For CDO Technologies, 'Can Do' is more than a name

Al Wofford founded CDO Technologies 15 years ago based on a simple "can do" philosophy of business. In fact, if you look closely, Can DO is right there in the name.

Today, Wofford's own name is mentioned among the heavy hitters around west-central Ohio. Recently listed among the Dayton Business Journal's regional 10 Most Influential People of the year, Wofford has built a company with 330 employees in Ohio, Illinois, Alabama, Georgia, and Washington, D.C.

CDO is one of Dayton's largest minority-owned firms and an IT integrator with numerous clients in defense, government and private industry.

One of CDO Technologies' core competencies is in asset visibility and management -- think bar codes and radio frequency identification (RFID) systems -- that track inventory accurately and precisely real time.

"We don't build any technology and hardware, but we build software to tie different systems together," explains Bryce Stuckenschneider, marketing coordinator. "Sometimes we're getting calls from the CFOs and CIOs saying we need more accountability (for assets), and we're losing things at a rapid rate, and other times we get calls from the engineer on the line saying I'm being held accountable for this.

"One of the big commercial areas we're diving into are hospitals," he says. "They lose an alarming amount of inventory, and every year they will order four times more than they need because they have no idea what they have."

While asset identification and tracking comprises much of CDO's business, Stuckenschneider says the company can't be pigeonholed.

"Everything we do is focused on creatively applying technology, and sometimes that's auto identification -- RFID or bar coding -- and sometimes the market asks us 'how do you redesign air space over major cities?' which is a huge problem that America has. So we have a couple of industry experts who have recently come on board trying to come up with great ways to retrain air traffic controllers."

About a third of CDO's employees are in Ohio, with about 65 at company headquarters in Dayton.

Source: Bryce Stuckenschneider, CDO Technologies

Writer: Gene Monteith

http://www.hivelocitymedia.com/innovationnews/CDO11_18_10.aspx

DBJ names Top 10 ‘Most Influential People’ of 2010

The Dayton Business Journal has named its list of the Top 10 Most Influential People of 2010 in the Dayton Region.

This is a list of the people who have had an impact on the Dayton region through their efforts — both publicly and 

behind the scenes — for the past year.

The people on this list were selected by the DBJ editorial board.

“This year’s list of most influential is the distillation of hundreds of names of business leaders in the region. These are the folks we have seen this year moving the business and job growth needle with the most impact. We hope you will tell us if you think differently,” said Neil Arthur, president and publisher of the DBJ. “We have also looked ahead and see some business leaders who we think are ready to have a significant influence on the region’s business in 2011. We will keep tabs all year long.”

Among the criteria for being on the list was having been responsible for things that have helped shape our community, for better or worse. This group of people, through their actions this year, have shaped the Miami Valley and been involved with efforts this year that should continue to reshape the region in the coming years.

These 10 people will be recognized in a special report in the Dec. 24 issue of the DBJ. That issue will feature bios and stories on the people on the list, as well as revealing the ranking order. A “People’s Choice” ranking survey will appear online in the coming days to get our reader’s take on who has had the most impact on the region this year. The report in the paper will include several sub-lists, such as our predictions of who will have the most influence during the coming year.

The following is an alphabetized list of the people who are being recognized by the DBJ for their impact on our region during this year.

Top 10Most Influential People of the Decade in the Dayton Region:

• Bryan Bucklew, Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association;

• Dan Curran, University of Dayton;

• Rob Connelly, Henny Penny Corp.;

• Randy Gunlock, RG Properties Inc.;

• Channon Lemon, Minority Economic Development Council;

• Amy Luttrell, Goodwill Easter Seals Miami Valley;

• Scott Murphy, updayton;

• Phil Parker, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce;

• U.S. Judge Walter Rice, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio; and

• Al Wofford, CDO Technologies Inc.

Article by Dayton Business Journal (http://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2010/10/04/daily40.html)

 

CDO's 15th Birthday!

October 4 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the incorporation of CDO Technologies. Dozens of staffers gathered at our corporate headquarters to surprise our founder and CEO, Al Wofford.

"After years of hard work and dedication, the wonderful people of this organization have helped me achieve so many of my dreams," said Wofford. CDO has been creatively applying technology to achieve our customers' goals since 1995. We encourage you to navigate our site to learn more about how we make dreams come true.

Below are some pictures from our celebration!

