The Pakkage App team is innovating the way packages are shipped in the state of North Dakota. Co-owner Shawn Brannan and CEO Marlo Anderson are working together to bring ride-sharing methods to the shipping industry. “As we travel across North Dakota, we are often asked to pick up or deliver something in another city…..so being an aware entrepreneurial team, we saw an opportunity to apply ride-share methods to packages,” explained Shawn.
A North Dakota Entrepreneur
As a native of Bismarck, North Dakota, Shawn Brannan was the youngest of six children. Shawn claims that his entrepreneurial spirit comes from his position in the family and references his family’s conversations about ideas that make life easier for people. Shawn shared how his mother kept a note from his childhood that displayed his desire to start a company with his brother, which said: “We have gone out to fish for tadpoles, and we plan to open up a frog business.”
In college at the University of North Dakota, Shawn received a degree in English and Spanish. However, it was an experience during the Mueller Entrepreneur Internship through the university that helped Shawn think in an entrepreneurial way. After a year teaching in Spain, Shawn returned to his home state of North Dakota. “I am proud of North Dakota, my family here in the Bismarck area is important and this state has adventures to be found,” shared Shawn.
The Incubator Connection
Through his sister-in-law, Shawn was connected to Marlo Anderson a couple of years ago through the Incubator for Developing Entrepreneurial Activity (IDEA) Center in Bismarck. Shawn shared that “Marlo is extremely tech savvy…and I am fortunate to collaborate with him on this endeavor.” The IDEA Center facilitated this connection and it continues to support the efforts of Shawn and Marlo with Pakkage. “The IDEA Center provides mentorship and is a great asset for entrepreneurs like me….I believe they are vital to our communities and state,” explained Shawn.
Currently, the Pakkage App is on the Android marketplace and will be launched on the IOS system in May 2017. The current app allows for users in Bismarck, Mandan, and Minot to drop off packages at shipment hubs (like the Simonson gas station in Mandan). Once the package is scanned into the shipment hub, a Pakkage driver can scan the package and take it with them to deliver it to the shipment hub of the destination city. Shawn describes that the goal of Pakkage is “to provide quick, efficient package delivery…and we are hoping to provide probabilities for same day delivery based on current driver data.” The current cost to ship a package on the app is $10 per item, and a driver for Pakkage can make up to $4 per delivered package.
Learn more from Shawn Brannan and Pakkage as he speaks at 1 Million Cups Fargo on Wednesday, April 5th, 2017 at 9:15 a.m. at The Stage at Island Park.
