August 2, 2024 • 29 mins
TRI-LINK CONTRACTING: If you’re looking for quality, reliability, affordability, and promises kept, look no further than Tri-Link Contracting Services. Our veteran-owned team is ready to restore your home today. https://trilinkcontracting.com/
CORNERSTONE RESIDENCE: A 501c3 not for profit organization, is honored to welcome Veterans looking for a sober home. Homelessness, suicide, and fractured families are just a few of the issues that plague those who have served our country. TCR offers a supportive environment where men can work toward healing and transformation, reconnect with their families, and be an asset to their communities.
CORNERSTONE RESIDENCE: A 501c3 not for profit organization, is honored to welcome Veterans looking for a sober home. Homelessness, suicide, and fractured families are just a few of the issues that plague those who have served our country. TCR offers a supportive environment where men can work toward healing and transformation, reconnect with their families, and be an asset to their communities.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, welcome inn This is the CEOs You Should Know podcast.
I'm your host, Johnny Heart. Well, let's say a look
to Jim said, thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Thank you Johnny for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
All right, So tell us everything we need to know
about Trialin Contracting.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Trialing Contracting is a roofing, siding, gutter, soft and facial
contractor located here in Western Pennsylvania, licensed in Western Pennsylvania,
West Virginia, and Ohio. What I like to say, Johnny,
is that we are more than just the what of
the company. We are more than just the product that
we deliver and the services that we provide. The who
(00:38):
of Trilink is what our customers really gravitate to. And
when I say the who, I mean we are a
locally owned, family owned, veteran owned small business that takes
those tags very seriously. Local because we deal only locally,
(00:58):
and family because we believe that our customers should be
treated as if they are a member of our family
and veteran owned. We bring the same integrity to our
services and our delivery that we did when we provided
service to this great nation. I think that the important
part of how we do things is we do things
(01:20):
with customer satisfaction and exceeding expectations in mind. All right,
So what branch did you, sir? I served in the
Navy six years the United States and Navy. I was
stationed with the Marines down in Camp La June. I
was a Navy corman and I loved it. And if
I could have made the grade for helicopter pilot, I'd
have stayed in Oh really, so.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
What's the history behind trilink? How long have you been
in existence?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So the history behind trilink is let me talk about
the catalyst to what trilink was formed. Trilinc was formed
by a guy myself specifically, who was semi retired at
the age of sixty. The reason for that was because
my wife, Joyce and I had purchased a retired Catholic
(02:07):
church and rectory in Clareton that we intended to turn
into a veteran's home. And at the time we were
going through court, which ended up being five years fighting
for an occupancy permit. We were remodeling the property. We
had a fire, we had to start all over again
remodel again. So that's the reason for trylink. We were
(02:29):
this is a god fed God led company, and we
do this with the idea of giving.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Back now before before did trylink exist prior to doing this,
or what did you do prior to this?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
So prior to this, well, jeez, I've had quite the past,
but prior to you.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Let's be let's let's just be honest here. This is
when we had the pre interview. That was the most
astounding pre interview I have ever been through, and I
was literally I had goosebumps in some of the conversation.
My heart was racing. You've lived a life, haven't you, Jim.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
I have lived a life, Johnny, and if I can't
speak to it here, I'd be happy to. I lead
with my story. My story comes from us what anyone
would interpret from the outside as a successful life. I
lived a double life. I suffered from a terrible addiction
to opiates for many, many years. That actually led to
(03:28):
some very poor decision making and at some point in time, criminality,
which resulted in a federal prison sentence ten years, of
which I served eight and a half years. So my mission,
as a result of what I had been through, was
(03:49):
to discover restoration and reformation, and I used my faith
in God to boaster me and get me through that.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Did you find God in prison or afterwards?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I always believed in God because I was told to,
but I never had a relationship with Jesus as my
Lord and savior. And I found that in prison. While
I was on the prison floor in Alleghany County Jail,
in my cell, detoxing from opiates in my own squalor.
(04:22):
To be honest with you, a man came in and
started reading scripture to me, and all I wanted him
to do was disappear, because if anyone's been through withdrawal
from opiates or any other substance where you have a
physical dependence, you don't want to be bothered by anyone.
Isolation is the word. But this fellow brought me around
(04:45):
and continued to read to me and interpret scripture to me,
and within three days I accepted Christ as my Lord
and savior.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
So was that relationship not only made it capable of
kicking your addiction, but also getting through prison, the getting
through life.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
It carried me all the way through prison. It was
the reason why I was able to challenge myself because
in prison, and we're all aware of this, I think
at some level, drugs are as accessible as they are
on the outside, and really even more so because it's
just a few steps away. That's the cold heart truth.
(05:30):
So there were some challenges. I managed to maintain my
sobriety throughout prison and in the federal system, went through
a rather intensive rehab program just prior to being released.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Prior to prison, what did you do were you a
contractor prior to prison?
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Prior to prison, I had owned a mortgage company. We
were rather successful. I got out of the mortgage business
in the late nineties and accepted a position as a
CEO of a manufacturing plant out in Phoenix. And really
that's where my addiction took a very strong hold on me.
