Kenneth P. Rushing

It was not, unfortunately, an unusual story. A young African-American man from a broken home and desperate family situation became drawn to the temptations of the streets. The drug hustle came easy, the money came even easier. Until he got caught. Then he finds himself doing hard time behind bars. And as we all know, our rehabilitation system is woefully inadequate—most young men who go in usually return, their lives becoming nothing but additional chapters in a tragic and ongoing saga.

There are, however, the remarkable tales of lives turned around. And in the case of Kenny P. Rushing, a 33-year-old Tampa, Florida, resident, it is an evolving account of transformation that is simply extraordinary.

Today, six years removed from incarceration, Rushing is a phenomenally successful real estate mogul, civic leader and devoted philanthropist. He is also a dynamic visionary with a plan to help a generation. “We are losing too many young, productive Black males to prison,” Rushing says. “We have to reach out to this new generation and show them a viable alternative to selling drugs. Otherwise, we are going to lose them to the prison system.”

Rushing’s strategy? He wants to turn “street hustlers” into “house hustlers.” It is, as he calls it, a “movement.” The House Hustling Movement, which will educate, empower and inspire millions of disenfranchised African Americans. His company, Rehabber’s Superstore, Inc., which was established soon after Rushing was released from prison, now grosses millions of dollars per year through real estate transactions and investments. In turn, Rushing gives back a substantial portion of that income to support local businesses and help individuals launch their own companies.

House Hustling Enterprises, Inc., a separate division of Rushing’s parent company, provides the tools for others—particularly ex-cons and former street hustlers—to develop themselves and their communities through the real estate business. This part of the “movement” also includes a diverse number of ventures into entertainment (television and movie production); magazine publishing (House Hustling magazine); and Rushing’s unique “self-help memoir,” entitled House Hustling Manifesto Volume I that will be released in 2007.

It all makes for an incredible success story that has its roots in very humble—and typically sad—beginnings.

Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Kenny was the son of a former gang-banger who tried to make a decent living and a woman who eventually succumbed to the depression of a broken marriage. At the tender age of 14 Kenny found himself a desperate young man from the projects who would do anything to help his family. The streets beckoned and he soon became a drug king pin, making more money than he could ever dream of. The dream collapsed, of course, and Kenny was arrested, convicted and sent to prison where he remained for seven years.

           
The “time,” they say, can be unbearable. Unless you do something constructive with it. And that’s exactly what Rushing did. He made the “time” work for him. Inspired by the Autobiography of Malcom X, and realizing that “readers become leaders,” Rushing decided that he would have prison work for him as an institution of higher learning. When he left prison for a six-month stay in a halfway house, he got on a bus to Tampa carrying accredited learning certificates in everything from Real Estate Investing to Finance.

Within a year he was rehabbing houses; three years down the road and Rehabber’s Superstore was a multi-million dollar business. A thriving company was testament enough that Kenny Rushing had turned his life around. But for this unique and committed young man he understood his new-found calling and responsibility. “In order for the African-American economy to thrive,” Rushing points out, “we must support one another.” And since his company became a success, Rushing has done just that.

Through the educational services offered by House Hustling Enterprises, through the monthly “Support Black Businesses” ad campaign in the Florida Sentinel newspaper, and through sheer determination and will to develop his community Rushing has, over the years, employed hundreds of local contractors, helped create more than 30 African American-owned businesses and has inspired numerous young men to follow in his footsteps and make a differences in their lives and in their community.

Next on Rushing’s ever-expanding agenda is the opening of a House Hustling Enterprises office in Los Angeles. Partnering with long-time movie and television producers Pamela and  Mark McClafferty (the former head of Eddie Murphy’s television company), Rushing is working to develop a reality TV show—The House Hustling Challenge—negotiate the publishing rights to his memoir, and look to take his story to the big screen.

These efforts and work are indicative of the passion of Kenny Rushing—a man who personally identifies with the plight of the poor and the disenfranchised. A man whose voice and actions speak volumes against the evils of poverty and in support of economic empowerment.

“I consider myself a man of vision,” Rushing says. “If I can show these young, underprivileged folks that selling drugs isn’t the only option, maybe I can prevent them from going to prison. It’s not that these kids don’t have morals—they just need the right support and education to see that there are other ways to make money. Forget the street hustling. House Hustling is a very viable and lucrative alternative.”

Rushing and his wife, Katrice, have two children: Kayla, 4, and Kenneth III, 3. Rushing also has a 14-year-old daughter, Kennetria. When asked what he likes to do for fun, the perpetual-motion Rushing typically replies, “Work!” But he acknowledges that he also loves water sports and nothing more than just “chillin’ and hangin’ out with my family.”

This story could have had a very different ending. Instead, through the commitment and vision of a young man intent on helping himself—and others—the remarkable tale of Kenny Rushing is just beginning.