Press Release

St. Louis, Mo., October 1, 2015 — National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC), a leading provider of technology solutions to utility and telecommunications organizations worldwide, hosted its annual Member Information Conference (MIC) in St. Louis, Mo. More than 2,500 users of the NISC iVUE enterprise software attended the event, which was hosted over two weeks, September 23-25 & 28-30. The IT cooperative’s annual event draws users from all over the continental U.S., Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, American Samoa and Palau. “Being an IT cooperative, we are owned by the users of our software. The collaboration between electric cooperatives, independent telecoms and municipalities can be powerful. They each have their challenges in their respective industries, but, working together, we can create solutions that help make them more efficient and competitive,” said Jasper Schneider, NISC Vice President of Member Engagement. The MIC is NISC’s premier learning event with almost 150 learning sessions ranging from Accounting to Billing to Engineering. Special interactive general sessions hosted by the NISC Executive Team were also offered, focusing on industry trends and challenges and how to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs. “Each year we host the Member Information Conference, and each year I am completely taken aback at the incredibly powerful response from our Membership. They are so eager to join us, share with us, learn with us and support one another. The MIC is a learning event for both the users of NISC’s software…But also for NISC itself,” said Vern Dosch, NISC President and CEO. “We were pleased to show our Members, Customers and guests new software and processes that will help them work more efficiently and connect at a higher level with their customers.” NISC once again created an app for [...]

Mandan, N.D., April 13, 2015 — Jasper Schneider, most recently acting Administrator of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Utility Service, will join NISC as the organization's Vice President of Member Engagement. Schneider, who brings to the position professional experience in technology, law and rural issues, is a North Dakota native. He holds undergraduate degrees from the University of Jamestown, Jamestown, N.D., and a law degree from the Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minn. Before attending law school, he worked as a business analyst for Cisco Systems. He has served in the North Dakota Legislature and was in private law practice before becoming USDA's North Dakota Rural Development State Director in 2009. Schneider was appointed acting Administrator of the USDA Rural Utility Service in the fall of 2014. "Throughout the nation, companies are competing to attract the best and brightest technology talent to meet the surging demand for technology systems and software," said Vern Dosch, NISC President and CEO. "It's with that perspective that NISC is especially pleased that Jasper will be joining the organization. It's rare to find an individual who has a deep understanding of technology and experience providing support to the nation's electric cooperatives and independent telephone systems. He is an ideal fit to help advance NISC's culture of service." According to Dosch, Schneider will lead NISC's new Member Engagement Division. "Today, our Members' business, technology and consumer environments are rapidly changing," Dosch said.  "Utilities and telecoms are embracing new technology and putting a greater emphasis on operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. We are proud to support their efforts to achieve these goals.  Jasper and his team will work closely with Members and our development staff to make sure, at [...]

Orlando, Fla., February 23, 2015 — National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) President and CEO Vern Dosch has authored the business book Wired Differently which shares the compelling story of the organization and its nearly 50-year history of being based on the cooperative business model. Dosch unveiled the book during NISC's annual meeting on Feb. 22, 2015 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. "There are tangible reasons why NISC has seen consistent growth over the years, and why so many of our employees have chosen to build a career at NISC rather than consider us merely as a stop along their journey," Dosch said while addressing an audience of over 500."To the best of our ability, through story and example, Wired Differently offers NISC as a business, cultural and leadership model for the reader's consideration." NISC leaders have discovered that the power of leadership through service, the importance of putting values in action, and the foundational strength of operating as a cooperative combined to deliver a collaborative culture in practice, according to Dosch. "Wired Differently seeks to present an intriguing business case for these elements because, at NISC, we have seen how effective they are at drawing out the best in people, empowering them to consistently deliver positive bottom-line results to our Member/Owners and our customers," Dosch said. Readers of Wired Differently are taken inside the IT cooperative where one out of every 10 employees has chosen to stay and contribute for more than two decades, and the average tenure of over 1,000 employees exceeds 10 years. Wired Differently offers insights, errors and the story of NISC's successful evolution into the well-respected community partner and industry leader that it is today. NISC is [...]

IT Co-op Focused On Leveraging New Technology While Maximizing Existing Solutions Orlando, Fla., February 22, 2015 — At the 2015 Annual Meeting, National Information Solutions Cooperative President and CEO Vern Dosch recognized that the landscape is changing for Members in the industries served by the IT cooperative, electric utilities and telecommunications organizations. By leveraging new technologies, though, NISC understands how Members can stay ahead of industry shifts. "It is great to be here and to be your technology partner. It is an exciting time to see and experience many new innovations and solutions,” said President and CEO Vern Dosch, to the crowd of more than 500 NISC Members and Customers in attendance at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, John Smith of Pella Cooperative Electric, recognized the accomplishments of NISC’s 2013-2014 fiscal year. "Our commitment lies with our Members, therefore our Members should reap the biggest benefit from the solutions NISC creates. That is why we increased our Member returns by nine percent." The meeting also discussed some of the challenges utilities and telecoms will face in the upcoming years, increased or changing regulations and consumers that are living in more connected homes than ever before. Dosch, along with David Bonnett, Vice President of Marketing and Todd Eisenhauer, Vice President of Engineering and Operations addressed the crowd. The key message from the group was getting the most out of NISC’s suite of solutions to help combat some of the industry challenges through increased customer service, better data access and more efficient analytics. During the meeting, NISC Members ratified several new and newly re-elected members to the Board of Directors: James Mangum: Wake EMC, North Carolina John Smith: [...]