I had been through some things in my life that
I did not know how to cope with, and I
(06:12):
used the substance to self medicate and it just got
out of control. And with opiates there is a very
serious physical need to keep that in your system, and
I was weak. I wasn't strong enough to fight that urge,
although I tried many, many times, didn't ask for help
(06:33):
from anyone until it got out of control.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well, there's a lot of strong people who deal with
that struggle, So it doesn't make you weak, but it
does give you strength to be able to kick it.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
It does, and it doesn't, and you're right, but weak
in the flesh. Johnny. With regards to things like that,
I could not cope with it personally, and I know many, many,
many others who are having similar struggles now. So that
is one of the catalysts to why Trilink was formed.
That's the catalysts to why we maintain Trialink. Many of
(07:09):
the proceeds from our roof and siding replacements go to
support the Cornerstone Residence for Veterans, which is run by
my wife, executive director and myself, and I feel very
strongly about it.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
You know, it's a success just to kick whatever addiction
you may have gone through. It is now you're out
of prison. And to form another company, a contracting company,
had to be very difficult. So give us the process
of how you were able to not only kick addiction,
start a business and then have a successful business, because
(07:44):
that's a whole other level of success.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
So I don't like the s word, the success word,
because I believe that that will never be able to
be determined wholly until you're at the end of your life.
Because there are so many components to success. Business being one,
restoration and recovery being another, relationship being another. You know,
(08:11):
family values, moral values, all these things rolled into one.
Of course, there are missteps along the way. We know
about that. But I use my experience from my past
to form try link and to lay the groundwork for it.
I have a business background, and I used I don't
(08:33):
want to say used, but the people around me were
really what was my driving force to continue through. There
are some obstacles for men and women coming home from
incarceration with regards to having access to similar things that
others who haven't suffered like that or experience that have.
(08:53):
So I thought through it. I thought through it. I
got myself linked up with some like minded men, in
particular men and women locking arms men. A friend of mine,
Leos Wisnouski, has a wonderful initiative for men in the city,
and these relationships have driven me. I always say that
(09:17):
if you use as a small business owner, and I
talked to other small business owners about this, and friends
of mine who are in the industry, and they asked
me questions. I say, don't fall victim to allowing the
revenue to drive your business. Because you're setting yourself up
for failure. I did that in my life. It was
(09:40):
all about material gain and wealth for me, and that's
what led to my failure. And that's the truth. To
put that into perspective, it would be hard right now,
but I have spoken on it before. But find something
to do for someone else, Find a reason to go
(10:05):
on mission for others in need. Put your employees first,
put your customers first, take care of people, Exceed ex expectations,
and honor your promises. The money follows that. If you
let the money lead, everything else is going to suffer.
(10:28):
So that's my formula for success. How we've gotten from
or how I personally have gotten from coming home from
prison to where I am right now, I don't know. Perseverance,
my faith in God. God's timing for me has been spectacular.
(10:49):
Our conversation that we had before we came on air
proves that, which is probably another conversation at some point
in time. But I don't have any secret to how
I got there. My only thing is my mission in life,
and the vision that God has placed in my mind
(11:13):
is how I've gotten from there to here.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Okay, so you put God first in a service to God.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
First, service to God.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
You are in a very dark place, you use that
darkness to come into the light. And when I said
the word success, that can be defined in so many ways.
The fact that you were able to kick addiction, to
form a business, to have a business that employs people,
(11:41):
that is not only a service to God, but a
service to your customers. All of those are positive steps.
Whether it makes money a revenue for your family is
probably irrelevant. When I say success, I don't mean financial success,
but a spiritual and a human success.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Okay, well, thank you for putting that into perspective for me,
because I was having a hard time with the chronology.
And you're exactly right. There is a there's an element
of success all the way through my life, even in
the darkness, because that was where the experience came from.
And I don't like to call wisdom, but it is wisdom.
You know, I'm not self serving by saying I'm the
(12:26):
wise guy. I am a wise guy. Sometimes you can
ask my wife. But but you're right, there are successful
steps all along the way. And I mentioned to you
earlier throughout my incarceration, there were moments in there that
were some of the brightest, most enlightening experiences in my life,
(12:54):
in my solitude, sitting on a prison yard looking through
razor wire and finding peace. It was one of the
strangest dichotomies for me, but it took hold and that's
where my gratitude comes from today.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
And it would be difficult to see sea light through
razor wire, and you were able to do it and
it came through on the other side. So why why
roofing siding and why why that business? Why what made
you choose that particular business?
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Okay, this is simple. We at one point in time
prior to me buying out my partner, who was still
a wonderful, dear friend of mine. I love him the death.
We love each other. But we were in the so
much like a general contracting perspective. So you're doing interior remodels,
you're doing all exterior stuff, you know, even some hard
(13:52):
escapes and decking, et cetera. And for me it was
too complicated. So I had the streamline things for my
own sake. And I love the roofing industry. We have
crews that that that do our installs. Who are and
(14:13):
I told you earlier, I don't know if we're the best.
