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Many cities
and counties recognized the need and benefits of automation,
but the cost of hardware and software was beyond many local
governments' budgets. Also, the rapid growth in the computer
industry gave vendors all the business they needed without
going to small customers in remote locations.
In 1973, James Cotton, Jr.,
a representative from the Tennessee Valley Authority, met
with Ken Joines of UT MTAS (Municipal Technical Advisory Service),
and Mike Kesler, Computer Center Director of Columbia State
Community College (CSCC), to discuss a mutually beneficial
project to provide computer services for Tennessee cities.
TVA had some limited funds earmarked for this purpose, MTAS
had expertise in municipal fund accounting, and CSCC had computer
hardware and programmers. In a cooperative effort, they developed
fund accounting software that was deployed to twenty municipalities
in the Middle Tennessee area. The following year, the software
and documentation was given to Jackson State Community College
(JSCC) to serve West Tennessee. This resulted in deployment
to fourteen additional municipalities before the total project
reverted back to CSCC. Serving thirty-four Tennessee cities
from the CSCC computer center soon became an obvious encumbrance
to their primary mission of serving the students, faculty,
and administration.
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Our
first office at Columbia State
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In 1977, Local Government
Corporation became an independent entity, incorporated as
a not-for-profit to serve automation needs in the Tennessee
Valley, primarily in the State of Tennessee. TVA provided
$50,000 and UT-IPS provided $45,000 for start-up funding.
Charter board members included Charles Bilbrey, Comptroller's
Office, Herbert Bingham, Director of TML, James Cotton, Jr.,
TVA, Ralph Harris, Director of TCSA, Gary Hensley, municipality,
Ken Joines, MTAS, Mike Kesler, Director of LGC, Tom McAnulty,
CTAS, and Claude Wright, SDE. The first staff consisted of
Mike Kesler, John Hunt, Mickey Wilson, Sue Gilliam, and Doris
O'Neal. Four presidents, Mike Kesler, John Hunt, Bradley Dugger,
and Vic Mangrum have served LGC with Mike returning in 1988.
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Our
Second Office on Penny Avenue
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The corporation opened for
business in a small Columbia office on Penny Avenue in June
1977 with a used IBM 360 Model 30 computer. After that LGC
moved to a 6,000 square foot office in a basement on Trotwood
Avenue for twelve years, and then in October 1991 moved to
its present 17,000 square foot facility at 714 Armstrong Lane.
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Our
Third Office on Trotwood Ave
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Today LGC has four offices
totaling over 50,000 square feet of office and warehouse space.
The first product was a batch
accounting and payroll service with the addition of utility
billing the second year. The product line has expanded to
a full service company offering hardware, software, and related
computer services. The application software offered by LGC
covers virtually all of the automation needs of its customers,
from accounting and property taxes, to food service and court
administration.
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Our
Current Office on Armstrong Lane
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Today, LGC employs over 140
people and serves over 1,200 customers in Tennessee and Alabama,
including many contracted services to the State of Tennessee.
Thanks to the foresight and hard work of many people and support
organizations, LGC's customers are second to none when it
comes to automation.
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