125 1980 All regional data center managers meet in St. Louis to discuss progress and territories. Gary Hobson, a Field Service Representative with the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, is hired by the CADP Board of Directors as General Manager. 1982 Member Advisory Committees discuss CADP developing a system that will reside at Member sites. U.S. Federal Court mandates breakup of the AT&T Bell System, resulting in AT&T continuing to provide long- 1984 NCDC installs Carrier Access Billing system (CABs) at first site to facilitate one of several needs resulting from the AT&T Bell System breakup. CADP completes 15,000-square-foot addition. NCDC staff moves into new headquarters facility adjacent to the offices of the North Dakota Association of Rural Electrics. network for on-line communications between their offices and the CADP mainframe. 1987 Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC) Data Center approves merging with CADP. TEC began offering CADP CAPS to its members in 1983; 1992 Board of Directors names Vern Dosch, NCDC Office Manager, as General Manager, effective January 1, 1993. 1996 Both organizations launch their first websites: www.cadp.org and www.ncdc.com. Over a five-day period, 79 CADP Member satellite dishes are repointed to a new satellite. NCDC provides printing and inserting services of ballots for the U.S. presidential election in North Dakota. NCDC completes 37,000-square-foot addition to facility. distance service, but independent regional Bell operating companies would provide local service. This change would have a major impact on NCDC Telecom Members. CADP seeks Member loans to help finance system development. 1983 CADP releases the first version of the in-house system, Cooperative Attached Processing System (CAPS). CAPS enables Members to handle all functions on-site in place of using a mainframe-based batch or on- line processing system. CAPS would be enhanced over time, eventually moving to a relational database and fourth-generation language, and retired almost 30 years later. 1985 NCDC releases in-house system for Utility Members. NCDC initiates a PC Users Group among its Membership. 1986 Through the efforts of the Missouri Association of Electric Cooperatives, state legislation allows CADP to replace Corporation with Cooperative in its name becoming Central Area Data Processing Cooperative. CADP installs master satellite hub and dish as first step in a bidirectional satellite communications network. By 1989, 108 Members will use the 23 Texas cooperatives would now receive support and services directly from CADP. NCDC and CADP discuss feasibility of NCDC using satellite communications network. 1989 CADP completes 20,000-square-foot addition to facility. NCDC kicks off development of Horizon, a fourth-generation- language-based system for full in-house system capabilities. Horizon will be enhanced through several generations and will serve both Utility and Telecom Members until its retirement in 2010. 1998 CADP purchases a second building, 1.5 miles from main office, to support staff needs. NCDC and Southeast Data Cooperative (SEDC) Boards of Directors discuss collaborating on development projects and a possible consolidation. General Managers Gary Hobson, CADP, and Vern Dosch, NCDC, discuss similar need to redevelop software offerings to support utility diversification and deliver solutions more quickly. 1999 Strategic alliance between NCDC and CADP agreed upon, and steps begin toward a full consolidation.