Who would ever know if they're the best. But I
know that we are as good as anyone and better
than most. That's reflected in our reviews, it's reflected in
our customer interaction all these things. So so it was
a simple move for me, because I'll admit it, I'm
(14:34):
simple minded, and so it was a good fit.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Well, you know, if you're able to focus on it
and do a good job and and do what your
customers need and better than most, that's that's that's all
you could ask for, right, Yeah, we're very pleased with
the results. All right, So tell me about your team.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
So our team, we are a small business, and I
we have plenty of capacity within our organization without a
lot of pork, if that makes any sense to you,
Meaning you know, my wife does participate in the business.
Although she's much more dedicated now to the cornerstone, to
(15:14):
our to the veterans residence, she still does participate. We
have Shannon, our administrative who is our customer liaison, handles
all of the interactions with customers, contracting, warranty, scheduling, material orders,
the work. She does a phenomenal job. She's on point.
(15:36):
And of course I mentioned my son Nate who is
our chief operating officer, and his nose is buried in
something all day long. He's doing our takeoffs, satellite imaging measurements,
customer estimating and getting things out of the customer and
continuing that communication. And then we have David, who is
(15:58):
I will say this with my son as an employee
of ours, David is the best employee I have ever
had in my life or witnessed anyone else have in
their lives. He's our project manager, so conscientious customers love him.
He's out there in the field making sure that everything
is just the way our customers want it to be.
(16:22):
And that's an enormous component, particularly in the contracting industry.
Not too many companies really pay attention like we do.
There are a few, there are some good operators out there.
And then my buddy Paul. Paul is our field assessor
and he is out there in the field interacting with customers,
(16:45):
doing drone inspections, doing roof citing, gutter softaffac inspections, establishing
a great rapport and communication with the customer, and then
bringing everything that he learns. Paul's not a man in
a few words, so when he comes to the office,
like we have to block out an extraordinary amount of
(17:05):
time to listen to him. But he's a dear friend
of mine as well.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
You know, forgive me for saying this, but you said
you went into roofing because it was simple, and then
you're talking about drones and and you know all these
different things. It's a little more complicated than you let on,
don't you think.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Well, Okay, with that being said, I haven't told you
what I do yet, Okay, So I'm telling you what
everybody else does, and that is complicated. I asked questions
all day, and U I tell my I tell our folks,
I love our I love our employees, and our installation
cruiser phenomenal that I can pay attention to when you're
(17:51):
making mistakes and we're going to correct it and and
that's just a part of doing business and being human.
The good news is nobody has to know when I
make mistakes. And I mean I got our list of them.
So I'm the guy that sits back, makes mistakes, corrects
his own mistakes, pays attention to everybody else's mistakes, and
asks them to help me with whatever the heck they're doing.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
You're not a CEO.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You're a q EO. You question a lot of questions.
I get a lot of I have a lot of
questions because it's important for me to ask questions in
order for us to improve. Where are we failing, where
are we succeeding? How does this look if we improve
upon this? How does this look if we improve upon this?
It's the questions that I need the information, and that's
(18:34):
how we continue to build capacity into our company and
we continue to improve upon it. And I feel any CEO,
of any company, president, whatever the head of the company is,
their responsibility is to improve upon processes, productivity, person l
(18:56):
and to improve upon customer satisfaction and to take care
of all the components that lead to these improvements, number
one of which is the people who work for us.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Where do you find your customers?
Speaker 2 (19:15):
So we do a lot of direct mail. We get
an extraordinary amount of referral business, which is always good
because it doesn't cost us any money. Plus it means
we're doing things correctly. And so we haven't done a
whole lot of electronic media. We did some TV at
one time, but most of our customers come from referral business.
(19:37):
And on the commercial side, it's something that you go
to certain portals to look for, but residential side referrals
and directly.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Can win your website.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
We get a lot of website communication and that comes
from the things that we do with Google Ads, we
have Facebook Ads, We have all these things directing traffic
to our website.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
And what is your website?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
The website is try tri l I n K Contracting
dot com.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Now all of this is funneled into something that you
kind of mentioned it briefly. Cornerstone tell us everything about that.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
So Cornerstone Residence is something that my wife, Joyce, and
I have a passion for. It is we purchased a
retired Catholic church and rectory and curt and a beautiful
property on the corner of Carnagian, Delaware. And in the rectory,
which is thirteen thousand square feet, we have a recovery
home for veterans. Now. My wife is a retired state
(20:35):
pro agent twenty five and a half years. She came
from an industry where a lot of folks come out
of tainted with dealing with damaged populations and she thought,
I have more to do. So she has been the
catalyst the Cornerstone. Cornerstone has been the catalyst to what
(20:56):
I do with Trilink, and Trilink Trilink has been a
pretty good financial supporter through the proceeds from our projects
for Cornerstone. So keep in mind we were in court
for five years attempting to get the occupancy permit. We
had a remodel of fire and another remodel that practically
(21:21):
spanned that entire five years. Through generous donations of furniture,
et cetera from folks, we furnished the place and we
did it on our own dime. So it was it
was a trying time. It was very taxing, but we
learned a lot of things and we've gotten to the
(21:44):
point now.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
To where it's fully operational, fully operational. When did you
start to receiving residents.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
If I'm not mistaken, I think it was last fall
we got our first resident, and now I believe we're
about to welcome number ten.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Okay, yeah, And what do you do for these these veterans?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
So, oh my gosh, it's so the components to recovery
are not just white knuckling staying away from whatever substance
had its grip on you. There are so many other
components to it. First of all, sober living space with
like minded in our case men, because you really don't
(22:27):
want men and women mixing it up like that. In
our case men. Now we talked about earlier, we talked
about the damage that occurs when someone's going through substance abuse,
family fragmentation, things like that, so we use family reunification.
