02.24.26
Powering Mission-Critical Innovation
Interview with Terri Zimmerman, Chief Executive Officer, Packet Digital
Terri Zimmerman speaks with guests during a Packet Digital tour, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s high-performance power solutions.
Terri Zimmerman, CEO of Packet Digital, shares insights on leadership, innovation and building mission-critical power solutions in North Dakota.
In a sector where reliability is non-negotiable and innovation never sleeps, Terri Zimmerman has spent her career building teams that solve the hardest power management problems in defense and autonomous systems. Her leadership is rooted in clarity and trust; the kind that empowers specialists to push the limits of what’s possible while staying grounded in mission outcomes. From the messy first 90 days to strategic focus and cultural intent, Zimmerman’s story is one of disciplined courage and purposeful growth.
“Leadership is creating an environment where people can do their best work—then holding ourselves to the standard that our mission demands.”
Before you were CEO, what shaped you into the kind of leader you are today — a mentor, a moment, a belief you’ve carried with you?
One of the defining chapters of my career was at Great Plains Software, where I joined as CFO. Within a few years, we went public in 1997, acquired several businesses, and built the leading company in our market. That experience shaped my leadership philosophy in two profound ways.
First, I saw the power of building a strong culture — one where the team takes care of the customer and the company takes care of the team. That principle has guided my leadership decisions.
Second, traveling the world with Doug Burgum gave me a global perspective on business, but it also reinforced something I believe deeply: there is no better place to build a business than North Dakota. The talent, resilience and sense of community here are unmatched.
A lot of people have ideas, but very few build a company around them, especially in a field as technical and high-stakes as power management. Was there a specific moment when you knew, “I’m going to build this,” and what did the first 90 days actually look like — the messy parts, the risks, the early wins?
The inflection point arrived when I realized that autonomy and electrification were converging to begin reshaping aerospace and defense. I knew power management was going to be a critical enabler for this market, and power management is the sweet spot of our capabilities — and we resolved to build a company around it.
The beginning was raw and real, from assembling a multidisciplinary team, talking to potential investors, writing personal checks, securing early funding, and persuading customers to take a chance on us. Our office was on the 15th floor of the Radisson, with assembly lines in cubicles and conformal coatings in the fire escape, hats were many, and wins were measured in prototype milestones and field tests that worked when they had to. We had big wins with the military on long-range drones — stretching flight times from 90 minutes to 18 hours and now pushing into multi-day missions — proved something powerful. Those breakthroughs were just the beginning. They lit a fire and signaled a future where power management isn’t a constraint — it’s the catalyst for autonomy, electrification, and the next era of aerospace and defense.
Zimmerman’s journey from early public-company experience to building a mission-driven technology company in North Dakota offers a powerful look at what disciplined, forward-focused leadership requires. Her insights on risk, culture, strategy and national impact reveal how innovation takes shape behind the scenes long before headlines catch up.
To read the full conversation, including her perspective on leadership in high-stakes industries, scaling innovation in North Dakota and what’s next for Packet Digital, continue reading the complete feature in The Bridge.
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