Al Wofford and Mark DeRyke

Al snagged the piece of cake with "15" on it

Al shared some stories from the old days as staffers packed into the conference room

CDO Hosts Brian Gregory at B2B Luncheon at Fifth Third Field

Dayton companies such as DP&L, Heidelberg Distributing, and PNC Bank gathered in September to discuss how critical IT is in their growth strategy. Hosted by CDO Technologies at Fifth Third Field, the event featured keynote speaker and UD Men’s Basketball Coach, Brian Gregory. Coach Gregory spoke about the importance of teamwork, trust, and partnership.

Partnership is something that CDO Technologies and the Dragons have in common. Besides being a corporate sponsor of the Reds’ Single-A team, CDO is also the official IT service provider for the club.

CDO Technologies, Inc. is a full-service systems integrator that provides IT consulting and support to markets such as the US government, healthcare, aviation, supply chain, warehousing, and corporations of all sizes. The company’s fundamental focus on people, technology, and results has driven their success as the premiere and trustworthy provider of business solutions and IT for the greater Dayton and Cincinnati area.

The luncheon served as an opportunity for business leaders to network in order to build stronger connections within Dayton’s local business community. Some of the attendees included the City of Dayton, City of Springboro, PNC Bank, the Coolidge Wall Legal Professional Association, Muñoz Brands, Heidelberg Distributing, Dayton Power and Light, and UBS.

The highlight of the event was Coach Brian Gregory’s speech that demonstrated the importance of building teamwork through trust and partnership. According to Coach Gregory, local business and community leaders make Dayton a truly special place. Business relationships, much like successful basketball teams, are built upon utilizing skilled individuals you can trust.

People only trust a product or service when they trust the people selling it; this is true for technology companies and basketball recruiters alike. The University of Dayton sets the bar high when it comes to player graduation rates- this fact, along with Coach Gregory’s reputation of credibility and honesty, allows them to recruit top players. Similarly, CDO’s IT partnership with local businesses and municipalities (ITRUST) focuses on the unique skills and capabilities of their people and leverages them to build a lasting partnership.

“Only when we understand how our customers operate on a day-to-day basis can we begin to make meaningful suggestions and impact positive change for their organization,” said CDO IT Consultant Matt Oakes.

EDCL Program Recognized at National Event

A case study by Sybase for the “Air Force Enterprise Data Collection Layer (EDCL)” has been chosen as a Laureate for the 2010 program.  CDO is the program manager for the EDCL project.

The award, viewed as “most coveted” in the IT arena, was presented at the Laureate Medal Ceremony on June 7, 2010 in Washington, D.C.. 

Paul Nelson and Chris Mooney represented CDO at the Gala Dinner event and awards ceremony.

$1.7 million AIT IV order awarded to CDO Technologies (4-6-2010)

Auto-Identification Integrator to deliver 780+ Motorola handhelds and other accessories in support of U.S. Air Force mobile deployment activities.

April 6, 2010- Dayton, OH- The U.S. Army's Information Technology, E-Commerce, and Commercial Contracting Center (ITEC4) has placed a substantial order utilizing the AIT IV contract with CDO Technologies Inc.. The order of 780+ handheld Motorola MC9090 terminals with accessories is the largest order of its kind on the AIT IV IDIQ contract to date.


"AIT-IV has given all Department of Defense IT organizations an opportunity to purchase state of the art Motorola hardware solutions to meet their current and future demands" said Don Ertel, Senior Vice President of CDO Technologies. "AIT IV has also given CDO the ability to provide the appropriate solutions to their customers by providing durable, flexible components to allow system migration of mobile solutions.”


This Air Force order validates the detail requirements that PM J AIT developed for this program for use across all the services. CDO partners with A2B Tracking, ASC Software, Central State University, HCI Integrated Solutions, Motorola, Naniq, Vantedge, Williams Software, and Zebra Technologies on the AIT IV contract.


"CDO is a recognized leader in providing the military with innovative technologies vital to supply chain operations, transportation, and logistics. We believe that by offering exceptional hardware like Motorola's leading edge ruggedized handheld computers and wireless infrastructure in their solutions, CDO will continue to provide first-rate products and services critical to mission accomplishment," said Jim Mears, vice president and general manager of Motorola's U.S. Federal Government Market Division.


About CDO Technologies
CDO Technologies Inc. (CDO) is a leading solutions provider of the integration of Automatic Identification Technologies (AIT), such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), into business processes. CDO has been directly involved in the design, development, deployment, and sustainment of AIT solutions since their founding in 1995.