There are a lot of family reunification activities at the home.
(22:51):
I've been taking the guys to Pirates games, you know
what I mean. And community Tickest has been so generous
with us donating tickets to us to go to these
Pirates games. So cultural experiences, new cultural experiences are important
to recovery, and just the idea that we have opportunity
(23:14):
to get men employment. We have AA and A meetings
in the in the bottom floor of our of our facility,
the cornerstone. So these in combination with just the interactions
that they get to experience that are new to them
because of where they've come from. And you've got to remember,
(23:36):
now we're talking about veterans, and most of these men
are not just veterans. Like I'm a veteran. I was
not in war, I was not in a skirt. The
closest I came to anything. Was I got stuck in
the Persian Gulf for ninety days when they took the
hostages in Iran, and but I was never physically in
(24:00):
the mix. With regards to combat what some of these
may have experienced. There's physical trauma, mental trauma PTSD, so
we're stepping through all of that as well. And I
got to tell you I was actually at an event
yesterday for Adventures and Training with a Purpose. That's John
(24:22):
Colb's Yeah, Okay. John and Deborah cob are differens and
wonderful people and what they do for veterans up in
Wexford with ATP is phenomenal and we've had some of
our veterans through there. And also my stepdaughter, my wife's daughter,
who suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a
(24:43):
coma just this past fall. John and his team have
been working up there and she's made phenomenal progress. So
things like that are so important to just And it
takes eighteen months to break the cycle mentally. You can
lose the physical dependence within a week or two, but
(25:06):
the mental cycle, the rewiring, is an eighteen month process.
And if you're just sitting stagnant for those eighteen months,
it's not gonna work. So we try to put all
these components together and help these gentlemen out. Wow.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Yeah, so have you seen a certain amount, Like you said,
it was the last fall, so they haven't gone through
that eighteen month period, so they have not. So are
you seeing incremental success stories?
Speaker 2 (25:33):
We are seeing some incredible progress, yes, and we've also
seen some failures, Johnny. I mean, let's be honest. Some
of these men thought they were ready after a month
or two and they struck out on their own. And
there husband some failure, and we pray for them, and
we get them back into treatment, and we welcome them
back after a sustained treatment, impatient treatment, and we give
(25:56):
it another shot. But we can't but not forever and
ever ever. So, but we make sure that they are
taken care of, even if they're no longer in Cornerstone.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
You offer them tools, yes, that what they There's only
so much you can do. You can do a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Try to tell my wife that, honestly, I mean, she
is this, I will say this my right hand to God,
the strongest woman I've ever known. I've never seen anyone
operate like she does. And she thinks she can do it,
and she's pretty dug on close to doing it all,
but she realizes there are some you know that there
(26:35):
are some people that are just going to fall off
and you can't do anythore. But you can't tell her
that you can't do everything, because she's going to figure
out a way to do almost everything.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
What's your future for Cornerstone? Where do you want to see?
What's your legacy? Where do you want to see that go?
Speaker 2 (26:52):
So Cornerstone Residence was I want to see it expand
I'd like to see it expand into facilities for women,
which which is an incredibly underserved community with regards to
substance abuse, particularly in the veteran community. There is room
for growth and improvement there that it's just not happening
(27:17):
like it should be. We also want to do something
in the sanctuary. We've talked to some local educators. I
won't mention any names right now because nothing's in Stone,
but some wonderful people who want to partner with us
for the sanctuary building and put a arts and technology
center for youth and a workforce development center for adults
(27:37):
in there. So that's kind of like the next phase.
And we're tiptoeing to that end, but as far as
the Cornerstone Residence itself goes, I just want to continue
to see men thrive and flourish and get back into
relationships with their children and their wives and their families
(27:59):
and and set free.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
All right, So we talked about trilink. If somebody wants
more information on Cornerstone, what do you have a website?
Do you have a means of communication for that?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
The Cornerstone Residence dot org. We also have the Cornerstone
Residence Facebook page, and don't be afraid to make a donation.
There are buttons on there. We could use it, but
we don't rely on it.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Jim, you're one of the most fascinating CEOs I've ever
talked to. You're an inspiration. You have a sense of humor,
and you have an amazing story. You went from dark
to light and you're doing some good in the neighborhood
and I applaud that. And it's been my pleasure talking
to you. Thank you so.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Much, Johnny, it has been my pleasure. I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
This has been a fascinating interview. If you would like
to help with Cornerstone once again, what is the website there.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
The Cornerstone Residence dot org or the Cornerstone Residence Facebook page.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Jim said, definitely a CEO you should know. It's been
my pleasure. Thank you so much, Thank you, sir. This
has been the CEOs you should know podcast, showcasing businesses
that are driving our regional economy, part of iHeartMedia's commitment
to the communities we serve. I'm Johnny Heartwell, thank you
so much for listening.
