Akadi, founded six months ago by a pair of information technology staffers at the U.'s S.J. Quinney College of Law, is a sign company whose products are customized messages displayed on flat-panel television screens.

Akadi's Internet-based service is useful to retailers who may use flat-panel screens to increase in-store product sales, said Aaron Dewald, a co-founder.

The service also is aimed at nonprofit organizations like universities that may need to put out warnings to students or provide information about campus events or promotions, Dewald said.

"We provide just the service. The content is strictly up to the organization. So the cool thing is we can put anything on it," he said.

Dewald is director of technology initiatives at the law school. The idea for a server-based sign company arose when the school received funding last year for several flat-panel monitors that would be used to display classroom schedules and other information.

Dewald said the software that was commercially available was expensive, so he and a partner wrote their own program. Coincidentally, the university bookstore was thinking about putting up its own electronic signs. Dewald wrote a software program for the bookstore, and officials there liked what they saw.

"From there on, it was like a snowball," he said.

pbeebe@sltrib.com