A proven minority veteran-owned company, CDO is headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. With over 330 employees, CDO serves an impressive portfolio of customers that include: Air Force AIT Program Management Office, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Institute of Technology, General Electric Aircraft Engines, Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton Public Schools, Air Force Material Command, Military Entrance Processing Command, Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information, visit www.cdotech.com

5200 Springfield Street– Suite 320—Dayton, OH 45431 —Tel: 937-258-0022—Fax: 937-258-1614

CDO Partners with Emerson Cuming (3-11-2010)

Partnership will be unveiled at AFCEA Industry Days next month

Randolph, MA- March 11, 2010- CDO Technologies and Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products announced the RFID strategic partnership between the two companies. This partnership will make its debut at the 8th annual AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days Conference (March 30th- 31st) in National Harbor, Maryland where they will exhibit RFID hardware, software and tagging solutions for the Defense and Military industry.

As one of the largest RFID Integrators in the United States, CDO Technologies has extensive experience in designing and implementing RFID solutions with both government agencies and customers in the private sector. This relationship with Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products, a recognized global leader in engineered RF materials, is fitting as ECMP's MetalTag line of UHF and HF RFID metal-mount tags expands into the market. A joint booth presence allows both CDO Technologies and Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products to offer their combined capabilities and expertise to attendees.

"CDO is constantly researching new technologies to help provide our customers with the most advanced technology to meet ever changing business requirements," noted Susan King, Sales Director at CDO. "Our burgeoning relationship with Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products brings a new, advanced set of RFID products into the CDO toolbox to offer solutions to meet today's requirements, and lay a groundwork for future business process improvements users are looking for."

"This partnership is a logical move for both companies," said Devin Sullivan, RFID Manager at Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products. "The AFCEA Belvoir Conference is the beginning of our combined efforts to make the terms RFID and Defense synonymous with CDO Technologies and Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products."

About CDO Technologies

CDO Technologies Inc. (CDO) is a leading solutions provider of the integration of Automatic Identification Technologies (AIT), such as RFID, into business processes. CDO has been directly involved in the design, development, deployment, and sustainment of AIT solutions since their founding in 1995.

CDO is a proven minority veteran-owned company headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. With over 300 employees, CDO serves an impressive portfolio of customers that include: Air Force AIT Program Management Office, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Institute of Technology, General Electric Aircraft Engines, Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton Public Schools, Air Force Material Command/Development and Fielding Systems Group, Military Entrance Processing Command, Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. For more information, visit http://www.cdotech.com/

About Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products, Inc.

Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products, Inc., is an ISO 9001:2000 company, and a world leader in the development and manufacturer of ECCOSORB, microwave absorbing materials and anechoic chambers; ECCOSTOCK dielectric materials for low loss RF and microwave applications; ECCOSHIELD electrically conductive sheets, caulks, adhesives and coatings; and MetalTagTM, standard and custom metal-mount tags, for read on metal and liquids. Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products maintains manufacturing facilities in Randolph, Massachusetts (US) and Westerlo, Belgium.

For over 60 years, the company has produced leading edge materials and engineered solutions for the wireless and satellite communications, military and aerospace, automotive, RFID and medical markets. For more information, visithttp://www.eccosorb.com/ or http://www.rfidmetaltag.com/.

About AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days

The 8th Annual AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days Conference includes a powerful lineup of speakers from the strategic Army level to the tactical, representing diverse organizations from Fort Belvoir and beyond. This breadth of exposure is the enduring theme that has lent AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days its continuing success over the past seven years.

Visit CDO Technologies and Emerson & Cuming Microwave Products Inc at booth # 1303 at the upcoming AFCEA Belvoir Industry Days Conference in National Harbor, Maryland from March 30-31, 2010.

CDO and Zebra Partnership (2-18-2010)

CDO Technologies Inc. and Zebra Enterprise Solutions Partner to Offer Expanded Solutions to Government Sector

Longstanding Zebra partner extends relationship by joining ZES Partner Program

Oakland, CA and Dayton, OH — February 18, 2010 — Zebra Enterprise Solutions (ZES), a division of Zebra Technologies (Nasdaq: ZBRA), today announced the addition of CDO Technologies Inc. to its partner program. The ZES partner program offers CDO the opportunity to incorporate a wider range of automatic identification technology solutions into its portfolio.

CDO, a full-service information technology systems integrator and logistics support company delivering innovative, technology-based solutions to government agencies and customers in the private sector, has been a longstanding partner of Zebra Technologies’ Specialty Printing Group. Since recently joining the ZES partner program, the company is now able to extend its reach by providing customers with ultra-wide band (UWB) technologies and a broader range of active radio-frequency identification (RFID) products.