Hey, welcome inn This is the CEOs You Should Know podcast.
I'm your host, Johnny Heart. Well, let's say a look
to Jim said, thank you for joining me.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Thank you Johnny for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
All right, So tell us everything we need to know
about Trialin Contracting.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Trialing Contracting is a roofing, siding, gutter, soft and facial
contractor located here in Western Pennsylvania, licensed in Western Pennsylvania,
West Virginia, and Ohio. What I like to say, Johnny,
is that we are more than just the what of
the company. We are more than just the product that
we deliver and the services that we provide. The who
(00:38):
of Trilink is what our customers really gravitate to. And
when I say the who, I mean we are a
locally owned, family owned, veteran owned small business that takes
those tags very seriously. Local because we deal only locally,
(00:58):
and family because we believe that our customers should be
treated as if they are a member of our family
and veteran owned. We bring the same integrity to our
services and our delivery that we did when we provided
service to this great nation. I think that the important
part of how we do things is we do things
(01:20):
with customer satisfaction and exceeding expectations in mind. All right,
So what branch did you, sir? I served in the
Navy six years the United States and Navy. I was
stationed with the Marines down in Camp La June. I
was a Navy corman and I loved it. And if
I could have made the grade for helicopter pilot, I'd
have stayed in Oh really, so.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
What's the history behind trilink? How long have you been
in existence?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
So the history behind trilink is let me talk about
the catalyst to what trilink was formed. Trilinc was formed
by a guy myself specifically, who was semi retired at
the age of sixty. The reason for that was because
my wife, Joyce and I had purchased a retired Catholic
(02:07):
church and rectory in Clareton that we intended to turn
into a veteran's home. And at the time we were
going through court, which ended up being five years fighting
for an occupancy permit. We were remodeling the property. We
had a fire, we had to start all over again
remodel again. So that's the reason for trylink. We were
(02:29):
this is a god fed God led company, and we
do this with the idea of giving.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Back now before before did trylink exist prior to doing this,
or what did you do prior to this?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
So prior to this, well, jeez, I've had quite the past,
but prior to you.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Let's be let's let's just be honest here. This is
when we had the pre interview. That was the most
astounding pre interview I have ever been through, and I
was literally I had goosebumps in some of the conversation.
My heart was racing. You've lived a life, haven't you, Jim.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
I have lived a life, Johnny, and if I can't
speak to it here, I'd be happy to. I lead
with my story. My story comes from us what anyone
would interpret from the outside as a successful life. I
lived a double life. I suffered from a terrible addiction
to opiates for many, many years. That actually led to
(03:28):
some very poor decision making and at some point in time, criminality,
which resulted in a federal prison sentence ten years, of
which I served eight and a half years. So my mission,
as a result of what I had been through, was
(03:49):
to discover restoration and reformation, and I used my faith
in God to boaster me and get me through that.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Did you find God in prison or afterwards?
Speaker 2 (04:02):
I always believed in God because I was told to,
but I never had a relationship with Jesus as my
Lord and savior. And I found that in prison. While
I was on the prison floor in Alleghany County Jail,
in my cell, detoxing from opiates in my own squalor.
(04:22):
To be honest with you, a man came in and
started reading scripture to me, and all I wanted him
to do was disappear, because if anyone's been through withdrawal
from opiates or any other substance where you have a
physical dependence, you don't want to be bothered by anyone.
Isolation is the word. But this fellow brought me around
(04:45):
and continued to read to me and interpret scripture to me,
and within three days I accepted Christ as my Lord
and savior.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
So was that relationship not only made it capable of
kicking your addiction, but also getting through prison, the getting
through life.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
It carried me all the way through prison. It was
the reason why I was able to challenge myself because
in prison, and we're all aware of this, I think
at some level, drugs are as accessible as they are
on the outside, and really even more so because it's
just a few steps away. That's the cold heart truth.
(05:30):
So there were some challenges. I managed to maintain my
sobriety throughout prison and in the federal system, went through
a rather intensive rehab program just prior to being released.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Prior to prison, what did you do were you a
contractor prior to prison?
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Prior to prison, I had owned a mortgage company. We
were rather successful. I got out of the mortgage business
in the late nineties and accepted a position as a
CEO of a manufacturing plant out in Phoenix. And really
that's where my addiction took a very strong hold on me.
I had been through some things in my life that
I did not know how to cope with, and I
(06:12):
used the substance to self medicate and it just got
out of control. And with opiates there is a very
serious physical need to keep that in your system, and
I was weak. I wasn't strong enough to fight that urge,
although I tried many, many times, didn't ask for help
(06:33):
from anyone until it got out of control.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well, there's a lot of strong people who deal with
that struggle, So it doesn't make you weak, but it
does give you strength to be able to kick it.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
It does, and it doesn't, and you're right, but weak
in the flesh. Johnny. With regards to things like that,
I could not cope with it personally, and I know many, many,
many others who are having similar struggles now. So that
is one of the catalysts to why Trilink was formed.
