Exhibit 3.1

                          CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
                                       OF
                               MLC HOLDINGS, INC.

     The  undersigned,  a natural  person,  for the  purpose of  organizing  MLC
Holdings, Inc. (the "Corporation") for conducting the business and promoting the
purposes   hereinafter   stated,   under  the  provisions  and  subject  to  the
requirements of the laws of the State of Delaware (particularly Chapter 1, Title
8 of the Delaware  Code, as amended,  and referred to as the  "Delaware  General
Corporation Law"), hereby certifies that:

                                      FIRST

     The name of the Corporation is:

                               MLC HOLDINGS, INC.

                                     SECOND

     The address of the  registered  office of the  Corporation  in the State of
Delaware is 1013 Centre Road, City of Wilmington,  County of New Castle, and the
name  of  the  Corporation's  registered  agent  in the  State  of  Delaware  is
Corporation Service Company.

                                      THIRD

     The purpose of the  Corporation  is to engage in any lawful act or activity
for which  Corporations may be organized under the Delaware General  Corporation
Law.

                                     FOURTH

     The total  number of shares of all classes of stock  which the  Corporation
shall have authority to issue is twelve million  (12,000,000)  shares consisting
of ten million  (10,000,000)  shares of common  stock having a par value of $.01
per share (the "Common Stock") and two million  (2,000,000)  shares of preferred
stock having a par value of $.01 per share (the "Preferred Stock").

     The  Board of  Directors  of the  Corporation  is  authorized,  subject  to
limitations  prescribed by law, to provide by resolution or resolutions  for the
issuance  of shares of the  Preferred  Stock as a class or in  series,  and,  by
filing  a  certificate  of  designations,   pursuant  to  the  Delaware  General
Corporation  Law,  setting  forth a copy of such  resolution or  resolutions  to
establish  from time to time the  number of shares to be  included  in each such
series and to fix the designation,  powers, preferences and rights of the shares
of the class or of each such  series and the  qualifications,  limitations,  and
restrictions  thereof.  The authority of the Board of Directors  with respect to
the class or each series shall include,  but not be limited to, determination of
the following:

          a) the number of shares  constituting  any series and the  distinctive
     designation of that series;

          b) the  dividend  rate of the  shares of the  class or of any  series,
     whether dividends shall be cumulative, and if so, from which date or dates,
     and the  relative  rights of  priority,  if any of payment of  dividends on
     shares of the class or of that series;

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          c)  whether  the class or any  series  shall have  voting  rights,  in
     addition to the voting rights provided by law, and if so, the terms of such
     voting rights;

          d) whether the class or any series  shall have  conversion  privileges
     and, if so, the terms and conditions of conversion, including provision for
     adjustment of the conversion  rate in such events as the Board of Directors
     shall determine;

          e) whether  or not the  shares of the class or of any series  shall be
     redeemable,  and,  if so,  the terms  and  conditions  of such  redemption,
     including  the date or dates upon or after  which they shall be  redeemable
     and the amount per share  payable in case of  redemption,  which amount may
     vary under different conditions and at different redemption dates;

          f) whether the class or any series  shall have a sinking  fund for the
     redemption or purchase of shares of the class or of that series, and if so,
     the terms and amount of such sinking fund;

          g) the rights of the shares of the class or of any series in the event
     of voluntary or involuntary  dissolution or winding up of the  Corporation,
     and the relative  rights of  priority,  if any, of payment of shares of the
     class or of that series; and

          h) any other powers, preferences, rights, qualifications,  limitations
     and restrictions of the class or of that series.

     All  rights  accruing  to the  outstanding  shares of the  Corporation  not
expressly  provided  for  to  the  contrary  herein  or in  any  certificate  of
designation shall be vested exclusively in the Common Stock."

                                      FIFTH

     The name and mailing address of the Incorporator are as follows:

                              Benton Burroughs, Jr.
                              Hazel & Thomas, P.C.
                            3110 Fairview Park Drive
                                   Suite 1400
                          Falls Church, Virginia 22042

                                      SIXTH

     The  Incorporator  shall appoint the initial  directors of the  Corporation
after  filing of this  Certificate  of  Incorporation.  The terms of the initial
directors shall be determined by the Incorporator and thereafter by the Board of
Directors,  with one class designated as elected for a one year term, the second
class  designated as elected for a two year term and the third class  designated
as elected for a three year term. At the first annual meeting of stockholders of
the Corporation,  and at each subsequent  annual meeting,  the successors of the
class of directors  whose term expires at that meeting  shall be elected to hold
office for a term  expiring at the annual  meeting of  stockholders  held in the
third year following the year of their election.

