Everything Co-op With Vernon Oakes

Vern Dosch, retired National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) President and CEO, discusses his experiences throughout his career. Vern coupled the spirit of cooperation, a commitment to rural America, and cutting-edge technology to help utilities and telecoms provide quality, affordable service to consumer-members. Under his leadership, NISC became a leading provider of IT and software solutions to utility and telecommunication cooperatives, helping its members become more efficient and improve customer service while setting the stage for economic expansion in rural America. NISC’s success under Vern’s leadership (2002-2020) is well documented. Membership grew from 392 to more than 850; the employee population grew from 400 to approximately 1,400; investment in research and development grew from $1 million to more than $50 million; and his stewardship delivered record annual margins. Vern's influence, however, extends far beyond those numbers. Throughout his career, he was active in local and natio