That's the catalysts to why we maintain Trialink. Many of
(07:09):
the proceeds from our roof and siding replacements go to
support the Cornerstone Residence for Veterans, which is run by
my wife, executive director and myself, and I feel very
strongly about it.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
You know, it's a success just to kick whatever addiction
you may have gone through. It is now you're out
of prison. And to form another company, a contracting company,
had to be very difficult. So give us the process
of how you were able to not only kick addiction,
start a business and then have a successful business, because
(07:44):
that's a whole other level of success.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
So I don't like the s word, the success word,
because I believe that that will never be able to
be determined wholly until you're at the end of your life.
Because there are so many components to success. Business being one,
restoration and recovery being another, relationship being another. You know,
(08:11):
family values, moral values, all these things rolled into one.
Of course, there are missteps along the way. We know
about that. But I use my experience from my past
to form try link and to lay the groundwork for it.
I have a business background, and I used I don't
(08:33):
want to say used, but the people around me were
really what was my driving force to continue through. There
are some obstacles for men and women coming home from
incarceration with regards to having access to similar things that
others who haven't suffered like that or experience that have.
(08:53):
So I thought through it. I thought through it. I
got myself linked up with some like minded men, in
particular men and women locking arms men. A friend of mine,
Leos Wisnouski, has a wonderful initiative for men in the city,
and these relationships have driven me. I always say that
(09:17):
if you use as a small business owner, and I
talked to other small business owners about this, and friends
of mine who are in the industry, and they asked
me questions. I say, don't fall victim to allowing the
revenue to drive your business. Because you're setting yourself up
for failure. I did that in my life. It was
(09:40):
all about material gain and wealth for me, and that's
what led to my failure. And that's the truth. To
put that into perspective, it would be hard right now,
but I have spoken on it before. But find something
to do for someone else, Find a reason to go
(10:05):
on mission for others in need. Put your employees first,
put your customers first, take care of people, Exceed ex expectations,
and honor your promises. The money follows that. If you
let the money lead, everything else is going to suffer.
(10:28):
So that's my formula for success. How we've gotten from
or how I personally have gotten from coming home from
prison to where I am right now, I don't know. Perseverance,
my faith in God. God's timing for me has been spectacular.
(10:49):
Our conversation that we had before we came on air
proves that, which is probably another conversation at some point
in time. But I don't have any secret to how
I got there. My only thing is my mission in life,
and the vision that God has placed in my mind
(11:13):
is how I've gotten from there to here.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Okay, so you put God first in a service to God.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
First, service to God.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
You are in a very dark place, you use that
darkness to come into the light. And when I said
the word success, that can be defined in so many ways.
The fact that you were able to kick addiction, to
form a business, to have a business that employs people,
(11:41):
that is not only a service to God, but a
service to your customers. All of those are positive steps.
Whether it makes money a revenue for your family is
probably irrelevant. When I say success, I don't mean financial success,
but a spiritual and a human success.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Okay, well, thank you for putting that into perspective for me,
because I was having a hard time with the chronology.
And you're exactly right. There is a there's an element
of success all the way through my life, even in
the darkness, because that was where the experience came from.
And I don't like to call wisdom, but it is wisdom.
You know, I'm not self serving by saying I'm the
(12:26):
wise guy. I am a wise guy. Sometimes you can
ask my wife. But but you're right, there are successful
steps all along the way. And I mentioned to you
earlier throughout my incarceration, there were moments in there that
were some of the brightest, most enlightening experiences in my life,
(12:54):
in my solitude, sitting on a prison yard looking through
razor wire and finding peace. It was one of the
strangest dichotomies for me, but it took hold and that's
where my gratitude comes from today.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
And it would be difficult to see sea light through
razor wire, and you were able to do it and
it came through on the other side. So why why
roofing siding and why why that business? Why what made
you choose that particular business?
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Okay, this is simple. We at one point in time
prior to me buying out my partner, who was still
a wonderful, dear friend of mine. I love him the death.
We love each other. But we were in the so
much like a general contracting perspective. So you're doing interior remodels,
you're doing all exterior stuff, you know, even some hard
(13:52):
escapes and decking, et cetera. And for me it was
too complicated. So I had the streamline things for my
own sake. And I love the roofing industry. We have
crews that that that do our installs. Who are and
(14:13):
I told you earlier, I don't know if we're the best.
Who would ever know if they're the best. But I
know that we are as good as anyone and better
than most. That's reflected in our reviews, it's reflected in
our customer interaction all these things. So so it was
a simple move for me, because I'll admit it, I'm
(14:34):
simple minded, and so it was a good fit.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
Well, you know, if you're able to focus on it
and do a good job and and do what your
customers need and better than most, that's that's that's all
you could ask for, right, Yeah, we're very pleased with
the results. All right, So tell me about your team.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
So our team, we are a small business, and I
we have plenty of capacity within our organization without a
lot of pork, if that makes any sense to you,
Meaning you know, my wife does participate in the business.
