Mergers music and intelligence; striking the right chord with clients
by Sharon Moore Jackson
Rodney Williams is the Chief Executive Officer and Owner of JASINT Consulting and Technologies, LLC, an 11-year old Service Disabled, Veteran, Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and 8(a) Federal Government Contractor located in Howard County, Maryland. Rodney boldly describes himself as a “jazz musician on hiatus”.
Rodney, raised in Umatilla, Florida, a rural town approximately 90 miles Southwest of Rosewood, (which is infamously known for the 1923 massacre of the predominantly Black township in Central Florida) became an only child at age 3, after his older brother was struck and killed by a car. His mother, relatives, church family, and community all provided a great support system for Rodney growing up while nurturing his strong interest in music.
As an adult, Rodney served in the United States Air Force working in the field of Intelligence. Prior to starting his business, Rodney also worked as an Independent Information Technology Consultant for a Government Contractor for several years. In addition to working his regular 9 to 5 job, Rodney traveled on weekends with different artists, both locally, around the country and internationally, playing Smooth Jazz and Rhythm and Blues (R&B) styles of music, returning on Sunday’s in time to play for Sunday Worship Services. “I was playing a gig one Friday night, recalls Rodney, and in the middle of my solo, the name JASINT came to me”. The company’s motto soon followed, “Together We Can”. “When you think about what jazz is, it’s an infusion of ideas of people from different walks of life and backgrounds coming together for the same purpose”. Rodney blended his passion for jazz, technology and intelligence to produce JASINT and for the past 11 years, he has exceeded all expectations.
Initially when the company was established in 2007, there were only 2 employees, Rodney and his former business partner. Currently, JASINT employs a team of 50, which includes 45 full-time and 5 part-time employees. The corporate headquarters is in Columbia, Maryland, with satellite offices in San Antonio, Texas and Orlando, Florida. Rodney’s wife Nina, has been on board since 2008, providing Corporate Enterprise Quality Assurance expertise while their daughter, Genesha, has been serving in the capacity of Program Financial Analyst for the past 13 months.
Rodney describes JASINT’s core services as Software Engineering & Architecture, Cyber Security, Systems Engineering, Network Engineering and Professional Services. JASINT also provides high-level Program and Project Management Services.
Rodney attributes JASINT’s steady growth, in part, to the guidance gleaned from his mentor, Mike Genna with Genna & Associates. “Mike is a very successful entrepreneur. He has been extremely instrumental in mentoring me through my separation from my original partner, orchestrating the buy-out, transitioning everything, and making sure things were stable during the transition; but most importantly, helping me to strategically prepare and execute for growth and development”. Rodney also attributes the growth of the firm to the hard work that the men and women in the firm who constantly produce top quality services and solutions in support of the customers and clients.
Today, Rodney wants to continue JASINT’s growth trajectory to maximize both 8(a) and non-8(a) work. “I am very excited and expect JASINT to continue to grow and do great things”, says Rodney.
My other mentor, declares Rodney, is Antwayne Ford, President & CEO of Enlightened, Inc., an award winning, HUB Zone Certified Information Technology and Management and Consulting firm. JASINT participates as a Mentee with Antwayne’s firm in the DoD (Department of Defense) Mentor Protégé Program. This program pairs small businesses with mentor companies. Through the program, these small businesses are provided with developmental assistance, corporate infrastructure implementation and technology assistance. Moreover, as a participant in the DoD Mentor Protégé Program, Enlightened has provided JASINT with great training in corporate infrastructure development, as well as development of Phase 1 of the JASINT Cyber Security Integration Innovation Lab (JASINT-CIIL). “I am taking copious notes from him; he has built a marvelous internship program while giving back to minority businesses and the community”. Mr. Ford has taken his amazing success and used it to help others. I am truly grateful for the lessons that he has not only taught me, but many others also. The strategic alliance between Enlightened and JASINT was recognized in August 2017 with the prestigious Nunn-Perry Award, named in honor of retired U.S. Senator Sam Nunn, who sponsored legislation to enact the Mentor-Protégé Program in 1991, and former Secretary of Defense William Perry. The Nunn-Perry Awards are regarded, “as the highest honor companies can receive in the Mentor-Protégé Program”, says Rodney.
When it comes to giving back and sharing words of encouragement, Rodney does not miss a beat. He tells young people aspiring to enter the Information Technology field, “don’t be afraid to embrace the technology. Don’t be afraid to embrace the opportunities and the learning challenges, and be open to learning new things”.
Those words of encouragement from others cheering him on, have served Rodney well. Being open to constructive feedback and coaching has also translated into numerous awards and recognitions for outstanding work and community involvement.
Receiving awards are gratifying and affirms JASINT’s motto of, “Together We Can”. Making an impact in the lives of employees, clients and the community is a great sense of fulfillment. “Tis better to give than to receive” is not taken lightly. JASINT takes that philosophy to heart and serves as one of the official sponsors of The Agape House in Baltimore, Maryland. The Agape House runs several programs dedicated to helping children and adults, including Education Programs, Support Groups for men and women, Clothing and Holiday Meals. Its mission is to provide food, clothing and the Gospel of Christ to disadvantaged persons in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area. JASINT successfully completed the summer program sponsorship that provided summer camp and field trips for needy and under-privileged children in the Baltimore Inner City. In addition, JASINT sponsored Thanksgiving Food Baskets to deserving families, and during the 2017 Holiday Season, JASINT finished the Annual Christmas Adopt-An-Angel Outreach Program that was inclusive of partnering with 3 other businesses, the Osborne Baptist Church from North Carolina as well as local churches. Through the Adopt-An-Angel Program, JASINT provided complete Christmas packages to needy families that consisted of a pair of shoes, a coat and hat, gloves, 2 toys, 2 complete clothing outfits and undergarments for both males and females.
This truly is a labor of love that was the vision and brainchild of Nina Williams, Rodney’s wife. Several companies also stepped up in December 2017 as sponsors and donated money. Likewise, JASINT team members volunteered and gave hours to help, while other employees chose to adopt their own kids, spend their own money and brought complete packages to help with this outreach effort”. “As a company, we supplemented the donations with extra money just in case we needed to help other children that were not previously identified”.
JASINT, Service Disabled Veteran-owned, Veteran-owned, Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) by the State of Maryland, also has reciprocity with Delaware, West Virginia and the State of Florida. All these designations have contributed to gaining access to opportunities and allowed Rodney Williams and the entire JASINT team to demonstrate their capabilities and building their track record.
To learn more about Rodney Williams and JASINT, please visit the website at www.jasint.com