Daktronics is an American company based in

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's List of cities in South Dakota, fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 United States census, 20 ...

that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays,

scoreboard A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used ...

s, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. Founded in 1968 by two

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

professors, it grew from a provider of electronic voting systems for

state legislatures A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Stat ...

to suppliers of electronic displays.

History

Daktronics was founded in 1968 by

Al Kurtenbach Aelred J. (Al) Kurtenbach (born January 3, 1934) is an American electrical engineer. He was also briefly member of the South Dakota State Senate in 2004. Kurtenbach is the founder of Daktronics, Inc., based in Brookings, South Dakota. He attended ...

and Duane Sander, professors of electrical engineering at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. The name is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words In 1980, Daktronics developed scoreboards which were used at

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

in Lake Placid, New York In 1984, new manufacturing facility was built. In 1987, unique mobile scoring system for PGA tour developed. * 1992: Daktronics displays used at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

* 1994: Daktronics, Inc. became a publicly traded company, offering shares under the symbol DAKT on the NASDAQ National Market system. * 1996: 80 Daktronics scoreboards and displays used at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* 1997: Daktronics upgrades the “Zipper” sign in Times Square * 1997: The first Prostar large screen video displays were installed * 1999: Indianapolis Motor Speedway installed the first of 18 large Prostar displays * 2000: Daktronics displays in the spotlight at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

* 2000: Daktronics acquires Keyframe services * 2000: Daktronics establishes an office in Canada * 2001: Daktronics installs its first LED video display in Times Square for TDK Financial Services Firm * 2003: Daktronics establishes an office in Germany * 2004: Largest video board in North America installed at Jacobs Field (now known as

Progressive Field {{Infobox stadium , name = Progressive Field , nickname = ''"The Jake"'' , logo_image = Progressive_Field_Logo.svg , logo_caption = , image = , caption = Progressive Fiel ...

) in Cleveland, Ohio by Daktronics * 2004: Daktronics establishes offices in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom In 2005, Daktronics installs multimillion-dollar system in Kuwait stock exchange In the same year, Daktronics acquires Sportsound system designer and manufacturer In the following year, Daktronics acquires Vortek family of products from New York-based rigging company Hoffend and Sons * 2008: Daktronics installs world’s largest high definition LED video display for the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

* 2012: Daktronics establishes an office in Brazil * 2013: Daktronics acquires OPEN Out of Home in Belgium. * 2014: Daktronics installs world's largest HD display for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

EverBank Field TIAA Bank Field is an American football stadium located in Jacksonville, Florida, that primarily serves as the home facility of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) and the headquarters of the professional wrestling prom ...

(now TIAA Bank Field). * 2015: Sales surpass $600 million

Products

* LED Video Displays * LED Message Displays * Scoreboards & Timing Systems * Digital Billboards * LED Street Furniture * Digit & Price Displays * ITS Dynamic Message Signs (DMS) * Audio Systems * Automated Rigging & Hoists * Tote/Odd Boards * Space Availability Displays * Software & Controllers

Facilities

Daktronics is headquartered in Brookings, South Dakota, with other facilities in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Redwood Falls, Minnesota; Shanghai, China; and Belgium.

Services

In 2000, Daktronics acquired Keyframe Inc., a video production and consulting company. Today, Daktronics Creative Services designs digital content in HD video, 3D animation and motion graphics, specializing in media networks and large-scale LED displays. The company is also involved in sports marketing.

Notable

Daktronics has been supplying scoreboards and video displays for the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

for several years. However, due to official sponsorships with other timing providers such as IBM,

Omega SA Omega SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, the company formerly operated as ''La Generale Watch Co.'' until incorporating the name ''Omega'' in 1903, becoming ' ...

and Swiss Timing, displays are Daktronics-manufactured but utilize timing and front-facing branding for the former companies. Daktronics has been an influence in

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

rule changes in the 2000s. The company manufactured the first backboard light strips to comply with

buzzer beater In basketball and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after t ...

instant replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred which was both shot and broadcast live. The video, having already been shown live, is replayed in order for viewers to see again and analyze what had j ...

rulings, and in 2004, developed a see-through

shot clock A shot clock is a countdown timer used in a variety of games and sports, proving a set amount of time that a team may possess the object of play before attempting to score a goal. Shot clocks are used in several sports including basketball, wat ...

to improve spectator visibility.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Companies listed on the Nasdaq Display technology companies American companies established in 1968 Electronics companies established in 1968 Manufacturing companies based in South Dakota Brookings, South Dakota 1968 establishments in South Dakota 1994 initial public offerings