09.11.15

Hoeven Joins Appareo Systems to Dedicate New Manufacturing Facility

FARGO, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today joined Appareo Systems to dedicate the company’s new manufacturing facility. Appareo, a Fargo-based electronics and software design and manufacturing company, purchased the building in December, 2014. The expansion is located in the North Dakota State University (NDSU) Research and Technology Park and more than doubles the company’s headquarters and manufacturing space.

“Our state is home to many hard-working innovators, whose efforts diversify our economy and open up new markets and opportunities,” Hoeven said. “In 12 years, Appareo Systems has grown from just two employees to more than 180, and the expansion we are dedicating today continues their record of strong growth and success. That means more, good-paying jobs for our residents and future technological developments to support North Dakota’s aviation and agriculture industries.” 

Hoeven has worked, both as governor and now as U.S. Senator, to support the growth of high-tech industries in North Dakota. Since its founding in 2003, Appareo Systems has worked closely with the state’s universities through NDSU’s Technology Park and the Centers of Excellence Program at both NDSU and the University of North Dakota, first initiated by then-Governor Hoeven.

Hoeven continues these efforts in the Senate through his work to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Earlier this year, Hoeven included legislation as part of the Every Child Achieves Act that bolsters STEM education and improves students’ access to STEM education by allowing states to award funding to create or enhance a STEM-focused specialty school or a STEM program within a school. The senator also works on initiatives such as the State of Technology Conference, an annual event he hosts focused on making Fargo and the Red River Valley a hub of technology entrepreneurship for the country.

While kicking off the 2015 conference last month, Hoeven was joined by Tony Grindberg, Aviation Business Unit Manager at Appareo, who announced that the company is poised to submit its Next Generation (NEXTGEN) air traffic control technology to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for review and approval this fall. The announcement is a milestone in Appareo’s work as a part of the FAA’s NEXTGEN initiative, which is working to transform America’s air traffic control system from a ground-based to a satellite-based system.

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