Although she's much more dedicated now to the cornerstone, to
(15:14):
our to the veterans residence, she still does participate. We
have Shannon, our administrative who is our customer liaison, handles
all of the interactions with customers, contracting, warranty, scheduling, material orders,
the work. She does a phenomenal job. She's on point.
(15:36):
And of course I mentioned my son Nate who is
our chief operating officer, and his nose is buried in
something all day long. He's doing our takeoffs, satellite imaging measurements,
customer estimating and getting things out of the customer and
continuing that communication. And then we have David, who is
(15:58):
I will say this with my son as an employee
of ours, David is the best employee I have ever
had in my life or witnessed anyone else have in
their lives. He's our project manager, so conscientious customers love him.
He's out there in the field making sure that everything
is just the way our customers want it to be.
(16:22):
And that's an enormous component, particularly in the contracting industry.
Not too many companies really pay attention like we do.
There are a few, there are some good operators out there.
And then my buddy Paul. Paul is our field assessor
and he is out there in the field interacting with customers,
(16:45):
doing drone inspections, doing roof citing, gutter softaffac inspections, establishing
a great rapport and communication with the customer, and then
bringing everything that he learns. Paul's not a man in
a few words, so when he comes to the office,
like we have to block out an extraordinary amount of
(17:05):
time to listen to him. But he's a dear friend
of mine as well.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
You know, forgive me for saying this, but you said
you went into roofing because it was simple, and then
you're talking about drones and and you know all these
different things. It's a little more complicated than you let on,
don't you think.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
Well, Okay, with that being said, I haven't told you
what I do yet, Okay, So I'm telling you what
everybody else does, and that is complicated. I asked questions
all day, and U I tell my I tell our folks,
I love our I love our employees, and our installation
cruiser phenomenal that I can pay attention to when you're
(17:51):
making mistakes and we're going to correct it and and
that's just a part of doing business and being human.
The good news is nobody has to know when I
make mistakes. And I mean I got our list of them.
So I'm the guy that sits back, makes mistakes, corrects
his own mistakes, pays attention to everybody else's mistakes, and
asks them to help me with whatever the heck they're doing.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
You're not a CEO.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
You're a q EO. You question a lot of questions.
I get a lot of I have a lot of
questions because it's important for me to ask questions in
order for us to improve. Where are we failing, where
are we succeeding? How does this look if we improve
upon this? How does this look if we improve upon this?
It's the questions that I need the information, and that's
(18:34):
how we continue to build capacity into our company and
we continue to improve upon it. And I feel any CEO,
of any company, president, whatever the head of the company is,
their responsibility is to improve upon processes, productivity, person l
(18:56):
and to improve upon customer satisfaction and to take care
of all the components that lead to these improvements, number
one of which is the people who work for us.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
Where do you find your customers?
Speaker 2 (19:15):
So we do a lot of direct mail. We get
an extraordinary amount of referral business, which is always good
because it doesn't cost us any money. Plus it means
we're doing things correctly. And so we haven't done a
whole lot of electronic media. We did some TV at
one time, but most of our customers come from referral business.
(19:37):
And on the commercial side, it's something that you go
to certain portals to look for, but residential side referrals
and directly.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
Can win your website.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
We get a lot of website communication and that comes
from the things that we do with Google Ads, we
have Facebook Ads, We have all these things directing traffic
to our website.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
And what is your website?
Speaker 2 (19:58):
The website is try tri l I n K Contracting
dot com.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Now all of this is funneled into something that you
kind of mentioned it briefly. Cornerstone tell us everything about that.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
So Cornerstone Residence is something that my wife, Joyce, and
I have a passion for. It is we purchased a
retired Catholic church and rectory and curt and a beautiful
property on the corner of Carnagian, Delaware. And in the rectory,
which is thirteen thousand square feet, we have a recovery
home for veterans. Now. My wife is a retired state
(20:35):
pro agent twenty five and a half years. She came
from an industry where a lot of folks come out
of tainted with dealing with damaged populations and she thought,
I have more to do. So she has been the
catalyst the Cornerstone. Cornerstone has been the catalyst to what
(20:56):
I do with Trilink, and Trilink Trilink has been a
pretty good financial supporter through the proceeds from our projects
for Cornerstone. So keep in mind we were in court
for five years attempting to get the occupancy permit. We
had a remodel of fire and another remodel that practically
(21:21):
spanned that entire five years. Through generous donations of furniture,
et cetera from folks, we furnished the place and we
did it on our own dime. So it was it
was a trying time. It was very taxing, but we
learned a lot of things and we've gotten to the
(21:44):
point now.
Speaker 1 (21:46):
To where it's fully operational, fully operational. When did you
start to receiving residents.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
If I'm not mistaken, I think it was last fall
we got our first resident, and now I believe we're
about to welcome number ten.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Okay, yeah, And what do you do for these these veterans?
Speaker 2 (22:05):
So, oh my gosh, it's so the components to recovery
are not just white knuckling staying away from whatever substance
had its grip on you. There are so many other
components to it. First of all, sober living space with
like minded in our case men, because you really don't
(22:27):
want men and women mixing it up like that. In
our case men. Now we talked about earlier, we talked
about the damage that occurs when someone's going through substance abuse,
family fragmentation, things like that, so we use family reunification.
