Polaris

Polaris

The Jorgenson family built Daktronics from a small electronics shop in Brookings, South Dakota, into a global scoreboard and digital display manufacturer. Polaris serves as the family office for the wealth generated from that business, operating from Palo Alto with additional offices in John's Island, South Carolina, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. J. David Jorgenson leads the office with his son R. Todd Jorgenson actively involved in principal investing functions. Polaris runs a diversified portfolio that spans direct real estate, venture capital, and private equity fund commitments. The real estate book concentrates on multifamily and industrial properties in secondary and tertiary US markets where the family sees pricing inefficiencies relative to gateway cities. Venture exposure includes fund commitments to managers focused on B2B software and industrial technology — sectors where the family's operating experience translates into sourcing and underwriting advantage. Private equity allocations lean toward buyout and growth equity funds in the lower middle market, a segment Polaris understands from its own experience scaling Daktronics. Beyond direct investing, Polaris operates several business units that generate additional income and sourcing networks. Daktronics itself remains publicly traded with residual family ownership; the office also manages substantial real estate development projects across the Upper Midwest and Southeast. Philanthropic activities flow through the Jorgenson Family Foundation, which focuses on education and community development in South Dakota and South Carolina without commingling foundation assets with investment capital. Polaris stands apart by refusing full LP passivity. The office regularly pursues co-investment slots alongside fund managers, applying its own operating lens rather than relying solely on GP underwriting. Its multi-location structure in Palo Alto, Sioux Falls, and John's Island creates a sourcing triangle that spans tech deal flow, Midwestern industrial relationships, and Southeastern real estate — a geographic arbitrage most family offices cannot replicate without building similar outposts.