Sandusky - Ben Kendra started Kendra IT as a “side gig” when he was a sophomore in high school. He went on to begin a successful career as an IT Manager for a public school district, but eventually decided to devote his full attention to Kendra IT. He was making more income from his part-time high school business, than the average American’s salary at the time. Kendra IT is now a full-service IT company, employing several people. They provide end-to-end services, including physical installation and integration, network design, managed services, and cyber security.

GSTMW! began working with Kendra IT in May of 2022, when they signed to the Young Professionals work experience program and provided Ethan Maier an opportunity to work and learn from the business first-hand. Ethan successfully completed his work experience in August, and is now in his freshman year at Delta College, completing a degree in Computer Science & Information Technology.

Through this work, GSTMW! learned that Kendra IT needed advanced training to remain competitive in their industry and continue to grow. Through the Industry Infinity grant, we were able to assist Ben Kendra with training in Penetration Testing, and Certified Ethical Hacking. This is at the cutting edge of Cyber Security and will help Kendra IT to advance in this area. Kendra IT is committed to providing outstanding service, and to continue their growth and employment in Sandusky Michigan.

There were two tiers/facets of success with Kendra IT. First, they were able to provide 90 days of relevant work experience for a youth about to begin his college program in Computer Science & Information Technology. And secondly, Kendra IT was able to enhance their internal skillset, to remain competitive and to grow their business in the Cyber Security arena.

Ethan Maier will be “ahead of the game” as he begins his program of study at Delta College and will likely become highly successful in his chosen career field. Likewise, as Kendra IT continues to enhance their internal skillset, they will continue to grow and expend their service offerings. In the long term, this will allow Kendra IT to provide additional employment within their community, and to provide internships and relevant work experience for local youth.