Prominent Named TechND's 2026 Premier Technology Business

Bismarck software development and IT staffing firm honored at CyberCon 2026

BISMARCK, N.D. (October 5, 2026) TechND is proud to congratulate Prominent as its 2026 Premier Technology Business. The award was presented September 29 during CyberCon at Bismarck State College.

The Premier Technology Business award honors a North Dakota company that consistently demonstrates outstanding performance, innovation and community engagement.

Founded in Bismarck in 2009 by Alan Peltz, Prominent has been a cornerstone of North Dakota's tech community for more than 15 years. The company is a trusted name in custom software development and IT staffing, serving everyone from local nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. Its flexible staffing model gives businesses skilled IT professionals exactly when they need them, whether that means scaling up for a major project or filling a critical gap.

What sets Prominent apart is its ability to stay nimble as technology trends shift, so its clients are always ready for what comes next. Add a culture built on stewardship, integrity and trust, and you have a company North Dakota is proud to call its own.

"This year's Premier Technology Business honor goes to a company that has spent more than 15 years proving world-class software and IT talent is built right here in North Dakota," said Terry Effertz, Executive Director of TechND. "We're proud to celebrate Prominent and the clients and communities it serves across our state."

TechND also honored 701x as its 2026 Technology Innovator and Representative Jonathan Warrey as its 2026 North Dakota Technology Champion.

701x Named TechND's 2026 Technology Innovator

Fargo agtech company honored at CyberCon 2026 for building tomorrow's ranch today

BISMARCK, N.D. (October 7, 2026) TechND is proud to congratulate 701x as its 2026 Technology Innovator. The award was presented September 29 during CyberCon at Bismarck State College.

The Technology Innovator award celebrates a North Dakota company or individual whose breakthrough product or idea is solving real problems with technology.

Fargo-based 701x is building tomorrow's ranch today. Its solar-powered GPS ear tags give cattle producers real visibility into their herds, even in remote country where cell coverage doesn't reach. The tags send health alerts, detect calving and estrus, and flag missing calves, saving ranchers time and worry every day.

Paired with a herd management app and the DigitalBeef registry platform, 701x offers a complete set of tools that is changing how cattle operations run, not just in North Dakota but across the United States, Canada and Australia.

"701x does exactly the kind of work this award was created to recognize," said Terry Effertz, Executive Director of TechND. "This is North Dakota technology solving real problems for one of our most important industries, and we're proud to celebrate it."

TechND also honored Prominent as its 2026 Premier Technology Business and Representative Jonathan Warrey as its 2026 North Dakota Technology Champion.

Representative Jonathan Warrey Named 2026 North Dakota Technology Champion

TechND honors longtime IT professional and lawmaker at CyberCon 2026

BISMARCK, N.D. (October 7, 2026) TechND is proud to congratulate Representative Jonathan Warrey as its 2026 North Dakota Technology Champion. The award was announced September 29 during CyberCon at Bismarck State College.

The North Dakota Technology Champion award recognizes an individual who has championed technology and helped move North Dakota's tech industry forward.

Rep. Warrey has spent his career championing technology in North Dakota, both in business and in public service. He has worked in IT for nearly three decades with Marco Technologies, and since 2022 he has served District 22 in the North Dakota House of Representatives, where he has made workforce development and driving innovation through technology top priorities.

Rep. Warrey was unable to attend the ceremony, and his reason says a lot about him: he was at the University of North Dakota presenting to students, helping inspire the next generation of North Dakota's tech workforce.

"Representative Warrey brings a technologist's perspective to public service, and North Dakota is better for it," said Terry Effertz, Executive Director of TechND. "His commitment to building our tech workforce, right down to spending awards day with students, is exactly what this award is about."

TechND also honored Prominent as its 2026 Premier Technology Business and 701x as its 2026 Technology Innovator.

TechND is preparing for the 2027 legislative session, and member input will help set priorities. Focus areas include innovation, workforce development, infrastructure, and policies shaping North Dakota’s tech economy.

The 2027 Legislative Planning Survey gives members and stakeholders a direct role in identifying key issues and guiding TechND’s advocacy strategy. The survey is open through May 29, 2026, and all perspectives are encouraged.

For ongoing updates, visit ndlegis.gov to track interim activity, bills, and hearings. TechND will continue working with members to support a strong, forward-looking policy environment.

