Todd Moore

IT Cooperative Recognizes Successes, Aims for Continued Progress in 2014 Nashville, TN, March 3, 2014 — "NISC has always has been a leader, but now it's recognized around the country as the technology IT cooperative for software," said Michael Miller, President and CEO of Nolin Rural Electric Cooperative, who is retiring from the NISC Board of Directors after 15 years of service. "If (the industries) grow in the next 40 years like they did in the last 40, there's no limit to what can be achieved…it's going to be a whole new world in the coming years for IT." During the 2014 NISC Annual Meeting, Miller, along with Ron Brothen, Director of Northwest Communications Cooperative, reflected via video on how much the utility and telecom industries have evolved during their time on the NISC Board of Directors. NISC Board Chairman Roger Yoder, CEO of Union Rural Electric Cooperative, and NISC President and CEO Vern Dosch picked up where they left off, looking to the future of NISC and the industries it serves. "I believe that NISC's future has never been brighter," Yoder said. "Today, the spirit of innovation and possibility runs deep. With the guidance of the NISC Membership, NISC's staff is ready and excited to develop solutions for the future. Our success is building momentum and our collective ability to tackle the big challenges is growing." Dosch discussed several industry trends, how having a connected household and social media are affecting utilities and telecoms well into the future. He also discussed the critical importance of cyber security and protecting the data that makes these new technologies possible. "This is not your grandfather's co-op anymore," Dosch said. "We're able to leverage technology like never before, [...]

Technology Cooperative Receives Award for Helping Local Businesses Succeed, Investing in the Community and for Supporting Charities National Information Solutions Cooperative was the recipient of 2013 Business of the Year Award given by the Western St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce. This award is given to a local business that has made an impact in the community. Criteria includes: assisting in helping fellow local businesses succeed, investing in the community and for supporting local charitable organizations. The Western St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards ceremony at the Celebration Ball on February 1, 2014. The event was held at Progress Park Banquet Center and brought Chamber members, community leaders and residents together. “The Western St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce is proud to award Business of the Year to National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC),” said Tony Mathews, President and CEO of the Western St. Charles County Chamber of Commerce. “We wanted to recognize them for their amazing service in the community, assistance in helping fellow businesses succeed and the growth of their business in our area.” “We have always been more than a technology organization. Our people and Members are the heart of NISC,” said Todd Eisenhauer, Vice President of Engineering and Operations at NISC. “What separates NISC from other organizations is that we have a Statement of Shared Values, and since we are also a cooperative, owned by our Members, NISC embraces the Seven Cooperative Principles. In Principle Seven, Concern for the Community, it states that while focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of the communities through polices and programs accepted by the members. By playing an active role in our local community we are fulfilling the [...]

National Information Solutions Cooperative Recognizes Employee Service Ranging from Five to Forty Years Throughout the month of January, National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) held a banquet near each of their four campus locations to recognize employees who reached an annual milestone with the organization. These milestones celebrated at the banquets range from five to forty years of service. “It’s not often that a company, especially a technology organization, experiences the dedication and support of so many individuals for such a long period of time, like we have at NISC,” said Kari Reichert, Vice President of People Services. “It’s important to all of us to recognize and show gratitude for all their hard work through the years.” Here are a few highlights about the NISC experience, courtesy of the employees who achieved a milestone anniversary this year: “Sixteen years in this industry and I cannot imagine being any happier in my career or personal life. It has only been five years since I made the move to join NISC and I truly can say I have found my home,” said Tracy Hudson, Product Line Manager. “Working for a cooperative has made a world of difference in my views of customer service, gratitude and humility. The culture at NISC offers me a great sense of pride, gratification in knowing that I am surrounded daily by people who care and are truly doing the right thing—always. I have achieved more personal goals and professional growth than I ever imagined possible. I look forward to the future.” “NISC is the fourth company I have worked for as a professional software engineer and hopefully the last. I am simply amazed and drawn to NISC because of its values, its customers [...]

Web and Mobile Apps & Usage Graphing Tools Bring Greater Efficiencies to Telecoms National Information Solutions Cooperative® (NISC), a leading provider of information technology products and services, has announced the release of SmartHub® Order Management and Broadband Measured Service. These solutions continue to build upon the robust iVUE® Enterprise System, NISC’s broad, scalable suite of accounting, customer care and billing, and engineering and operations solutions. NISC’s SmartHub® Order Management solution uses the telecom’s existing website to market services based on service location and fully customizable business rules that accommodate hundreds of bundling configurations. The shopping cart functionality allows telecom customers the ability see their price change in real time as they add and upgrade services, thus reducing the confusion account adjustments can cause. SmartHub Order Management allows the telecom’s website to do the work and redirects your customer service representatives’ time to more critical tasks. "With the new features in SmartHub Order Management, customers will have the information they need so they can make their choices about what particular types of plans they want or any other changes they want to make to their accounts," said Brad Quick, Information Systems Manager for Mid-Rivers Telephone Cooperative in Circle, Mont. "They will be able to do that essentially on a 24/7 basis. For us that is important. It just is not enough to have our business office open 8 to 5 Monday through Friday. We need that 24/7 access." “Today’s telecom customers want convenient account access, detailed information about their usage and control of their services all day, every day…and telecoms want to increase revenues and upsell whenever possible,” said Mark Momerak, NISC Executive Product Line Manager. “If customers want to upgrade their broadband package before an [...]

In October, electric linemen from across the country gathered in Bonner Springs, Kan., for the 2013 International Lineman’s Rodeo & Expo. This expo is a unique event featuring several events – such as the pole climb, a hurt man rescue and several mystery events – in which electric linemen compete to test their skills. When the results were posted, they displayed several NISC Members with great finishes in the 2013 event. Leading the senior division in first place is Black River Electric Cooperative. In the Journeyman REA, EMC and Co-op division, Farmer’s Electric Cooperative, Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative and Snapping Shoals EMC were among the top 10. In the apprentice REA, EMC and Co-op division, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Co-op, Consumer’s Power, Southside Electric, Cumberland EMC, Morgan County REA and Lyon-Coffee Electric were all among the top-10 finishers. Congratulations to these and all of our Member organizations that competed in this year’s International Linemen’s Rodeo & Expo!