Online Consulting is a local business invested in the TJ community, hiring former and current TJ students.
Local business keeps Spartans involved in their community.
The community around Thomas Jefferson is like no other. There are numerous local businesses that are involved with students in the Spartan community. Onsite Consulting, a business that focuses on technology consulting, technology repair, and software support, is located just off of I-25 and Hampden. The company was created by Scott Henke, who has been working with the company for 38 years and has been consulting since he was in high school. Henke has two daughters who currently attend TJ, both of whom help him stay more involved with TJ. Henke noted, “I have a degree in Small Business Management and have helped a lot of people get started with a career.” He not only runs a successful small business, but he is also a strong ally in building the foundation of other small businesses.
Onsite Consulting is a perfect example of companies in the TJ area who are working with current and graduated students. Take James Oss, for example, a Thomas Jefferson graduate from the class of 2018 who is employed by Onsite Consulting. Oss explained, “I have been working in the tech industry for some time now and it seemed to be the next step in my journey; so far it has been incredible. The job itself is exactly what I was needing: a learning environment where I could help mass amounts of people on the day-to-day.” He heard about this business venture through one of TJ’s own Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) members. After graduating from TJ, Oss worked in the Denver area for one year, then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career on the West Coast. However, due to COVID-19, he had trouble finding sustainable work in California, so he returned to Colorado. He explained that he really enjoys his job and that his previous experiences help him out at the job. “In my day-to-day at Onsite, I am rebuilding and refurbishing laptops and desktops, as well as aiding our techs in solving support tickets, anywhere from setting up automatic updates to removing spyware, adware, and other dangerous malware from systems. I also work on any of the odd objects that come into the shop: speakers, controllers, one time a Tamagotchi.”
Oss is not the only TJ student to work at Online Consulting; there have been multiple current TJ students to work for the company in some way. Henke explained, “In 2020, Onsite has had Yaquin Elmabrouk (senior) help as part of the Apprenticeship Program. This summer, Onsite had Zoe (senior) and Maya Henke (sophomore), Caprise Agassounon (junior), and Lilly Arbogast (junior) help.” Other than giving TJ students employment opportunities, the company has helped Thomas Jefferson as a school. The company was generous enough to help out by selling twenty discounted computers to Elizabeth Lynch, an AVID and special education teacher, in order to help the AVID program at TJ.
Another TJ graduate, Ty Makeen, works at a small business in Denver. He works at Silicon Stem Academy founded by parents of two Thomas Jefferson Graduates John and Kelly Scarborough, a similar business to Online Consulting. He is the IT Manager at the Academy. The Academy focuses on teaching the younger generation about technology and focuses mainly on building technology and programming skills. Oss worked at the same Academy for some time before he moved out to California. This helped him dive into the technology industry and helped him at his new job.
Local businesses have always been there to support the TJ community, whether it was giving back to the school for fundraisers or restaurant nights. Slices Pizza is a small local business just up Hampden a small way from Onsite Consulting. The company is owned by a family and gives back to the community often; they have done numerous fundraisers helping TJ clubs and athletics. In this day and age, it is hard for virtually every company due to the coronavirus, making small businesses struggle more than they ever had. Companies and the individuals working in them are having to work extra hard, so it is very important to notice and give business to small businesses. Small businesses give back so much to the community and should be recognized more.
Online Consulting is a great business that helps TJ in so many ways; they help with issues with tech but are also taking in current and graduate TJ students, which is very important in the job cycle. Oss has not worked at the company for too long, but it is going to be exciting to see how Onsite Consulting, TJ students, and local businesses continue to adapt and grow during these tough times.
In addition, “Onsite offers TJ Students and families $50 off any of their half-priced computers and $100 off their Total Transfer option. Just mention the TJ Journal to get this discount!”
