Shepherd Intelligence Systems is in turtle mode, i.e. slow and steady growth to win the start-up race.
The downtown Ann Arbor-based company has added a handful of new contracts over the last year. It has also hired one person, rounding out the company's staff to 10 people
"It continues to do very well," says Adrian Fortino, CEO of
Shepherd Intelligence Systems. "We hope to add a a few more businesses and people this year."
Shepherd Intelligent Systems is commercializing the University of Michigan's Magic Bus program. That software, tested by the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority in 2010, allows system riders to follow bus progress on their smart phones. Users can see where their bus is on real-time maps and estimate times of arrival.
The company has steadily added a few more bells and whistles to this technology and broadened it customer base to a range of vehicle fleets. The company first started with governmental mass transit agencies and has now grown to include fleets of vehicles at universities across the U.S. and private transportation fleets, such as limo companies.
"It has grown at a pretty steady pace," Fortino says.
Source: Adrian Fortino, CEO of Shepherd Intelligence Systems
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.