There are a lot of family reunification activities at the home.
(22:51):
I've been taking the guys to Pirates games, you know
what I mean. And community Tickest has been so generous
with us donating tickets to us to go to these
Pirates games. So cultural experiences, new cultural experiences are important
to recovery, and just the idea that we have opportunity
(23:14):
to get men employment. We have AA and A meetings
in the in the bottom floor of our of our facility,
the cornerstone. So these in combination with just the interactions
that they get to experience that are new to them
because of where they've come from. And you've got to remember,
(23:36):
now we're talking about veterans, and most of these men
are not just veterans. Like I'm a veteran. I was
not in war, I was not in a skirt. The
closest I came to anything. Was I got stuck in
the Persian Gulf for ninety days when they took the
hostages in Iran, and but I was never physically in
(24:00):
the mix. With regards to combat what some of these
may have experienced. There's physical trauma, mental trauma PTSD, so
we're stepping through all of that as well. And I
got to tell you I was actually at an event
yesterday for Adventures and Training with a Purpose. That's John
(24:22):
Colb's Yeah, Okay. John and Deborah cob are differens and
wonderful people and what they do for veterans up in
Wexford with ATP is phenomenal and we've had some of
our veterans through there. And also my stepdaughter, my wife's daughter,
who suffered a traumatic brain injury and was in a
(24:43):
coma just this past fall. John and his team have
been working up there and she's made phenomenal progress. So
things like that are so important to just And it
takes eighteen months to break the cycle mentally. You can
lose the physical dependence within a week or two, but
(25:06):
the mental cycle, the rewiring, is an eighteen month process.
And if you're just sitting stagnant for those eighteen months,
it's not gonna work. So we try to put all
these components together and help these gentlemen out. Wow.
Speaker 1 (25:20):
Yeah, so have you seen a certain amount, Like you said,
it was the last fall, so they haven't gone through
that eighteen month period, so they have not. So are
you seeing incremental success stories?
Speaker 2 (25:33):
We are seeing some incredible progress, yes, and we've also
seen some failures, Johnny. I mean, let's be honest. Some
of these men thought they were ready after a month
or two and they struck out on their own. And
there husband some failure, and we pray for them, and
we get them back into treatment, and we welcome them
back after a sustained treatment, impatient treatment, and we give
(25:56):
it another shot. But we can't but not forever and
ever ever. So, but we make sure that they are
taken care of, even if they're no longer in Cornerstone.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
You offer them tools, yes, that what they There's only
so much you can do. You can do a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:14):
Try to tell my wife that, honestly, I mean, she
is this, I will say this my right hand to God,
the strongest woman I've ever known. I've never seen anyone
operate like she does. And she thinks she can do it,
and she's pretty dug on close to doing it all,
but she realizes there are some you know that there
(26:35):
are some people that are just going to fall off
and you can't do anythore. But you can't tell her
that you can't do everything, because she's going to figure
out a way to do almost everything.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
What's your future for Cornerstone? Where do you want to see?
What's your legacy? Where do you want to see that go?
Speaker 2 (26:52):
So Cornerstone Residence was I want to see it expand
I'd like to see it expand into facilities for women,
which which is an incredibly underserved community with regards to
substance abuse, particularly in the veteran community. There is room
for growth and improvement there that it's just not happening
(27:17):
like it should be. We also want to do something
in the sanctuary. We've talked to some local educators. I
won't mention any names right now because nothing's in Stone,
but some wonderful people who want to partner with us
for the sanctuary building and put a arts and technology
center for youth and a workforce development center for adults
(27:37):
in there. So that's kind of like the next phase.
And we're tiptoeing to that end, but as far as
the Cornerstone Residence itself goes, I just want to continue
to see men thrive and flourish and get back into
relationships with their children and their wives and their families
(27:59):
and and set free.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
All right, So we talked about trilink. If somebody wants
more information on Cornerstone, what do you have a website?
Do you have a means of communication for that?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
The Cornerstone Residence dot org. We also have the Cornerstone
Residence Facebook page, and don't be afraid to make a donation.
There are buttons on there. We could use it, but
we don't rely on it.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Jim, you're one of the most fascinating CEOs I've ever
talked to. You're an inspiration. You have a sense of humor,
and you have an amazing story. You went from dark
to light and you're doing some good in the neighborhood
and I applaud that. And it's been my pleasure talking
to you. Thank you so.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
Much, Johnny, it has been my pleasure. I appreciate you.
Speaker 1 (28:45):
This has been a fascinating interview. If you would like
to help with Cornerstone once again, what is the website there.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
The Cornerstone Residence dot org or the Cornerstone Residence Facebook page.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
Jim said, definitely a CEO you should know. It's been
my pleasure. Thank you so much, Thank you, sir. This
has been the CEOs you should know podcast, showcasing businesses
that are driving our regional economy, part of iHeartMedia's commitment
to the communities we serve. I'm Johnny Heartwell, thank you
so much for listening.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.