Dear MKJ friends and family,
Yesterday was sort of a big deal.
Not pandemic big, or new baby big, but for me, for you all – for the MKJ Family, it was pretty big.
MKJ turned 15 years old.
15 years – so young. A teenager. A mere collection of three 5’s.
And just like those first 15 years of a teenager’s life, we’ve had our awkward moments, our insecurities, and made our mistakes – but now we’re older, we’re wiser, and we not only have clear skin, but a clear vision for our future.
15 years ago, there was a small group of us – me, John, Neil and Joe Petrocelli, (plus Bjorn early on), who were fiercely disappointed with the standard fare in the systems integration market; we knew it could be different and we knew we could make it better.
We came together, excited to shed the constraints of corporate nonsense, to create an entity that was end user and customer focused, that was going to solve problems and create value in all directions – for our vendors, consultants, end users, and yes even our competitors.
What none of us anticipated was how good it would feel to create this thing that MKJ wound up being. How much we would grow to care about each other and all who would follow. How much it meant to us to become mentors and family to one another.
MKJ’s most tremendous blessing has been the ability to start a movement from scratch using our good names, smart brains, insane work ethos, and moxie to claw into the public communication systems market in a new way.
What does MKJ stand for?
Simple: my siblings first initials.
But the real question is: What does MKJ STAND for?
MKJ STANDS for the best possible outcome – each and every time. No excuses, just performance that exceeds expectations.
MKJ is a curation of like-minded people, who care deeply for our colleagues, our customers, and our end-users. It’s the sort of place you come to work and never leave – by design, and by choice. And once you’re in, you’re family.
So, if you were to dig deeper into that simple answer of what MKJ stands for, it’s probably the origin of how and why MKJ is so heavily focused on family as a concept.
Each of my siblings proudly own and operate businesses. We were raised in a family business and I don’t think it would be possible after 40 plus years of mentoring from Carol and Paul Kleinberg to unblur the line of family and business. So for me, as most of my staff and all of my family will attest – the boundary of family and business is 100% blurry.
And that’s how I like it.
When you’re part of a family business you’re cared for and supported; you can neither walk away nor be deserted. Everything is a shared experience, everything matters, and everything is a celebration – including this milestone.
To my customers and vendors, who are just as much family – every aspect of our process is focused on outcome and your positive experience. To those who took a chance on this little, unknown company, gave me critical feedback, often unsolicited yet well received, and have helped us become better contract by contract – the pinky-swear-promise is that as MKJ grows our focus remains on working for you as the most competitive, capable, and qualified system integrator in the Metro NYC area.
That’s been the mission of MKJ from the get-go and 15 years and 15-million missteps later I promise you that none have been wasted on me or my team. We serve, we learn, and we all grow together.
A special shout out to the original 5: Jon, Neil, Joe Petrocelli, Bjorn and Evelina, a nod to Lou and my extraordinary engineering and technical staff. As the MKJ family continues to grow please know my deepest gratitude for your commitment and hard work – you motivate me to do better. Every.Damn.Day. Together we’re just hitting our stride; I promise you the best is still yet to come, and my focus remains on our collective good.
The best advice I was ever given when starting MKJ – the advice that has guided me as its founder, from inception, was this:
- Create the company you’ve always wanted to work for – be ‘that’ boss and build ‘that’ business.
- Find the best people, curate the best staff, and let them know often and loudly what they’re doing right. Then give them every tool and opportunity to become their very best. Treat them like family, care for them and cultivate an environment of growth, respect, and learning. Make it hard but make it fun. Challenge them – empower them.
As we step into our 15
th year I’m filled with optimism for our entire staff, with excitement for more opportunities to work with each of you who have supported us along the way, and with gratitude to the entity that brought us all together– MKJ.
Here’s to another 15!
X
Jennifer
PS- See below for a timeline of what we’ve accomplished over the last 15 years.