Georgia Co-op is fully operational on NISC software after completing first month of billing Lake Saint Louis, Mo., February 17, 2015 — Marietta, Ga.-based electric cooperative Cobb EMC has successfully implemented National Information Solutions Cooperative’s (NISC) Customer Care and Billing (CC&B) suite of applications.  During the fall of 2013, Cobb EMC chose NISC to be its primary utility software service provider. Now, just more than one year later, Cobb EMC is fully operational and has completed its first month of billing on the new software. As part of the project, Cobb EMC also began using NISC’s Automated Mailroom Services for its printed billing and delinquent statements.  Cobb EMC’s members have also migrated to SmartHub®, a contemporary Web and app-based platform to manage and pay their bills.  Cobb EMC completed a conversion to NISC’s Meter Data Management System at the same time to take advantage of tighter integration between the NISC applications and the Cobb EMC AMI infrastructure. "We are excited to be part of NISC and to be using solutions that are built for cooperatives by a cooperative," said Chip Nelson, President and CEO of Cobb EMC. "The hard work that was put in by the Cobb EMC and NISC teams should be commended.  This has been a good partnership and one we expect to build on for many years to come." Vern Dosch, NISC President and CEO, also commended the project teams. "When you take an organization the size of Cobb and implement CC&B, SmartHub and MDMS in just over a year, it takes a lot of communication, hard work and commitment by both organizations," Dosch said. "Cobb EMC has made us a better organization, and we hope that our tools continue to improve [...]

Mandan, N.D., January 7, 2015 — Mescalero Apache Telecom, Inc. (MATI), headquartered in Mescalero, N.M., has selected National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) as its primary software solutions provider to support its operational and customer service efforts. MATI is a full service, state-of-the-art telecommunications company specializing in telecommunications equipment planning/designing, installation, maintenance as well as central office design and management. MATI serves the entire Mescalero Apache Reservation, more than 1,200 subscribers, with long distance, internet and VoIP services. MATI has selected NISC’s fully-integrated iVUE® Enterprise System to support its accounting, engineering and customer care functions, as well as NISC’s SmartHub Web and mobile tools for payment processing and order management. MATI will also utilize NISC’s Mapping and Mobile WorkForce Solutions to enhance their engineering capabilities. "MATI is very excited about our upgrades to the NISC system and look forward to providing our customers with more user-friendly alternatives as well as increasing productivity throughout our workforce," said Godfrey Enjady, MATI founder and General Manager. "We are very pleased to welcome MATI to the NISC family,” said Todd Henecke, NISC Business Development and Sales Manager.  “The goals of MATI today and in the years to come align perfectly with the focus of NISC. We are very much looking forward to working with MATI and growing together in this IT partnership.” About NISC National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) is an information technology organization that develops, implements and supports software and hardware solutions for their Members/Customers. NISC delivers advanced solutions, services and support to more than 700 independent telephone companies, electric cooperatives and other public power entities. NISC is an industry leader providing information technology solutions including billing, accounting, operations, automated mailroom services, third-party integration as well as many other [...]

Lake Saint Louis, Mo., December 11, 2014 — Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative (MEC) headquartered in Chase City, Virginia, has selected National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) as its primary provider of software services to support its operational and member service efforts. MEC provides electric service and energy solutions to nearly 32,000 member/consumers in 9 counties served between North Carolina and Virginia. NISC's iVUE® software platform offers MEC members the benefits of a comprehensive software package designed for and used by distribution cooperatives and mid-size utility systems in 48 states. "As MEC moves to offer more services to its members such as prepay, smartphone apps, online applications, and outage notifications, just to mention a few, and instead of blending and tying together multiple applications offered by various vendors, MEC decided to move to one vendor that could offer all these options under one contract. After a thorough selection process and exhaustive due diligence we selected NISC to provide the solution," said Phyllis Williams, Director of Computer Information Systems. "We look forward to this move knowing the value it will bring to our members, and the efficiency the automation of processes will yield for our employees. With many MEC employees approaching retirement in the near future, we are also looking for this move to help us to continue tightening our workforce as well." MEC selected NISC as a strategic information technology business partner to help leverage various technologies for their membership. Through integrated solutions, MEC will be able to improve the way they do business and experience the benefits the software will bring to their members. "With our current legacy system, MEC relies on two employees to maintain and develop the system," said Carol Ann Jones, Manager of Accounting [...]