Finally finding his calling

Ken Wilson's life is one out of the storybooks. When he almost died at birth, his mother promised God that he would become a preacher. Determined not to enter the ministry, however, he attended college at 16, but soon dropped out after partying with hippies and starting a drinking habit.

Now, the 57-year-old former pastor counsels people suffering from alcoholism and drug addiction.

He started Steppingstones to Recovery LLC in 1997. He owns the business with his daughter, Jessica Epps, a licensed master social worker.

He built the business from the ground up, starting it in a former crack house. After operating halfway houses for three years, Mr. Wilson in 2008 launched the Awakening Center, a recovery residence and substance abuse treatment facility on Interstate Parkway for men 18 and older.

"We're the only hometown, intensive outpatient treatment facility in Augusta. We're probably the largest in a two- or three-hour circle of here," he said.

Despite busy schedules, the driven father and daughter also co-own Concern Employee Assistance Program, which University Hospital started in 1983. Ms. Epps serves as the program's clinical director.

"We bought it two years ago," Mr. Wilson said.

Concern EAP's office is upstairs at Steppingstones to Recovery, at 2610 Commons Boulevard in Augusta.

"All of our businesses are related. A lot of people coming to EAP have alcohol and drug problems, and they don't have to go far to get help," he said.

Mr. Wilson and his daughter have eaten lunch together every day for six years, when they discuss business matters. They have made a pact, however, not to talk about business off the clock when they are with family, such as during their Sunday brunches, Ms. Epps said.

They are on call 24 hours a day, but they love the work. Through the years, Mr. Wilson has helped more than 500 clients a year.

Lining the wall of his office are dozens of masks of varying sizes, shapes and colors.

"The masks on the wall are about the masks that we wear as human beings. When we lead into therapy sometimes, I ask them to find the one on the wall that personifies how they feel," Mr. Wilson explained.

Nancy Williams, the director for ACE DUI and Community Intervention Program, has known Mr. Wilson since the mid-1990s. Among his many attributes, she said, is that he is a hard worker.

"Ken is one of the most working men I've ever seen in my life. He's always trying to help people get squared away with their lives," Ms. Williams said. "Of all of the counselors in the area, I've never seen a more driven man than him. He gets up at 5 a.m. and goes until late at night."

He is "ambitious, dedicated and willing to go the extra yard to help people," she added.

"Usually by the time people get to us, they've already exhausted all of their funds. They have no money. Ken is able to see the good in people and work with them," Ms. Williams said.

Though Mr. Wilson is his competition, Tim Robinson, the administrator at Bradford Health Services in Augusta, said Mr. Wilson is extremely professional.

"One of the things that stands out about Ken is that he is very knowledgeable about the field and stays abreast of the laws and requirements. He's also extremely ethical," Mr. Robinson said.

Mr. Wilson credits his staffers with the businesses' achievements.

"Our success is directly related to our excellent, cohesive team of employees," Mr. Wilson said. "They don't get paid much, but it's very fulfilling. And they know they're treated right. So their loyalty is there, and we're very grateful for that."

Preacher man

Mr. Wilson's life got off to a rocky start -- he almost died at birth in 1951. Grateful mother Naomi Wilson promised God that her son would become a preacher.

The second of four children was groomed for the pulpit from childhood; the devout Protestant family attended church faithfully.

He learned his work ethic from his father, Woodrow Wilson, who worked as a piano tuner. He often worked with his dad for no pay. Because money was scarce, his father taught him how to make his own toys.

The hardworking student graduated early, so he went off to college at 16. That was too early for him to venture out into the world, though.

Mr. Wilson said he flunked out of college after about a year and "hung out with the hippies." He also started drinking and trying drugs; today, that makes it easier for him to identify with his clients.

His mother constantly reminded him of her promise surrounding his birth, but Mr. Wilson didn't want to become a preacher.

"I was reminded of that often, but it was not warm and fuzzy to me. They say there are three kinds of preachers: God-called, money-called and mama-called. I was probably mama-called," Mr. Wilson said.