“We’ve collaborated with Zebra on various successful projects in the past and are excited to strengthen and broaden that partnership through the Zebra Enterprise Solutions partner program,” said Don Ertel, Senior Vice President at CDO Technologies. “Zebra’s portfolio of automatic identification technology solutions will help us to recommend more customized options to current and potential customers, and support our three core areas of business process improvement, enterprise IT engineering & services and managed business support.”

CDO has more than 15 years of industry experience with government agencies and customers in the private sector and plans to capitalize on its new ZES partnership to continue to develop innovative solutions for the government and federal agencies. In addition, CDO plans to potentially leverage the ZES partnership to deliver yard management solutions to customers. .

“We are pleased to add CDO to the ZES partner program and we look forward to the new projects this partnership will bring forth,” said Bill Bulzoni, Director of Business Development for Zebra Enterprise Solutions. “Through the expanded breadth of technology solutions this partnership provides, CDO will continue to be at the forefront of developing and deploying leading edge technology solutions to the government sector.”

About CDO Technologies Inc.

CDO Technologies recommends, delivers, and supports a complete portfolio of automatic

identification technologies (AIT) and solutions for government and commercial customers. CDO’s expertise, together with its extensive network of partners, helps improve the visibility, accuracy, and efficiency of logistics, supply chain, and asset management applications. For more information, visit http://www.cdotech.com/.

About Zebra Enterprise Solutions

Zebra Enterprise Solutions, a division of Zebra Technologies Corporation, extends Zebra’s reach beyond passive RFID by employing state-of-the-art software and hardware solutions to locate, track, manage, and optimize high-value assets, equipment and people across the world’s largest supply chains. Whether tracking containers through a port, optimizing parts for manufacturing, or managing ground support equipment at an airport, the real-time asset management solutions from the combination of Navis, WhereNet, proveo, and Multispectral Solutions provide improved visibility and velocity to gain measurable business improvements. Utilizing products that are based on ISO/IEC 24730-2, Cisco CCX Wi-Fi, precision GPS, and UWB technologies, Zebra Enterprise Solutions offers a wide range of location solutions that are "application matched," enabling its customers to put the right asset in the right place at the right time. For more information about Zebra Enterprise Solutions visit http://www.zebra.com/zes.

About Zebra Technologies

Zebra Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: ZBRA) provides the broadest range of innovative technology solutions to identify, track, and manage the deployment of critical assets for improved business efficiency. Zebra’s core technologies include reliable on-demand printer and state-of-the-art software and hardware solutions. By enabling improvements in sourcing, visibility, security and accuracy, Zebra helps its customers to put the right asset in the right place at the right time. Zebra serves more than 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies worldwide. For more information about Zebra‘s solutions visit http://www.zebra.com/.

CDO wins AIT IV contract (7-30-2009)

CDO Technologies Inc. said it has been selected as the prime contractor to provide automatic identification technology services for U.S. Army supply-chain systems.

The Army contract is worth more than $400 million over nine years, CDO Technologies said Wednesday, July 29. That represents the total dollar amount to be awarded to multiple companies over nine years, which includes three years and government-renewable options of up to six additional years, CDO said from its Riverside headquarters near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

CDO declined to break out how much of the money it stands to receive. The company expects to compete for a major portion of the work task-orders to be issued under the contract, said Don Ertel, a CDO vice president.

The contract involves providing technologies including bar codes, contact and touch memory, thermal printing and cellular, satellite and voice recognition to identify items moving through supply chain networks, CDO said.

CDO is a systems integrator that provides technical and professional services to military, government and corporate customers. It is the third Army automatic identification technology contract awarded to CDO during the past year, management said.

Full article: http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/cdo-technologies-is-lead-company-on-400m-contract-227715.html?cxtype=rss_business

CDO continues to grow (5-29-2009)

CDO Technologies Inc. is ballooning its presence in Georgia and adding 100 employees, bolstering its total workforce by one-third to 400.

In the past week, the Riverside-based company expanded its Peach State facility from a 6,000-square-foot office to a 40,000-square-foot building.

The new building dwarfs CDO’s local headquarters, which is about 15,000 square feet.

The Georgia expansion — near Robins Air Force Base — comes after the company received additional work from an existing $96 million contract awarded in 2005.

CDO performs technical data and engineering support at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, at the base. The 13,000-person center is a support and repair depot for a variety of aircraft, including the gigantic C-5 Galaxy.

