Applied Computer moves fast into future

FORT COLLINS – “I deal directly with the future,” says Bud Prentice, president and chief executive officer of Applied Computer Technology Inc.

Judging by the speed with which ACT has moved from a small private company to a medium-sized corporation publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange, Prentice, 33, deals well.

In the past year, Applied Computer Technology has acquired two Internet service providers, opened four new locations, and become the first vendor to receive all three U.S. service academy contracts to supply computers to all first-year students.

Taken together, these accomplishments reflect the way Prentice deals with the future: Keep the company structure…