Mr. Wilson re-enrolled in college at age 20 and tried four different majors before finally settling on theology. His religious studies helped him overcome his drug and alcohol problems.

He eventually earned his master's degree in divinity, then served as a pastor in Augusta for 14 years at Augusta First Seventh-day Adventist Church and Ellijay Georgia Seventh-day Adventist Church.

At 20, he married Cheryl, who always wanted to be a preacher's wife. They divorced after 27 years of marriage.

Being in a leadership role in church taught him many valuable business skills, such as managing and balancing a budget. Though his father was self-employed, he was "not a good example," Mr. Wilson acknowledged.

"My wife was an excellent pastor's wife and a hard worker. Every church we went to, we would double the size of it. I discovered that I had an affinity for it," Mr. Wilson said about running a business. "People would probably remember two things about me as a pastor, being really down home, interesting and controversial, and a good business manager."

When he turned 30, Mr. Wilson said, he realized he had departed from his denomination's beliefs. He faced extreme resistance from his family after expressing his desire to leave the ministry. He did so at 35 and took a job as chaplain at University Hospital in 1986, where he worked for 11 years.

"I realized I had a gift of talking and sharing with people in recovery from alcohol and drugs," Mr. Wilson said.

At University Hospital, he worked his way up from alcohol and drug counselor to the program director.

In the mid-1990s, Mr. Wilson said, managed care hit the industry hard.

"Alcohol and drug treatment programs nationwide took a nosedive because managed care would no longer pay for it. I saw the handwriting on the wall for corporate health care and went into private practice," he said.

Mr. Wilson opened Steppingstones to Recovery in two old renovated houses, one of which was a former crack cocaine house, on Wrightsboro Road. He spent $50,000 to buy the houses and paid the same amount for repairs.

Mr. Wilson got the money by emptying his IRA and putting home equity into the business. He continued working part time at University Hospital and owned a pressure-washing company to make ends meet.

He had three children in private school, so a steady income was essential. He counseled clients in the evenings, and within nine months, the business had taken off. He sold his pressure-washing business to devote more time to his project.

For the first few years, Mr. Wilson worked alone at Steppingstones. The days were long, 12 hours to 14 hours. The business eventually expanded to four employees.

After five years, he had to find a new space, and so he moved down the block. Three years later, in 2005, he moved again, into his current facility, a 4,000-square-foot building on Commons Boulevard off Boy Scout Road. He has 10 employees, including five who are full time.

Money matters

Mr. Wilson refers to dealing with insurance companies as "mangled care and managed costs."

"I promised God and my mother that I would never take insurance again once I left the hospital. For five years, I had private pay and they paid cash or check," Mr. Wilson said. "There was such a need for the intensive outpatient programs, which is a six-week program, and insurance will pay for that.

"So I bowed the knee to the establishment and relinquished my promise."

Ms. Epps' primary job is contacting insurance companies about coverage for their clients' treatment. She joined her father's business in 2003, about four months after her graduation.

"There wasn't a question about it. I knew I always wanted to be in the counseling profession," she said. "He would say that I dot i's and cross t's around here."

Dealing with insurance companies can be time-consuming, she said. She must check in with the company after three days of treatment. If there's not enough progress or too much progress, the insurance company will stop paying.

Some plans are more reasonable than others, she said.

Ideally, a client should attend 30 sessions and follow-up once a week for a year to ensure that the addiction is conquered, Mr. Wilson said.

"Let's make an analogy. It's like going to school to become a vegetarian. You're not going to get that taste, thought and craving out of your mind for a long, long time. We're talking about something 10 times more addictive than hamburger," Mr. Wilson said.

He said that another issue is that some insurance companies will negotiate with facilities "down to 60 cents on a dollar."

Though many people have insurance, it doesn't always include mental health benefits. He believes that some major changes must be made concerning mental health needs.

Ms. Epps works to maintain state licensure for the family-owned facilities and the Awakening Center's Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities accreditation. She must document all aspects of the business, including how the facility maintains security and manages client confidentiality.

