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After 2 tours of duty, local Marine opens computer
store
by Noah Fowle
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| (Above) John Kaiser and Darren
Giovaniello (l-r) offer a wide variety of
electronic services at their store on E. Tremont
Avenue. - PHOTO BY WALTER
POFELDT/NF | |
Sgt. John Kaiser, a Morris Park resident, has done more
than his fair share for his country, completing two tours
of-duty with the U.S. Marine Corps. Now, fresh from the war in
Iraq, Kaiser is operating his own computer service center back
here in the Bronx to benefit the community and meet the
technological needs of borough residents.
After returning to the states, Kaiser said he was not
surprised that his former employer did not live by the Semper
Fidelis motto of "Always Faithful" and save him a job, but
neither is he that disappointed. "Large corporations are all
about the bottom line, and because I was a consultant, my job
wasn’t protected while I was on active duty," Kaiser said.
"But now I’m mine own boss. I don’t need to worry about
finding a job. I get up in the morning and I know my success
is all on me and I’m used to that. It’s fun."
Kaiser first joined the Marines at the age of nineteen. "I
wasn’t interested in college and I was pretty athletic," he
said. "I wanted to start something positive." After returning
from his first tour of-duty serving in Bosnia and Serbia,
Kaiser took advantage of the G.I. bill, which pays for the
education of military personel, and started learning computer
networking. He landed his first job in the field working for
another former Marine. Later, Kaiser said he gained valuable
experience working in Manhattan with large firms such as JP
Morgan and Chase, as well as a number of smaller dot com
companies. "I did everything from help desk support to
infrastructure management," he said.
But despite his success and growth working in the computer
industry, Kaiser said he still missed the Marine Corps. When
the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists, he received
all the motivation he needed to sign up again for active
service. "I couldn’t let someone drop airplanes on my city,"
he said.
Upon returning from the war in Iraq, Kaiser went into
business with a friend, Darren Giovaniello, who owns Soundview
Radio and TV Corporation, located at 3044 E. Tremont Avenue.
"We had always talked about going into business together, and
when I came back he told me he wanted to start a computer
section in his store," Kaiser said. "I had the experience,
plus I figured if Iraq didn’t kill me, this wouldn’t
either."
Kaiser offers a wide variety of services for computers. "I
do a lot repair work. I build websites for small businesses, I
set up networks, I can do graphic designing, type setting for
business cards, complete upgrades, create marketing CDs and
even scan photos," he said.
Besides all that, Kaiser is also working on a private
venture to help prepare others for entering the computer
workforce. "Originally I wanted to set up a training program
for other Marines in similar situations as myself. But the
courses will be open to everyone," he said.
Kaiser is currently looking for locations to set up his
training center. And although he is considering a church in
Co-op City, Kaiser said he would like to keep it closer to his
home and store. In addition, he is also collecting computers,
old and new, broken and functioning, to set up the training
center. Kaiser encouraged anyone with an old computer or space
to hold his workshops to contact him.
Kaiser also offers all military personnel and civil
servants $10 off their final bill. For more information, call
(718) 892-2210 or visit
www.nyccomputing.com.
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