Marland 'MJ' Jenkins
Owner, CEO
Bio:
Marland (“MJ”) Jenkins has 25 years’ experience as a telecommunications professional. Early in his career he delivered a broad range of telecom services: open access network design/ management, and vendor contract management for top-tier carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
In 2009, he launched his own company, TeknoGRID LLC, which specializes in the design, installation, and management of state-of-the-art systems and Internet networks. MJ and his team have planned and implemented broadband networks, communications, security, access control, and managed services for numerous public and private entities on projects of all sizes, up to $50 million contracts. TeknoGRID is also an Affordable Internet Service Provider, serving clients in Washington, D.C., New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina.
Community service is a deeply held value for MJ. His desire to give back prompted him to become an employer sponsor of a US Department of Labor fiber optic/wireless technician apprenticeship in 2021. TeknoGRID has partnered with 1) Washington DC’s Department of Employment Services Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) within the Department of Employment Services (DOES); and 2) Rutgers University to deliver telecom technician training and core digital skills to economically disadvantaged individuals.
TeknoGRID has skilled up dozens of trainees through our apprenticeship program. Because the company’s mission focuses primarily on individuals with scant financial resources, they adopted an “Earn While You Learn” approach at zero cost to participants. This model helps support TeknoGRID’s high retention rates.
Trainees receive wages throughout their on-the-job training apprenticeship while gaining skills and knowledge that position them for long-term, in-demand careers. Below are examples of feedback from TeknoGRID’s apprentices:
· “The apprenticeship program totally changed my life!”
· “I loved everything about the apprenticeship program.”
· “The interactivity and videos in the online training held my interest, and the automatic feedback on my answers helped me learn and remember the information.”
· “The hands-on training was the very best part of the program and fun.”
· “The instructors were fantastic and all had big hearts.”
· “The atmosphere at TeknoGRID is so good. I feel like I’m part of a family.”