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Incubator Graduate Examples

Meridian Environmental Technology: Meridian is a UND spinoff company started by Leon and Kathy Osborne which started in their home, grew in the incubator and now employs 55 people in their own facility next to the UND Tech Park.  Meridian provides weather forecasts for  511 traveler systems and state departments of transportation maintenance across the nation.

Laserlith Corporation is based in Berkeley, CA and moved into the Rude Entrepreneur Center after receiving funding through Dorgan’s Red River Research Corridor and teaming with the UND School of Engineering and Mines on developing wireless defense and UAS communication antennas and cell phone transmitter modules.   As of Feb 2010, Laserlith moved into renovated office, manufacturing and specialized clean room space in the UND Tech Park.

Alion Science & Technology is  a Chicago-based research company  spun-off from  the Illinois Institute of Technology Research Institute in 2002  that has developed research labs on several  university campuses including UND.  Alion moved into the Rude Entrepreneur Center in 2006 when receiving funding from Dorgan’s Red River Research Corridor and teamed up with UND School of Engineering and Mines to work to develop new surfaces and coatings for military aircraft and vehicle engines to make them last longer. Alion moved into REAC-1 on February 2008.

Bank Forward of Hannaford, ND has eight locations in North Dakota and 4 in Minnesota.  When they decided to make a strategic move to Grand Forks and build a bank on UND’s Bronson Property, they wanted to hire and train their staff before the new bank was constructed. Our Incubators have hosted  the key team members for  manufacturing and processing companies during the time of construction, so the incubators became home for the bank for a few months in 2008, severing as their training and operations center.  When the doors were opened on their North end bank, the team was in place and new bank was fully operational.

La Rinascente Pasta Co has a history in the Bronx of New York, but in 2003, North Dakota investors bought the specialty pasta company and moved it to Hope, North Dakota.  During the time of raising money from investors and pulling the leadership team together, LA Rinacente Pasta was based out of our incubators until the new facility as constructed in Hope. Their pasta products include clustered fideos, folded fettuccine, and jumbo shells.

Marcil Group Mike Marcil was an entrepreneur minded student at UND who enjoyed his affiliation with the Center for Innovation.  This UND alumnus was a serial entrepreneur in California, and when being an Entrepreneur-in-Residence  in 2005  at the Center, Gjovig encouraged Mike to relocate his real estate development company back to North Dakota which he did that year.  The Marcil Group  and his initial staff were located in the Rude Entrepreneur Center until he could develop his headquarters later in Fargo in 2006 to develop and manage commercial and rental property.  There real estate holdings had increased from $2 million to nearly $150 million with over 1700 apartments and 600,000 of commercial space.   Mike Marcil, Trish Bothum and Art Rosenberg also launched  a software company, Marcil Technologies in 2008.

Pilot Friendly Products was developed by Michael Shope, a UND aviation student with strong interest in entrepreneurship.  Mike developed light-weight LED flashlight for pilots a high-value product and started and grew the venture to having an office in the incubator and warehouse and distribution the community. The student arranged for the LED light to be manufactured in China utilizing UND contacts in Shanghai. After developing national distribution and sales, the company was acquired by a leading aviation supply company in Seattle. Michael graduated from UND and is living the life of an entrepreneur, now working on another venture, Clean Republic with faculty member Dr. Yong Hou.   

Student Ventures

Auction123.com www.Auction123.com
BarSpecials.com zachary.wanzek@und.nodak.edu
Club Express www.clubexpressbus.com/
HC Energy www.hcenergy.net
Keller Outdoors www.minnesotawaterfowler.com
Waind Consulting daniel.waind@und.nodak.edu

 

Follow this link to find out how to become a tenant of the Center for Innovation.

 
 
Center for Innovation
Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center
The University of North Dakota
4200 James Ray Drive
Grand Forks, ND 58203 USA
Phone: 701.777.3132
Fax: 701.777.2339
info@innovators.net
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