Nebraska is on the front lines of both tech innovation and woody encroachment. As pilots and entrepreneurs look to the skies with new uses of drone technology, researchers and ranchers are looking to the grasslands as an invasive plant species alters the landscape. 

Co-founders Pierce Robinson and Alan Wang are at the intersection of these worlds. They recently announced the launch of their software and intelligence company, Stone Pillar International, in Omaha. Through their patented anomaly detection technology, their small team has identified the threat of eastern redcedar on the Great Plains as their first market opportunity.  

When left unchecked, eastern redcedar — once historically rare in Nebraska — transforms prairie into woodlands and reduces forage for livestock. According to a curated resource by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Agriculture and Horticulture, the spread of the tree results in a 75% decrease in livestock production. 

Last updated in 2022, the Eastern Redcedar Science Literacy Project noted the tree has led to a loss of about a half million acres of grazing land in Nebraska since 2000. On top of millions of dollars in economic costs, the eastern redcedar poses a threat to fresh water supplies, wildfire management, disease control, native biodiversity and even public school funding.

Beyond hoping to make a difference for Nebraska’s ag industry and natural environment, Stone Pillar International CEO Robinson and CIO Wang said they plan to work with local drone pilots for the data collection and treatment of eastern redcedar. They said they envision their company acting as a beacon for skilled drone professionals. 

“This is something that we wanted to spearhead, to bring something to the community,” Robinson said. “Not just for our generation, but for future generations to be able to benefit from.”

This all comes as the FAA considers new guidelines regarding Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations. The passing of the framework would enable additional commercial and complex uses of drones to occur remotely outside an operator’s line of sight and with larger aircraft. These could include package delivery, agriculture and aerial surveying applications. 

According to the FAA, this proposed rule — commonly referred to as Part 108 — is in the “final rule stage” as the agency reviews public comments and makes potential adjustments. 

The Stone Pillar International co-founders said they see the passing of the rule as a gateway into other applications and markets for their patented anomaly detection technology. 

Background on the startup 

Serving close to 10 years as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army and Strategic Command, Robinson said he first became involved in the Nebraska startup ecosystem by participating in a hackathon-style event in 2017. His career would transition into leadership roles and navigating the government contract space. Positions of note include being CEO of Safe Source Energy and an alumnus of National Security Innovation Network. 

Wang is the co-founder and executive director of Prairie STEM. The Omaha-based nonprofit seeks to foster STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills, critical thinking and creativity among PK-12 students. In addition to its youth-focused programming and activities, the nonprofit provides training on flying drones. 

Robinson said he and Wang saw drone pilot certification as a pipeline for workforce development in the state. This spark to create jobs for drone operators — who they believe to be underutilized — provided a direction for the company’s anomaly detection technology.

As Nebraska organizations and institutions, such as Prairie STEM and Metro Community College (MCC), plant the seeds and train drone pilots, Wang said Stone Pillar International will “pull from” the growing network and offer contract work. 

Nebraska Extension Statewide Digital Ag Educator Dirk Charlson said Nebraska farmers have shown great interest in drone technology in recent years, specifically spray drones for treating crops. Charlson is also the event organizer for the Nebraska Ag and Spray Drone Conference.

Based on his own analysis of FAA database numbers, Charlson said there are over 4,000 certified remote pilots in Nebraska and at least 20 spray drone companies. 

Robinson and Wang said they attended the Nebraska Ag and Spray Drone Conference in 2024 before forming their company in 2025. At the event, they learned how ag producers already were using drones before determining the niche need of redcedar mitigation. 

“We are a software company, but we’re using drones as a means of data acquisition,” Robinson said. “All we need is a video feed, be it from a camera, a camera on a street pole, the camera on your phone, from a police officer’s body camera … or a drone or satellite feed.”

From this data, Robinson said, Stone Pillar International’s software can offer “actionable intelligence” for decision making in a variety of industries. 