                                     SEVENTH

     The Corporation is to have perpetual existence.

                                     EIGHTH

     In  furtherance  and not in limitation of the powers  conferred by statute,
the Board of  Directors of the  Corporation  is  expressly  authorized  to make,
alter, or repeal the Bylaws of the Corporation.


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                                      NINTH

     No person shall be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders
for  monetary  damages for breach of  fiduciary  duty as a  director;  provided,
however,  that the  foregoing  shall not  eliminate or limit the  liability of a
director (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the Corporation
or its  stockholders,  (ii) for  acts or  omissions  not in good  faith or which
involve  intentional  misconduct  or a knowing  violation  of law,  (iii)  under
Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or (iv) for any transaction
from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

                                      TENTH

     The Corporation  shall  indemnify,  in the manner and to the fullest extent
permitted  by the  Delaware  General  Corporation  Law  (and in the  case of any
amendment thereto,  to the extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to
provide broader indemnification rights than permitted prior thereto), any person
(or the estate of any person) who is or was a party to, or is  threatened  to be
made  a  party  to,  any  threatened,  pending  or  completed  action,  suit  or
proceeding,  whether or not by or in the right of the  Corporation,  and whether
civil, criminal,  administrative,  investigative or otherwise,  by reason of the
fact that such person is or was a director or officer of the Corporation,  or is
or was  serving at the  request of the  Corporation  as a director or officer of
another  corporation,  partnership,  joint venture,  trust or other  enterprise,
including service with respect to an employee benefit plan. The Corporation may,
to the  fullest  extent  permitted  by the  Delaware  General  Corporation  Law,
purchase  and  maintain  insurance  on behalf  of any such  person  against  any
liability  which may be asserted  against  such  person.  To the fullest  extent
permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law, the indemnification  provided
herein may include expenses (including  attorneys' fees),  judgments,  fines and
amounts paid in settlement and any such expenses may be paid by the  Corporation
in advance of the final  disposition  of such action,  suit or  proceeding  upon
receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the person seeking  indemnification
to repay  such  amounts  if it is  ultimately  determined  that he or she is not
entitled to be  indemnified.  The  indemnification  provided herein shall not be
deemed to limit the right of the  Corporation  to indemnify any other person for
any such  expenses to the  fullest  extent  permitted  by the  Delaware  General
Corporation  Law, nor shall it be deemed  exclusive of any other rights to which
any person seeking  indemnification  from the  Corporation may be entitled under
any agreement,  the Corporation's  Bylaws, vote of stockholders or disinterested
directors,  or otherwise,  both as to action in such person's  official capacity
and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.  The Corporation
may,  but only to the extent that the Board of  Directors  may (but shall not be
obligated to) authorize from time to time, grant rights to  indemnification  and
to the  advancement  of expenses to any employee or agent of the  Corporation to
the fullest  extent of the provisions of this Article Tenth as they apply to the
indemnification  and  advancement  of expenses of directors  and officers of the
Corporation.

                                    ELEVENTH

     From  time  to  time  any  of  the   provisions  of  this   Certificate  of
Incorporation  may be  amended,  altered,  or  repealed,  and  other  provisions
authorized  by the laws of the  State of  Delaware  at the time in force  may be
added or inserted in the manner and at the time prescribed by said laws, and all
rights at any time conferred upon the  stockholders  of the  Corporation by this
Certificate  of  Incorporation  are granted  subject to the  provisions  of this
Article Eleventh.



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     The effective date of this Certificate of Incorporation,  and the date upon
which the existence of the Corporation  shall  commence,  shall be the date upon
which the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware  endorses the word "Filed"
on the Certificate.

     I,  the  undersigned,   being  the  Incorporator  of  the  above  mentioned
Corporation,  do make this  Certificate of  Incorporation,  hereby declaring and
certifying  that  this is my act and the  facts  stated  herein  are  true,  and
accordingly have hereunto set my hand upon this 27th day of August, 1996.


                                                 /s/ Benton Burroughs, Jr.
                                                 --------------------------
                                                 Benton Burroughs, Jr.,
                                                 Incorporator









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