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.
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1968 - Daktronics Established
Founded on December 9, 1968, in Brookings, South Dakota.
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1970 - First Electronic Voting System
First electronic voting system delivered for Utah State Legislature.
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1971 - Matside Wrestling Scoreboard
First Matside scoreboard for wrestling was manufactured.
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1972 - First Time and Temperature Product
Installed first time and temperature product for Dakota State Bank in Milbank, South Dakota.
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1973 - First Message Center Install
Installed first message center for First Federal Savings and Loan in Devils Lake, North Dakota.
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1974 - Building 1 Built
Building 1 was built and established the current Daktronics campus in Brookings.
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1978 - Sales Milestone
Reached $1 million in annual sales.
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1979 - Employee Milestone
Reached 100 employees.
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1980 - Winter Olympics
Selected to provide scoring equipment for the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
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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.
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1983 - Building 2 Expansion
Broke ground on Building 2 in Brookings.
Held first sales expo.
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1984 - First Large Matrix Color Marquee
Installed the first large matrix color marquee for Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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1986 - Dow Jones Zipper
Installed the Dow Jones Zipper display in Times Square, New York City.
The company reached $11 million in annual sales.
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1987 - Senior PGA Tour
Selected to provide products for the Senior PGA Tour.
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1988 - First Transportation Roadway Display
First transportation roadway display installed for the Connecticut DOT.
A remote office was opened in Seattle, Washington.
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1993- Employee Milestone
Reached 500 employees.
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1994 - DAKT Trades Stock on NASDAQ
Stock was first traded on NASDAQ under the national market symbol DAKT.
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1995 - Morgan Stanley Ticker
The Morgan Stanley Ticker display is installed in Times Square, New York City.
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1996- Sales Milestone
Reached $52 million in annual sales.
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1997 - Dow Jones Zipper Updated
Dow Jones Zipper display updated to LED technology in Times Square, New York City.
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1998 - First NFL LED Video Display
Installed first NFL LED video display for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, Florida.
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1999 - First High School LED Video Display
Installed first High School LED video display for Cicero-North Syracuse High School in Cicero, New York.
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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.
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2001 - First LED Digital Billboard Install
First full LED digital billboard installed for Lamar Outdoor Advertising in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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2003 - Daktronics Opens NASDAQ Stock Market
Opened office in Germany.
In honor of 35 years in business, Daktronics opens the NASDAQ stock market.
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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.
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2005 - Employee Milestone
Reached 1,600 employees.
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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.
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2007 - Building 6 Expansion
Opened offices in France and Macau.
Completed construction of Building 6 in Brookings.
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2008 - Beijing Olympics
Opened office in Australia.
Reached $500 million in annual sales.
Provided products for the Beijing Olympics.
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2010 - Japan Office Opening
Installed product in 100th country.
Opened manufacturing facility in Shanghai.
Opened office in Japan.
Reached 2,500 employees.
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2011 - Singapore & Spain Offices Open
Opened offices in Singapore and Spain.
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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.
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2013 - Wembley Stadium
Opened office in Belgium.
Upgraded London’s Wembley Stadium with integrated LED video display system.
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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.
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2015 - Updated Morgan Stanley Display
Installed update to 20-year-old Daktronics technology at Morgan Stanley in Times Square, New York City.
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2016 - ADFLOW Networks
ADFLOW Networks is acquired as a subsidiary to further the company’s focus on providing complete digital signage solutions.
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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.