HikeArizona.COM

Trimble sells its applications to fitness and outdoor enthusiasts. It uses global-positioning technology introduced under its parent, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Trimble Navigation Ltd. The same navigation satellite system that makes jobs easier for engineers, construction surveyors and fleet managers is being tapped by runners, bikers, geocachers and off-roaders. It's even helping map the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

But Rich Rudow, Trimble Outdoors general manager, is quick to point out his customers don't need to be techno-geeks.

"You hit 'start,' sweat and 'stop.' It's that easy," he says. "You don't need a Ph.D. in GPS to understand how it works. The app does everything for you."

Consumers can use their GPS-enabled cellphones to navigate trails and highways, track workout performance, geocache, and create, manage and share those experiences with others.

Trimble Outdoors started five years ago as the only consumer arm of Trimble Navigation. Its apps are popular enough that its user base is growing by 30 percent a quarter, said Rudow, who spends as much as two months a year in the Grand Canyon testing the company's technology while descending down slot canyons.

To keep up with growth, the company's 15 employees will be moved to a larger space next month at Elliot Road and Hardy Drive.