Donald Mason, Jules Mason, and Frank P. Stancato, Sr. installed the first computer system in the business district of Hazleton, PA at The Leader Store. From this system, the store produced and tracked monthly account statements and customer payments.

Later, The Leader Store began to offer services for batch processing of payroll and accounting data to businesses in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

LDP, Inc. was formed and became known as Leader Data Processing. A processing center was constructed in the Valmont Industrial Park in West Hazleton, PA. As the capability of automated equipment grew, Leader expanded from payroll and accounting into customized software development services for clients in other fields such as banking, manufacturing (hard & soft goods), and engineering.

Still in its infancy, Leader began working with the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) in Philadelphia, PA.

Leader acquired Computer Data Corporation, an Allentown, PA firm providing similar services in the Lehigh Valley. Operations between both locations were consolidated during the early 1970s into an expanded West Hazleton facility.

At that time, Leader was an IBM house, utilizing the IBM 360 technology. The computer room consisted of an IBM 360 computer, six 800/1600 bpi tape drives, eight 14 MB disk drives, a thousand-line-per-minute printer, and a card sorter.

Leader again expanded its capabilities by including online and time sharing services. This provided Leader with its next platform for growth. Hewlett-Packed mid-range computers were chosen for their online and batch processing capabilities.

Soon Leader began servicing clients both nationally and internationally. A concentration in providing services for member-based organizations, such as labor unions, saw our client base grow from Pennsylvania to sites across the country.

Leader represents Hewlett-Packard as a computer reseller.

In the late 1980s, with the introduction of local and wide area networks (LANs and WANs), Leader entered the interconnectivity field as a system integrator and supplier of vertical market software solutions.

In 1991, Leader acquired what became Leader Physician Services and began to provide custom billing services to medical practices.

In 1992, this division was awarded a contract from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to obtain Medicaid reimbursements for school districts throughout the Commonwealth. This program became known as ACCESS.

1993 saw the addition of the state of Washington for our second ACCESS client.

During the next few years, Leader signed contracts with school districts in other states and LEAs in California, Iowa, and Minnesota for their Medicaid reimbursement and administrative claiming programs. The claiming programs allow LEAs to recieve partial federal Medicaid reimbursement for performing health-related administrative outreach tasks that benefit children with disabilities.

Leader entered the world of web-based development. After research and exploration, Microsoft became our main platform. With this new technology, our flagship special education data management solution, IEPWriter, migrated to a web system.

Leader created a web-based compliance monitoring solution for the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) that included ability for LEAs to perform self-assessments. We also expanded web services provided to the PDE, including creation of a Federal Programs monitoring solution.

In 2006, We added the state of Missouri for our web-based monitoring solutions.

Leader continued IEPWriter expansion to over 570 LEAs served. We also added solutions for the states of PA and Missouri.

Leader also expanded Federal Monitoring with system creation for the Missouri Department of Education.

2016 saw the addition of web-based monitoring for Kansas. This unique solution integrated special education and federal program monitoring options as well as restraint and discipline data capture.

During this time, Leader expanded a California Medicaid client base.

Leader continues to maintain state systems for Pennsylvania, Kansas, Missouri, California, and Washington State. We continually add functionality and security features as well as handle all Help Desk issues for the customized solutions. Additionally, IEPWriter has become the most widely used IEP aid in the state of PA, with 571 LEAs onboard and counting!

Jeff Jr. has been at the company since 1997. Over the years, he worked in almost every department at Leader. His primary role is to oversee business operations and day-to-day functions of the company. Jeff wears many hats, as he controls everything from building security, maintenance and infrastructure, to HR, corporate law, and community outreach. Previously, he held Secretary/Treasurer, CA Program Manager, and Help Desk Manager roles at Leader. Continually focused on client satisfaction, Jeff works to promote system advancement. His leadership and support are integral to the company’s success.

With over 36 years of experience in special education systems, Jeff has played a key role in almost every solution created at Leader Services. He is responsible for overseeing the web development groups at the company. He remains current in special education and Medicaid regulations, rules, and practices by attending regional and national events including the NAME and OSEP Leadership conferences. Jeff regularly hosts online training for multiple software platforms. His intimate knowledge of development and years of experience with special education regulations, practices, and systems allows for effective communication with our clients.

Jeff is a founding member of Leader and he set a course for where we are today. Continually focused on our customers, Jeff advises the Board on policy, planning, and development that keeps us serving clients in the best ways possible. 76 years young, Jeff does not stop managing the details and championing enterprise-wide initiatives. Jeff’s dedication is matched by his generousity. In addition to the business, Jeff is heavily involved with several philanthropic efforts within the community. He serves on the board of many organizations and provides donations as well as time.

Lewie is a main face of Leader. Road warrior, trainer, customer contact, and a little of everything in between, Lewie is everywhere, all at once. His primary role is developing client relations and opportunities for IEPWriter™. He’s in and out of the office, usually giving presentations, visiting clients, or attending conferences. Lewie’s warmth and work ethic have fostered relationships and grown many accounts over the years. He’s the planner that helps clients with onboarding and crafting the right product plan to ensure satisfaction. His years of experience in the Special Education sector provide him with an arsenal of marketing relations skills.