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2023 Excellence in Economic Impact

Dusty and Derek
Founder Dusty Birge and Kearney Chamber of Commerce CEO Derek Rusher pictured above. 
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Powerline inspection automation helps electric utilities decrease inspection costs while directly increasing reliability. 
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Fast Forward is the only system capable of inspecting entire systems without increasing rates to the consumer. 
The team at Fast Forward has earned an Excellence in Economic Impact award for 2023 from the Development Council for Buffalo County.
 
We’re honored by the recognition reflecting the entire Fast Forward team, customers, investors, and community members who have supported our start from scratch.
 
Founder Dusty Birge said, "I've had my fair share of trials and challenging experiences, but we've turned the corner and have a solid team in place to scale the business nationwide." 
 
Fast Forward uses hardware and software they have developed to automated powerline inspections for electric utilities, preventing power outages and wildfires. Operators install a vehicle mounted camera system that captures inspection grade data of over 30,000 poles per week. 
 
Buffalo County and the City of Kearney is a wonderful option to start a business and raise a family. Come Visit Kearney and then stay! The Kearney Area Chamber of Commerce and teams at the University of Nebraska at Kearney have been very instrumental and helpful throughout our journey.
 
You can learn more about activity from Fast Forward here: https://ff-ai.com/news . You may have also seen the episode on Nebraska Public Media's 'What If' series.
 
Fast Forward is a startup output from the NMotion startup accelerator out of Lincoln, NE that is now creating jobs and brining in new revenue for the state and local community and has helped utilities mitigate over $1M of power outages.
Pictured below is Fast Forward CEO Dusty Birge, and Kearney Area Chamber CEO Derek Rusher.