Doug Recker
About Doug Recker
Doug (“Frank D.”) Recker is President and Corporate Officer of Duos Technologies Group, appointed effective September 15, 2025, after leading Duos’ expansion into Edge Data Centers as President of Duos Edge AI since July 2024; he resigned his concurrent role as Chief Commercial Officer at New APR Energy to focus solely on Duos . A 30+ year telecommunications and data center veteran, he founded EdgePresence (sold to Ubiquity in 2023) and Colo5 Data Centers (sold to Cologix in 2014), and previously served in the United States Marine Corps . Under Duos’ 2025 pivot, the company reported Q3 2025 revenue of $6.88M, nine‑month revenue of $17.6M, positive adjusted EBITDA, raised >$50M and retired all debt; TSR for 2024 (per the proxy’s pay‑versus‑performance disclosure) suggests value creation versus 2023, with the value of a fixed $100 investment at $206 in 2024 vs $145 in 2023 .
| Metric | FY 2023 | FY 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Value of $100 Initial Investment (TSR) | $145 | $206 |
| Net Loss ($000s) | $(11,242) | $(10,765) |
| 2025 Operating Highlights | 9M 2025 |
|---|---|
| Revenue ($) | $17.6M |
| Q3 2025 Revenue ($) | $6.88M |
| Capital Raised | >$50M |
| Debt | Retired |
| Adjusted EBITDA | Positive (Q3 2025) |
| Edge Data Centers Deployed | 6; +9 scheduled for Q4 |
| Patent | US 12,404,690 B1: Entryway for Modular Data Center |
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duos Edge AI, Inc. (subsidiary of Duos) | President | Jul 2024–Sep 2025 | Led expansion into Edge Data Center and colocation markets; designed and deployed modular edge data centers (“pods”) and built recurring hosting revenue streams . |
| New APR Energy, LLC | Chief Commercial Officer | Jul 2024–Sep 2025 | Supported Duos’ AMA execution with New APR; resigned upon appointment as Duos President to focus solely on Duos . |
| EdgePresence LLC | Founder and President | 2017–2023 | Built multi‑tenant edge computing points‑of‑presence; sold to Ubiquity in 2023 . |
| Colo5 Data Centers LLC | Founder and CEO | 2008–2014 | Operated data centers serving Fortune 100; sold to Cologix in 2014 . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States Marine Corps | Service Member | N/A (prior career) | Leadership foundation and team building discipline cited among career credentials . |
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Terms | Effective Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Salary | $325,000 per year; paid semi‑monthly; annual review by Board/committees | Sep 12–15, 2025 (amended & restated); initial term commenced Jan 1, 2025 | Florida withholding and payroll tax compliance . |
| Target Bonus | Up to 80% of base (max $260,000) per year; criteria include revenue, profitability, and KPIs proposed by CEO and approved by Board; measured Jan 1–Dec 31; paid in two installments (April and October) | 2025 onward | Performance‑based; aligns to Annual Strategic Plan . |
| Benefits | Participation in pension, profit sharing, group insurance, hospitalization, group health for executive and immediate family; perquisites as provided to senior executives | Term of agreement | Includes expense reimbursement per policy . |
| Vacation | 4 weeks paid per year | Term of agreement | Per Company policy . |
| Indemnification & D&O | Indemnified to the maximum under articles/bylaws; D&O insurance on terms no less favorable than peers | Term and renewals | Standard executive indemnity . |
Performance Compensation
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Performance Bonus | Not disclosed | KPIs including revenue targets, profitability, Board‑approved plan | Not disclosed | Up to $260,000 per year | Cash; paid April and October . |
Equity Awards (Restricted Stock)
| Grant Date | Shares | Type | Vesting | Accelerated Vesting Triggers | Transfer/Pledging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2025 | 225,000 | Restricted Stock (under 2021 Plan) | 100% cliff vest Dec 31, 2027 (continued employment required) | Disability, death, termination without cause, resignation for good reason, specified change‑of‑control | No transfer, sale, gift, assignment or pledge prior to full vesting . |
| Sep 12–15, 2025 | 175,000 | Restricted Stock (amended & restated award) | 100% cliff vest Oct 1, 2028 (continued employment required) | Same as above; change‑of‑control triggers full vesting | No transfer or pledge prior to vesting . |
| Sep 12–15, 2025 | Option Awards | N/A | All prior options (vested and unvested) canceled and rolled into updated restricted stock award | N/A | N/A |
Note: Equity awards granted under the 2021 Equity Incentive Plan administered by the Compensation Committee; clawback (erroneous compensation recovery) policy oversight disclosed in the 2025 proxy .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
- Granted equity totals 400,000 unvested restricted shares with long‑dated cliff vesting (Dec 31, 2027 and Oct 1, 2028), creating significant retention hooks and deferring selling pressure until vest dates or acceleration triggers .