Robinson said the small team is made up of him, Wang and their chief science officer with additional support from contractors. Stone Pillar International is the overarching company. Its product entity — Asset Intelligence Network (AIN) — is managed under it. 

“AIN transforms invasive species treatment from a manual, error-prone compliance process into an automated, verified system,” Robinson said in a provided brief. 

In the case of eastern redcedars, the platform uses AI to identify, verify and document the treatment as the aircraft sprays the tree. This reporting, Robinson said, can then streamline the process of meeting requirements for potential invasive species reimbursement programs offered at the state or federal level. 

The threat of eastern redcedar and other drone uses

UNL Agronomy and Horticulture Professor Dirac Twidwell is the principal investigator behind the previously mentioned Eastern Redcedar Science Literacy Project. He said the purpose of the work is to build a “living and breathing” resource for individuals to turn to in order to stay knowledgeable about the topic and shape better policies for treating the problem. 

Advancements in technology, he said, provide a powerful tool to address complex issues, such as the spread of eastern redcedar and its costs on the environment and communities. He added that the “promise of technology” cannot overshadow necessary steps and collaborations required for significant change. 

“We need to have a plan, not just taking that magic pill,” Twidwell said. “That is not a plan.”

Charlson said the Nebraska Ag and Spray Drone Conference has progressed in size, speakers and programming over the past three years. He said 110 people attended the 2025 conference. In comparison, he said the 2025 Spray Drone End User Conference — the only other national conference centered on agricultural spray drones — had about 600 attendees. 

MCC Manager of Microcredentials and Training Programs Nathan Rice similarly said he has witnessed a heightened interest in drones, primarily for FAA certification under Part 107. These guidelines target smaller aircraft flown in line of sight of its operator. 

Through MCC’s courses and training, Rice said he has seen students and entrepreneurs become interested in using drones for things such as real estate photography and construction surveying. He said there has also been a recent focus by MCC on training aimed at first responders and law enforcement, who are wanting to test scenarios such as crime scene documentation and search and rescue. 

Twidwell himself has experience in how drone technology can play a part in offering real-world solutions. He is one of the names behind a university-affiliated patent for drones built for suppressing and igniting fires. Another inventor listed, Carrick Detweiler, is the co-founder and CEO of the Lincoln-based company Drone Amplified, which uses drones to manage controlled burns. 

As experimentation and implementation of drones occurs across industries, both Charlson and Rice noted the importance of rules and guidance. Questions linger regarding Part 108 and policies concerning imported drone models. Both educators said they are motivated to shape programs and resources that address changes and evolve to community needs. 

Charlson said he believes two-year community colleges in Nebraska could fill training gaps by developing associate’s degree programs positioning drone operations as a vocation. He said it could unlock another pathway for students who might otherwise look at a four-year program, such as at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. 

“There’s a lot of potential in the future here,” Rice said. “If you know about drones, just at the basic level with (Part 107), I think it definitely gives you a leg up.”

The future of Stone Pillar International

Robinson and Wang said they were thankful for the assistance they received from the Nebraska startup ecosystem to get to the point of announcing their launch. They pointed to organizations such as the Nebraska Enterprise Fund, The Combine and Nebraska Startup Academy.

Stone Pillar International was also one of the final recipients of the Nebraska Innovation Fund Prototype Grant before the Nebraska Department of Economic Development paused funding from the Business Innovation Act in October 2025. Gov. Jim Pillen has since issued a memorandum restoring operations to the BIA.  

Robinson said the company is in talks with the USDA to become a technical service provider for the federal government. He pointed to the Trump administration’s recent interest in the ag industry and food supply chain. 

Robinson and Wang said they plan to pursue regional investors such as MOVE Venture Capital, Invest Nebraska and Grit Road Partners. 

“On scalability, this becomes a playbook that we can repeat, not just in other states, but for other invasive species,” Wang said. “When I talk to other people, I tell them Nebraska is our launchpad, but it’s not the endgame.”