Company Vice President Don Ertel did not disclose how much revenue the additional work will generate, but said it will add 20 new employees immediately and another 80 by the end of the year.

CDO currently has about 315 employees, 85 of which are local, said Dave Stack, CDO director of corporate development and communications.

Last January the company had 305 total employees with 225 local, according to Dayton Business Journal research.

The company is making the shift after programs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Basedried up or shifted away from CDO’s expertise.

“Wright-Patt used to be our bread and butter,” Stack said.

Within the past few months, the company was selected to bid on a pot of $428 million, used to deliver Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) solutions to federal defense and non-defense users. It will be administered by the U. S. Army.

The contract is for state-of-the-art methods to monitor and track items and people.

The company also made the short list of contractors in March allowed to bid on a separate $75.5 million from the Army Contracting Agency.

The contract will lay the groundwork for CDO to work with the Department of Defenseor the U.S. Coast Guard to integrate RFID infrastructure within its supply chain.

Most of the work will be performed at locations outside the Dayton region, but any projects the company wins will be managed out of the headquarters, thus boosting its local staff, Ertel said.

The 19-year-old company is making significant strides securing business outside Wright-Patt, CDO President and CEO Al Wofford said in an employee newsletter.

“We are fortunate at CDO to have a broad business base,” Wofford wrote. “This didn’t happen overnight.”

Ertel said the company recently hired a commercial business development manager, as CDO seeks to translate its government success into the commercial marketplace.

Full article: http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/stories/2009/06/01/story3.html

Member of Savi team on RFID III (2-25-2009)

As a member of the Savi® RFID team, CDO Technologies, Inc. was selected to deliver Active Radio Frequency Identification (aRFID) solutions to U.S. government users. The objectives of the RFID contract are to provide a state-of-the-art, common, integrated, structure for tracking, locating, and monitoring the health of commodities and assets. All a RFID hardware and software acquired under this contract must comply with ISO 18000-7:2008 standards and the DoD Interoperability Guidelines, except the Closed Loop Active RFID System. RFID III is an indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a potential value of $428 million. The U. S. Army Product Manager Joint-Automatic Identification Technology (PM J-AIT) office administers the RFID III contract, which may be used by other U. S. federal agencies and non-U. S. defense forces to procure a RFID hardware, software, and engineering services. This contract provides another avenue for U.S. government customers to award task orders to CDO. The Government requires equipment that can be used worldwide. The Government will use a RFID technology in applications that demand a higher level of performance than barcode and other automated data storage and retrieval technologies can deliver. Anticipated applications of a RFID technology include, but are not limited to handling and controlling transactions involving:

· Entry/exit points (inside and out)

· Inventory and warehousing environments

· Large open-area storage facilities or yards

· Maintenance, repair, and tracking facilities

· Restricted office and laboratory environments
Military transportation sites (seaports and air terminals)

· Petroleum distribution points (fueling operations on the flight line, in-flight, and at sea)

· Custody exchange points (for example, weapons issue facilities)

· Health and intrusion monitoring (temperature, shock, humidity, light, and door alarms)

· Perishables (medical supplies, foods, and other items sensitive to temperature changes)

· Hazardous, explosive, or otherwise regulated material

CDO wins another contract (10-1-08)

CDO Technologies Inc., a provider of IT solutions and other services, said it and its partners have been selected to deliver Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) hardware, software and services to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal agencies, as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

CDO Technologies, with partners GlobeRanger Corp., Sirit Corp., Avery Dennison and others, have been awarded a contract with a potential value of $75.5 million, based upon delivery orders placed against it, CDO said in an announcement this week.

"Having a phenomenal group of partners to deliver on this contract is a testament to CDO's expertise in engineering and systems integration," Al Wofford, CDO president, said in his company's announcement. "We are excited to begin delivering comprehensive (RFID) solutions around the world to the Department of Defense under this new agreement."

Under the terms of the contract, CDO can now be awarded task orders by the Army, Defense Logistics Agency, or any other agency within the DoD or the U.S. Coast Guard to integrate RFID infrastructure in their supply chains, CDO said.

CDO Technologies, an IT integrator and provider of RFID, bar code, and data collection solutions, moved to a Springfield Street office complex in late 2007. At the time of the move, the company had about 65 employees and was projected to have 80 employees within two years.

Full article:

http://www.daytondailynews.com/b/content/oh/story/business/2008/10/03/ddn100308cdoweb.html