Dee Dee Fuller Celebrates 35 Years at Advanced Energy

Advanced Energy is excited to recognize Dee Dee Fuller for her 35 years at the company!

Dee Dee joined Advanced Energy (then known as the Alternative Energy Corporation) back in 1984, soon after graduating from high school. She started out as a part-time receptionist and split her time between work and Durham Technical Community College, where she was pursuing a diploma in computer operations.

Dee Dee enjoyed administrative tasks, working with computers and helping others, so this initial opportunity was a great fit. She quickly transitioned to a full-time role as a secretary and receptionist, and over the next three-and-a-half decades, Dee Dee would hold several administrative, support and technology positions.

Today, Dee Dee works as Advanced Energy’s information systems manager, helping to maintain the organization’s computer network, ensure it stays up and running, and implement new applications and other software. She also assists with managing the accounting systems and corporate budgeting.

Technology Changes

Dee Dee’s long tenure at Advanced Energy and her roles in administration and computers have allowed her to see up close the evolution of hardware and software at the company. The late 1980s and early 1990s in particular represented a period of big change as computers were introduced on a wider scale.

Advanced Energy’s first exposure to the technology featured desktops on rolling carts. Certain employees had dedicated computers, but most needed to check out a desktop for use. The computer network at the time was entirely on Dee Dee’s own desktop computer, and every Friday she would spend hours backing up company data by saving files to floppy discs.

In 1989, Advanced Energy moved to a new location in the Research Triangle Park (RTP) area. With this move came more personal computers for employees. Each computer was connected through coaxial cables, meaning if one went down, they all did. For presentations, staff used 35 mm slides that were created in-house and had to be manually, and carefully, inserted into the slide reel to make sure the images did not present upside down or backwards.

The beginnings of the internet, in the form of a dial-up connection, also came around this time. Emails were sent just twice a day between the RTP office and the company’s Industrial Electrotechnology Laboratory located at the College of Textiles at NC State University.

Full-time, company-wide internet arrived around 1996, when Advanced Energy moved to its current location on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Since then, the organization has seen more incremental changes: desktops have become laptops, minor upgrades and enhancements have been made, and information and data have been moved to the cloud.

Dee Dee never saw herself working at Advanced Energy for so long, but the people and culture kept her here, and over the last 35 years, she has ensured that the company and its employees stay up to date, safe and secure with all of their technology needs.

“It has been an honor to work for such a great company for more than three decades. I have had numerous role models over the years who have taught me so much and helped me grow into the person I am today,” she said. “I cannot thank Advanced Energy enough for the opportunity it has provided me to work alongside so many smart and wonderful people. My passion is helping others, and working in IT provides that opportunity every single day.”

Please join us in congratulating Dee Dee on this big milestone!