Rick Bainbridge is a construction professional based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is the founder of RCB Construction Management, which he started in 2018. He brings more than 40 years of experience in the construction and home remodelling world. His family history in building spans over 100 years.
Rick grew up in Buffalo, New York. He played basketball and carried that discipline into his work life. He is a devout Catholic, and he is known for being steady, consistent, and hands-on. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he also played college basketball.
Rick moved to Charlotte in 1996. Over time, he led a home remodelling company that became one of Charlotte’s premier firms. That company used an in-house design build team that included AutoCad designers and production staff, along with HR and marketing support. The firm earned major recognition, including Charlotte Chamber Entrepreneur of the Year and Remodeler of the Year for North Carolina and the Southeast. Rick closed that business in June 2016 and sold the remodelling centre building.
After taking time off, people began asking him to handle projects. He built a new model with RCB Construction Management. He does the estimates and supervises the work himself. His crew includes experienced tradespeople, and the company is fully insured. Rick’s work covers kitchens, bathrooms, additions, outdoor spaces, and handyman services. Outside of work, he enjoys opera, travel, Italian food, antique cars, and Buffalo Bills football. He supports St. Jude and the V Foundation.
Q&A with Rick Bainbridge on success
When you think about success, what does it look like in real life?
Success looks like work that holds up. It is a kitchen that still feels right years later. It is a bathroom that works smoothly every morning. It is also a homeowner who feels calm because the process made sense. In construction, the finish is not the whole story. The true result is what happens after the noise stops and normal life returns.
What early experiences shaped how you work today?
I grew up in Buffalo and played basketball. That gave me a simple mindset: show up, do the basics well, and stay disciplined. College basketball at SUNY Buffalo added another layer. You learn that effort is not enough if the system is messy. You need routines. You need timing. You need people doing their part. Construction is the same. If one trade is out of sync, the whole job suffers.
You built a major remodelling operation, then later started RCB. Why was that shift important?
I spent years leading a large remodelling business in Charlotte. We had designers using AutoCad, production staff, and the support you need to run a serious operation. We won awards, and we built a strong name in the market.
Then I closed the business in June 2016 and sold the remodelling centre building. After that, I took time off. But people kept asking me to do projects. That was a signal. I built RCB Construction Management with a different model. I wanted lower costs for clients without giving up workmanship. The way I do that is simple. I handle the estimates and I supervise the projects myself. I keep the line between plan and execution tight.
What does your day-to-day approach to success look like on a job?
I treat supervision like a daily practice, not a once-a-week check-in. I stay close to the work so small mistakes do not become expensive ones. In remodelling, tiny issues can snowball. A measurement that is slightly off can affect cabinets, counters, and finishes. A scheduling gap can cause trades to step on each other.
So I focus on clarity. What is the next step. Who owns it. What needs to be ready before that step starts. My crew is made up of experienced tradespeople, so my job is to keep the workflow clean and the standards consistent.
You’ve won major awards and also made hard decisions, like closing a business. What did those moments teach you about success?
Awards are a marker, but they are not the full score. They reflect a period where the team, the systems, and the market lined up well. I’m proud of that. At the same time, closing a business taught me that success also includes knowing when a chapter is done.
Selling the remodelling centre building was not just a financial decision. It was a clean reset. It made space for a different kind of work. Sometimes success is not adding more. It is simplifying so the work matches how you want to operate.
What role do your personal interests play in how you define success?
My interests keep me balanced and also sharpen my eye. Opera reminds me that craft matters. It is built on repetition and detail. Antique cars do the same thing in a different way. If you ignore small problems, they grow. Travel helps too. You notice how spaces feel in different places, and you bring that perspective back home.
I also care about giving back. I support St. Jude and the V Foundation. Success feels thin if it is only personal. I want my work life to connect to something wider than a jobsite.
If someone wants to be successful in a hands-on business, what is one principle you would stress?
Take responsibility for the parts that cannot be faked. In my world, that is estimating and supervision. You can sell a project with big promises, but you build trust by managing the details. If you want real success, pick the few actions that protect quality, schedule, and cost, then do them consistently.
That consistency is what people remember. And in a trade like mine, being remembered for steady work is its own kind of success.