Singapore & Spain Offices Open

Opened offices in Singapore and Spain.
2012 - America's Top 100 Most Trustworthy Companies

Ranked among America’s Top 100 Most Trustworthy Companies by Forbes (and every year since).

Opened office in Brazil.
2013 - Wembley Stadium

Opened office in Belgium.

Upgraded London’s Wembley Stadium with integrated LED video display system.
2014 - Jacksonville Jaguars

Opened office in Ireland.

Installed innovative LED display system at new SLS Las Vegas.

Installed the largest video scoreboard at the time for the Jacksonville Jaguars in Jacksonville, Florida.
2015 - Updated Morgan Stanley Display

Installed update to 20-year-old Daktronics technology at Morgan Stanley in Times Square, New York City.
2016 - ADFLOW Networks

ADFLOW Networks is acquired as a subsidiary to further the company’s focus on providing complete digital signage solutions.
2017 - Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Installed the world’s largest video scoreboard, The Halo Display, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Installed the revamped Piccadilly Lights as a single, curved, 4K display in Piccadilly Circus, London.

50th Anniversary Open House

The 50th Anniversary Annual Open House and Shareholders Meeting featured in-depth tours of Daktronics' campus and history. Longtime employees hosted exhibits where guests learned about the historical Matside® scoreboard, the Halo display, and everything in between. There were STEM activities for kids, anniversary cake, and photo opportunities with our founders, Dr. Al Kurtenbach and Dr. Duane Sander. We also hosted special guests South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard and Brookings Mayor Keith W. Corbett.