- Transfer and pledging are prohibited prior to full vesting, reducing hedging/pledging risk until vesting occurs .
- Beneficial ownership and stock ownership guidelines for Recker were not disclosed in the 2025 proxy; no related party transactions reported under Item 404(a) at appointment .
| Equity Detail | Amount/Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Total Restricted Shares Granted | 400,000 (225,000 + 175,000) | Subject to cliff vesting and accelerated vesting per award terms . |
| Vested vs Unvested | 0 vested as of grant; all unvested until 12/31/2027 or 10/1/2028 | Continued employment required . |
| Pledging/Hedging | Prohibited pre‑vesting | Supports alignment. |
Employment Terms
| Term | Provision | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Contract Term | 3 years commencing Jan 1, 2025; initial term ends Dec 31, 2027 | Auto‑renews for successive one‑year terms unless 60‑day non‑renewal notice . |
| Termination Without Cause | Severance | 12 months base salary plus accrued obligations . |
| Good Reason Resignation | Severance | Company continues base salary, awarded bonus amounts, and all benefits owed through end of current term . |
| Disability/Death | Benefits | Disability pay coordination; vesting acceleration for awards; estate receives accrued obligations . |
| Change‑of‑Control (Equity) | Vesting | All equity compensation fully vests prior to transaction; specific corporate control triggers for award acceleration . |
| Confidentiality | Obligations | Proprietary information protection; nondisparagement; remedies including injunctions . |
| Non‑Compete/Non‑Solicit | Covenant | Executed as Exhibit B to the employment agreement; terms not disclosed in the 8‑K exhibit text . |
| Jurisdiction & 409A | Governance | Florida law; Section 409A compliance provisions . |
Performance & Track Record
- Strategy execution: Pivot to edge computing and energy services resulted in material revenue growth and positive adjusted EBITDA in Q3 2025; capital raised (> $50M) and debt retired support growth capacity .
- Edge deployments: Sixth EDC deployed with nine scheduled for Q4, including first out‑of‑state deployment (Illinois), with education sector proof‑of‑concept in Amarillo, TX (Region 16) enabling recurring revenue streams .
- IP moat: Awarded US Patent No. 12,404,690 B1 for modular data center entryway (clean‑room environment, no‑water cooling, SOC 2 compliance) strengthening differentiation .
- Leadership credentials: Founder track record (EdgePresence, Colo5) and Marine Corps service; recognized with multiple business awards (Ultimate CEO, Inc. 500, BizTech Innovations Best CEO) .
| Milestone | Period | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2025 Revenue | Q3 2025 | $6.88M; services revenue $6.59M incl. $5.15M AMA with New APR . |
| 9M 2025 Revenue | 9M 2025 | $17.6M; highest nine‑month revenue in company history . |
| Edge DC Deployment | 2025 | 6 deployed; +9 scheduled; first out‑of‑state in Illinois . |
| Patent | 2025 | US 12,404,690 B1: Entryway for Modular Data Center . |
| Appointment | Sep 15, 2025 | Appointed President, Corporate Officer . |
Investment Implications
- Pay‑for‑performance alignment: Annual bonus keyed to revenue/profitability with Board approval ties cash incentives to Duos’ edge computing pivot KPIs; payout timing (April/October) may create reporting‑period incentive pacing .
- Retention risk vs selling pressure: Two large cliff RS tranches (225k vesting 12/31/2027; 175k vesting 10/1/2028) strongly retain Recker but create identifiable potential selling windows; pre‑vesting transfers/pledging prohibited, mitigating near‑term selling pressure .
- Change‑of‑control economics: Full equity acceleration on change‑of‑control can magnify potential event‑driven insider liquidity; investors should factor vesting overhang in M&A scenarios .
- Severance asymmetry: Termination without cause yields 12 months base salary; “good reason” resignation provides continuation of salary, awarded bonus amounts and benefits through term end—comparatively executive‑friendly, potentially impacting negotiation dynamics in adverse scenarios .
- Governance and clawback: Compensation Committee oversees a clawback policy for erroneously awarded compensation and administers the 2021 Plan; combined with non‑compete/non‑solicit and confidentiality covenants, governance mitigates misalignment/abuse risk .
- No related‑party concerns disclosed: 8‑K appointment explicitly notes no Item 404(a) related party transactions at appointment, reducing immediate conflict‑of‑interest risk .
Related documents: Appointment 8‑K (employment and awards) ; Q3’25 results and operating highlights ; Earnings presentation and quotes ; 2025 Proxy for Compensation Committee/clawback and pay‑versus‑performance .