Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Kaiser
Hi Ben, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Knoxville living in nearly all parts of Knoxville and Knox county. Around my middle school age I was bullied pretty badly and grew up pretty miserable although I had a pretty good home life. In my early teens I started experimenting with different drugs and alcohol. By my Junior year or so I was on my way to becoming a full blown opiate addict hooked on oxycontin at the time. I dropped out of school and went back for my GED only because my mom pushed me to do so.
I got in trouble shortly after school for selling weed and eventually ended up in Brushy Mountain Penitentiary after a few violation of probation warrants. I was a world class mess. I went through the next several years in and out of jail for various charges like public intoxication, possession of drugs, DUI under the influence of opiates and Xzanax etc. I was eventually introduced to heroin and my addiction went from bad to worse when I started injecting it. I lived homeless or couch surfing for several years while in and out of jail. I caught a theft and forgery charge related to my heroin use trying to support my habit and it put me back in prison again.
I didn’t get a chance to change until I was able to go to the E.M. Jellinek treatment center and halfway house. Until that point the jail would just dump me out on the street at the City County building with nowhere to go. I would end up back on the same couches or back porches homeless and using again. When I got the opportunity through Judge McGhee to go to Jellinek I started to change my life in a positive direction.
I was able to get a decent job, work my way into a rental home and get my drivers license back. I started to get my life together at a really rapid pace but because of that and my feeling like I was succeeding I neglected my recovery work and relapsed again, I lost everything AGAIN for the billionth time. I went on the run and eventually turned myself back in.
This cycle repeated itself for a few more years, I even got a chance to go back through Jellinek for a second time which never happens. Through my willingness when I was there and the high level of respect I had for the staff they allowed me to come back. Each time I would make it clean a little longer, I would get a few more things right, I would gain a little more ground each time.
I didn’t fully begin to get it together until I was court ordered to go through the Day Reporting Center by a different Judge (this program was not available until this time) recovery was not popular when I was growing up and only in recent years did more options become available. At the DRC I took all sorts of classes on anger management, relapse prevention, victims impact. parenting classes and many others. This education paired with mental health medication (wellbutrin) gave me a solid foundation to start rebuilding my life. The knowledge I had gained at Jellinek, the DRC and from my peers had given me a real opportunity I felt.
I started volunteering for CareCuts of Knoxville to fullfill my community service requirements and I learned that helping people is where I excellled. I loved helping people because I didn’t have time to screw up and I felt good about doing things for other people. That led to me volunteering way more time than just my required forty hours. Eventually I was asked by the DRC what I wanted to do with my life and my response was ” I wanna make money and help people” I needed money to fix my situation and helping people made me happy. It is also difficult to help people with more than just kind words when you’re broke. Well, I was a three time convicted felon and they weren’t just handing out good jobs with a record like mine even though it is all non-violent and only drug related.
I decided to start my own business. I have been able to work on or build anything since I was a kid so i started a construction company. I had no money, no vehicle, no tools unless they were borrowed and I walked away from the City County building with thirty five bucks to my name and a business license for Kaiser Restorations. I started out really small with borrowed tools and bumming rides. I didn’t go out to eat or anything for a couple years. I would eat noodles and cheap junk I was already used to and I spent every extra dollar on tools to be able to do more work.
I am running out of time to write this but fast forward about six years and now I have around twenty full time employees year round. Those employees make a great living mostly above twenty dollars an hour, they have full coverage health insurance, they get a paid vacation and a boot allowance of $300 each year. We have a reputation for being the best in our business and able to tackle jobs that scare away a lot of contractors. Almost every person that works for me is a convicted felon. addict, alcoholic or all three in recovery. I have watched them build their lives when most of them started with nothing when they came to me for a job. It blows my mind every day that I have been able to accomplish all of this by The Grace of God. I am surrounded by amazing people who’s story would break your heart but here we are winning every single day. We do between one an two million dollars of business a year here in the city and state that used to just lock us away for making mistakes. I am able to help with monetary donations and with our time to many different ministries and so on. I am now on the board of directors for CareCuts and have recently been asked to serve on the E.M. Jellinek board of directors and my life is really something that was once only a dream to me. I get to be a leader, a father, a business owner and I started out homeless and broken. I Thank God for these privledges everyday
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have had nothing but struggles the entire way. My life was a struggle in every sense of the word. I was always looked at like a criminal or an addict. I was written off by everyone I approached at first. Eventually I gained the respect of the people that used to put me in jail. I gained respect from my family and my community that was non existent before. My story above is also filled with struggles along the way. I also didn’t know the first thing about running a business, how to type, how to do taxes and insurance, how to operate quickbooks and navigate professional contracts. I had to work really hard and learn all of these things as I went.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a residential remodeling company with the ability to take on large commercial and residential projects through our partnerships in the community
My entire business is based on honesty and transparency all the way through how we invoice our clients. Each man hour is gps tracked with notes from that man or woman each day. Every two by four, gallon of paint, nail, and sub contractor invoices involved in a project go directly to our clients.
We specialize in being a one stop shop for construction. We can handle all aspects of a new build or a remodel and do any type of maintenance on a home or commercial building.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love the diversity in our city and the sense of taking care of our neighbors. I feel that we look out for each other and we are all trying to fix long standing and new problems within our city.
I do not like when myself and my people, employees or friends are judged their entire life for mistakes we made when we were young and dumb. This is not as common now as in past years but we are still held back in our personal and professional lives at times because of our past.
Pricing:
- all project based cost plus system
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/KaiserRestorations
- Other: KaiserRestorationsTn@gmail.com