TechND’s March TechWire captures a pivotal moment for the state’s technology community. This month highlights growing engagement around infrastructure and data center policy, including early momentum toward a broader statewide education coalition aimed at improving local understanding and decision-making.

The issue also looks ahead to a strong year of member activity, with expanded TechTalk programming, new opportunities for networking and collaboration, and continued rollout of the student membership initiative to better connect North Dakota’s future workforce with employers.

With early groundwork underway for the 2027 legislative session, TechND remains focused on convening stakeholders, shaping key policy conversations, and ensuring members stay informed, engaged, and positioned for what’s next.

Bismarck, Oct. 1, 2025 - At this year’s annual CyberCon event hosted by Bismarck State College at their Advanced Technology Center, TechND presented DCN’s Troy Walker with an award to show appreciation for his dedication and leadership during his time with the non-profit group.

Current TechND President Tony Ambrose closed the TechND awards ceremony with the special presentation, expressing that “Our last award is a unique one, as we’d like to take a moment to acknowledge our 2023-2024 President Troy Walker. His outstanding leadership, commitment, service, passion, and hard work have helped to cement TechND as a strong and prosperous organization. We’re not sure where we’d be without his effort and dedication since joining the organization over 20 years ago.”

Ambrose continued “Troy wears many hats in the community and serves on multiple boards, so we truly appreciate the time, talent, and effort he continues to give us for the betterment of TechND. ” Ambrose then took a moment to personally thank Troy for his mentorship and guidance over the years, expressing gratitude for his leadership and friendship.

TroyWalkerPressRelease.pdf

Bismarck, Oct. 1, 2025 - At this year’s annual CyberCon event hosted by Bismarck State College at their Advanced Technology Center, TechND presented the 2025 Technology Innovator award to the F5 Project for their unique and innovative use of social media to empower and improve North Dakota communities.

TechND President Tony Ambrose presented the award to F5 Project’s Chief Advancement Officer, Megan Indvik.

“We are celebrating F5 Project and their utilization of social media to create spaces for followers to share experiences in recovery and connect with others in their community. This type of peer support is key for abating feelings of isolation and potentially relapsing,” Ambrose remarked, adding that “(F5 Project) regularly showcases success stories that highlight the journeys of individuals who have successfully rebuilt their lives. Those types of stories inspire and motivate people struggling with addiction or the justice system to prevent recidivism. They also use social media to announce their community involvement and availability to individuals who may not know all the resources available to them.” 

Bismarck, Oct. 1, 2025 - The annual CyberCon event hosted by Bismarck State College saw Applied Digital awarded as 2025’s Premier Technology Company for their demonstration of outstanding performance, innovation, and community engagement in the state.

The award was accepted by Applied Digital’s Director of Community Operations, Martin Vega.

When presenting the award, TechND President Tony Ambrose remarked “Harnessing North Dakota’s natural advantages, with facilities under construction in Ellendale, ND, and now in Harwood, ND, Applied Digital seeks to provide scalable and robust capacity for the world’s leading AI companies.”

Ambrose continued, saying “Applied Digital has become an essential player in North Dakota's business and technology landscape by making substantial investments in AI centers across the state and bringing rural areas incredible amounts of economic development. We are celebrating Applied Digital and their contributions to the North Dakota’s growth as a technology hub and industry leader.”

Bismarck, Oct. 1, 2025 - This year’s annual CyberCon event hosted by Bismarck State College in their Advanced Technology Center featured the 2025 TechND Technology Awards ceremony, which saw Kayla Pulvermacher honored as North Dakota’s 2025 “Technology Champion.”

TechND President Tony Ambrose remarked when presenting the award that “Kayla has spent what seems like her whole career championing technology in one way or another;” continuing by noting a span “from her beginnings in finance and agriculture, holding executive positions helping to build infrastructure in non-profit and private sectors, modernizing organizational workflow for developing clear direction regarding policy and advocacy during legislative sessions, her involvement with TechND over the years (including recently moderating TechTalk panels and offering her insights to the Data Center Coalition of North Dakota), to her current role at Midco managing nuanced, large-scale government relations.”

After a momentary pause, Ambrose concluded with “(during this time) ...Kayla has been at the forefront in North Dakota of ushering in and utilizing technologies as they emerge.”

Available in PDF Format: 2025LEGISLATIVERECAP.pdf