Joshua Rinaldi is the owner of JHR Construction, servicing Augusta, Portland, Livermore, Farmington, Bethel, and surrounding areas. Submitted photo

JAY — Joshua Rinaldi is the owner of JHR Construction LLC, a construction company servicing Augusta, Portland, Livermore, Farmington, Bethel and surrounding areas. However, Rinaldi hasn’t always lived a life of success.

Rinaldi recorded a video of himself recounting events in his life leading up to the creation of his business. Things were tough from the beginning for him.

“I was born into the alcoholic lifestyle, so I guess you could say I wasn’t in a great spot from the beginning,” said Rinaldi. He continued to say that his father was a biker and his mother dabbled in drugs. When he was four or five, his parents split up and he went back and forth between them. “Living from what I can remember, was enough to make me confused and scared. I love them both and they loved me back. I can’t say either one was a bad parent,” he said. Rinaldi said that he started to rebel.

During a sit-down interview, Rinaldi shared with the Livermore Falls Advertiser that he grew up around Jay and Farmington and when he was 12 or 13, he began living a life of crime which eventually led him to alcohol and drugs.

“I always wanted to be like the older kids,” he said. “So when I started drinking around 12, 13 years old, it was because that’s what everyone else told it was doing. So I thought that was a cool thing to do and at that age.”

Rinaldi said that when he was 14 or 15, doctors told him that if he didn’t stop drinking, he would die very young.

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Around 16, Rinaldi said, he moved to Georgia with his father. He was selling drugs, his girlfriend became pregnant, and he was in and out of jail. He has been to prison three times. He got his GED [General Education Development] certificate while in county jail.

About seven years later, he decided that he wanted to get clean. He moved back to Maine, but found it difficult as he reunited with old friends and wanted to drink with them.

In 2004, he decided to go to trade school to become a certified heavy equipment operator. Rinaldi got a loan and hopped on a bus to Tennessee, attending the school just outside of Memphis. He said that despite all the time he spent partying, he graduated in the top five of his class with great grades.

However, Rinaldi returned to Maine and continued to get arrested and lose jobs due to his addiction. “Some time passed, I just drank very, very heavily,” he said. “I mean, very heavily. To the point I’d rather drink than eat.” He was told that if he didn’t stop immediately, his liver would be at the point of no return.

“I did construction for 20 plus years and I did it under the influence and I thought I was fooling everybody,” Rinaldi said.

In 2019, Rinaldi truly committed to addressing his substance use disorder. He attended rehab and turned to religion to get him through.

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“When I got to rehab, I started attending classes and going to meetings,” Rinaldi said. “It didn’t take long for [it to spark my] interest. So I did the work and soaked up every word. Within a week, I turned to God.”

Members of Last Chance MC, a sober motorcycle club, pose for a photo together. Submitted photo

Rinaldi has been sober since then. He began attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and even sponsoring members, driving them to services like detoxes and rehabs when necessary. He also joined a clean and sober motorcycle club called Last Chance MC. “We have a chapter here, Massachusetts, and Florida, and all those guys have the same story,” Rinaldi said. “We straightened out and now everything that we do is for rehab facilities, we do recovery events for drugs and addiction. The club helps out in so many ways, just great group of people and good fit for me.”

He has also spent time speaking at jails and institutions around New England, telling his story. “I’m currently trying to spread resources to the juvenile detention center and some other jails in northern Maine,” he said.

With a lot of time to reflect on his life and career, Rinaldi decided that he would rather be his own boss. That is why two years ago he formed his own construction business. With one paycheck, he set out to start his business, just him, one other person, his tools and pick-up truck. He shared that he has seen great success in his business, some of which he feels is due to his sobriety.

“Believe it or not, our community loves to see this,” said Rinaldi. “They don’t love to see the addiction part of it, but they love to see recovery. The amount of customers that I’ve gotten that say, ‘I stalked your Facebook, I see that you’re sober,’ and they hire me for that reason.”

Rinaldi encouraged others not to give up.

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“When you come into [recovery] you think ‘well we messed up our life up so bad and nobody’s ever going to want to hire us.’ I see the exact opposite. It really is. People really love to see people straighten out because, I mean, face it; we gotta have that. Statistics say that only 30% of people that go through recovery, make it out.”

Rinaldi now has several employees and a full range of subcontractors. “Electricians, plumbers, concrete work,” he said. “I put together a great team so we can serve the people of our community.”

“People don’t want these one-man construction companies that’ve got their house torn apart for six months,” said Rinaldi. “I put together a team that when I need an electrician or plumber, I make the phone call, [not the customer]. So I can keep these peoples’ homes fashionable and in working order.”

Rinaldi’s business focuses on remodeling and repairing homes, as well as building new homes. He hopes to continue to grow his business, but his daily goal, he said, is to stay healthy.

To those in recovery, Rinaldi’s advice is to get resources. “You gotta learn to ask for help,” he said. “Reach out. Get in a program. Stay busy. Stay focused. It’s not easy, but it can be done.”

For resources on substance use disorder, go to https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/obh/support-services/substance-use-disorder-services/recovery-supports.

To get in touch with Last Chance MC, email LCMC319@gmail.com.

And for more information on JHR Construction, visit https://jhr-construction.com or call [207]615-8232.

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