"A big part of my job is making sure that all of those standards are met on a daily basis. I'm very type A, and it's right up my alley. I love it," Ms. Epps said.

In addition, she counsels individuals, groups and families, which provides a break from her administrative duties.

John Crozier, the loss control officer for the Risk Management Division for Augusta-Richmond County, has referred employees to Concern EAP for several years. The organization helps employees with their personal issues, such as financial or substance abuse.

"Ken and his staff have continued to meet or exceed our needs. Ken is genuine in his passion to bringing restoration to the individual, providing win-win outcomes for all parties involved," Mr. Crozier said.

Collections is another issue for health care facilities, Mr. Wilson said. Unlike dealing with other businesses, patients often have the impression they can receive treatment without paying for services.

"We make a very small profit margin, which is between 1 and 3 percent. It's worse than restaurants, which is 7 percent. We struggle to make ends meet, but our prices are very reasonably low," Mr. Wilson said.

In treatment

"When we moved here (to Boy Scout Road), we rapidly saw there was a need for residential treatment services. Five inpatient treatment programs in town had closed," he said.

There were no hospital-based, inpatient treatment programs, he said. More than three years ago, he started renting houses for a recovery residence program. Last year, he built the Awakening Center. The 5,000-square-foot facility has 16 beds for men.

"Now we have the structure we need to have 24/7 monitoring by a full-time residence manager," he said.

The center imposes lights out at 11 p.m., and residents must attend self-help meetings, such as those given by Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, for six weeks.

A patient who checks in to most in-patient hospitalization is usually charged $1,000 a day. He charges $155 a day.

Mr. Wilson calls this a "mandated client business." Rarely do addicts or alcoholics call for help themselves. Usually, the client has been given an ultimatum by their job, spouse or family.

"My pastoral experience, both financially and theologically, it has been a tremendous asset as a counselor. We're in the deep South; we're in the Bible Belt. I have an immediate connection with people who are having spiritual and religious struggles as a result of their addiction and alcoholism," he said.

Tara Romes, an intern at Steppingstones, has been working with Mr. Wilson since last summer.

"He's a great boss. He teaches you, and he says what he needs to say, but in a teaching manner. He doesn't make you feel uncomfortable. He's a great guy. He'll do anything for you," Ms. Romes said.

Debbie Jones, an addictions counselor at Steppingstones, has worked with Mr. Wilson for almost four years. At age 50, she showed up at his door after her second divorce.

Ms. Jones had addiction in her family and told him that she wanted a job. She immediately enrolled in school.

"Ken is probably the most gracious person you can work for," she said. "He does this because his heart is in it. He's probably the calmest and most patient person you've ever seen. He's my mentor. I can only aspire to be what he is one day."

Many employees at Steppingstones to Recovery are in recovery from alcohol and drugs. After people have an addiction, they are always in recovery, Mr. Wilson emphasized.

"We have big hearts. We're not very corporate. We treat employees like family," he said.

His company pays 100 percent of employees' health care costs, Mr. Wilson said.

"I didn't come into recovery to work in recovery," said Christine Abney, a program coordinator at Steppingstones. "It just kind of worked out that way. He's stern, but he's a good employer. He's down to Earth, and he tries to keep a friendly atmosphere."

In the mountains

Mr. Wilson is working on his cabin in the sky. He and his brother, David, have been building a cabin near Helen, Ga., for four years. The masterpiece in the mountains is 80 percent complete.

Mr. Wilson loves working on home-improvement projects. He gained his handyman skills during childhood.

"Now I can do anything with my hands. I've remodeled many houses," he said.

Ms. Williams said that he is talented at woodworking and can make anything from benches to cabinets.

The hands-on guy also loves to ride motorcycles and is an avid moviegoer.

"Two a weekend if I can go," he said.

Though he loves his hobbies, Mr. Wilson and his daughter have no intention of leaving the substance-abuse counseling field anytime soon.

"We do it for the love of it," Ken Wilson said. "If you don't, you won't last."

Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 or latina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.