ONTARIO, Calif. -- The CO-OP Network is continuing its efforts to move into areas of the country where it has relatively few members. A fairly dominant force in the Western half of the U.S., the credit union-owned network has been pushing East this year.

That emphasis continues with the appointment of Jack Norris, a 23-year veteran of the financial and electronic services industry in the Southeast, as manager of business development and sales for the southern region of the U.S.

Norris, a graduate of the University of South Florida, will lead the CO-OP Network sales efforts throughout the South, including Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.

The CO-OP Network has already begun to expand its presence in the South through its July 2001 deal with Access Cash International, which has since been purchased by eFunds. Under that agreement, cardholders of CO-OP members receive surcharge-free access to Access Cash-managed ATMs in retail locations. The machines carry the CO-OP Network logo. According to an August report in the Palm Beach Post, CO-OP Network gained more than 200 ATMs in Florida alone under the agreement.

A native of Tampa, Fla., who has lived in Texas for the past 15 years, Norris will oversee the CO-OP Network corporate focus on expanding the credit union base in the South. Norris will be based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.

"Jack's primary mission is to introduce credit unions to CO-OP Network and bring them to a complete understanding of the products and services we provide," said CO-OP Network President and CEO Robert Rose. "By bringing Jack onto the team, CO-OP Network is showing a serious commitment to expanding our credit union and ATM base in the South. CO-OP Network can be a tremendous help to southern credit unions by providing hometown convenience and national surcharge-free ATM access."

CO-OP Network has also promoted two key executives, according to Rose. Jim Hanisch moves from senior vice president to chief information officer and executive vice president of corporate development, and Eric Porter moves from vice president of business development to senior vice president of business development/national sales.

Hanisch, who has been with CO-OP Network since December 2000, has been in the financial services industry for more than 25 years, including holding vice president positions at ACI Worldwide, Deluxe EPS and Norwest.

Porter, a four-year CO-OP Network veteran, has risen through the EFT ranks, formerly serving as general manager of U.S. Processing and holding senior management positions with Deluxe EPS and Digital Systems.

Established in 1981 with headquarters in Ontario, Calif., CO-OP Network is wholly owned by its credit union shareholders and was created to fill a need among credit unions seeking their own nationwide ATM network. CO-OP Network has grown to include more than 800 member credit unions and 12,000 ATMs in 49 states, the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.