A Leading Custom Hardware and Software Products and Services Provider for Fleet Operators for Diverse Industries: GPSi

Established in 2009 by combining the assets and management teams of the three leading providers of GPS golf course management systems, GPSi became a leading provider of cloud-based telematics solutions. The original constituent company was founded way back in 1994 to provide the advice a local pro would give on a golf course – distances, playing tips. The first product provided static distances and text of pro tips, the later iterations added GPS-provided dynamic distances, tournament scoring, advertising and promotional content, as well as fleet telematics services such as engine diagnostics, fault codes, battery levels and variable speed cart control. 

The company recently expanded into a new vertical markets, leveraging the platform it built and service culture it developed for the golf industry for the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) market. The new GPSi products and services include CMV fleet tracking, telematics and compliance solutions. GPSi develops, manufactures, distributes and services mobile display units that provide tracking, hours of service compliance that satisfies the FMCSA ELD requirement, IFTA reporting and electronic DVIR for operators of CMVs.

Conferring with Ben Porter, CEO

Brief about your first product launch.

We launched our first product in 1995 and it was a monochromatic 10” screen that merely provided the layout of the golf hole you were playing. It was devoid of GPS distance information, F&B ordering and any telematics.

What challenges did you face in your initial years?

We began as a garage-based start up in Sarasota, FL without any outside capital, so business was full of challenges: we were selling a new product for a conservative and change-resistant industry. We had to convince the market there was a need, even a desire, for our product. IT was expensive technology back then, so we had to find third party financing for our customers. The product and service were newly invented, so there was no labor out there to leverage – we had to develop and retain all the human capital we needed from scratch. And since golf is a cyclical business, we could never match costs to revenues, since half the year we were considerably over-staffed because we had to be able to meet the heavy demand months of the year. We could not outsource any aspects of our business. As we grew and developed, we were able to overcome these challenges with perseverance. We learned there is always an answer, always a way to get it done; you just have to find it. 

What were the key factors that were pivotal in shaping your organization’s road map? 

Our partnership with Club Car was a seminal event in 2009; their sales channel continues to drive growth of connectivity in golf. Hampton Jitney’s request for us to develop a product for commercial motor vehicles instigated our entry into a huge new vertical market. When Falconhead consolidated the GPS golf industry in 2009 and funded an internal leasing subsidiary allowing us to finance our customers internally, that allowed us to thrive during the heart of the financial crisis.

Road Ahead

Since its inception GPSi has grown into more than a golf company and now it’s an industry leader with a service culture born in the hospitality industry. The company is always rolling out new features and next month it will be launching a brand new FMCSA-compliant ELD, e-DVIR and IFTA product for the CMV market. GPSi aspires to be a market leader in several vertical markets, providing tracking and compliance solutions for fleet operators in any industry, from fairways to freeways.

Clientele Manifestoes

“GPS Industries’ products offer incomparable GPS tracking and telematics solutions. Our course has absolutely recorded increased productivity and revenue since our installation of the fully-loaded Visage system.”

- Doug Domino, The Meadows Country Club

“As a new owner of a golf facility, I knew it was important to our members and guests that they had latest and best technology. The Visage system not only helped them with their game as they played the course, but it has improved their member experience when it comes to ordering food, needing help on the course or allowing us to notify them when bad weather is approaching.”

- Larry King Jr., Cheval Golf and Athletic Club

“GPSi’s staff is always on call and easy to work with – never sending third party contractors to our facility and providing us with an assigned account manager so we are not starting at square one on every call. We are extremely happy we chose GPSi as our ELD technology partner.”

- Andrew Lynch, Vice President of Hampton Jitney

“With 70,000 Connected vehicles in over 50 countries, GPSi is an industry leader with a service culture born in the hospitality industry.”