Rick Roussin’s Journey from Childhood Trauma and Addiction to Leading a Company Built on Second Chances
For nearly four decades, Rick Roussin built Coast to Coast Computer Products into a national business serving organizations across the United States. According to him, the company’s deeper foundation was shaped long before its launch in 1985. Years marked by childhood instability, addiction, recovery, and personal transformation ultimately influenced the culture he later created within the organization, one centered on opportunities for people seeking to rebuild their lives.
Roussin explains that his childhood was defined by loss and instability. His biological mother died when he was five years old, and a second maternal figure died shortly afterward. He frames later years as emotionally difficult, particularly after being left behind when his father relocated from Michigan to Florida during his teenage years. According to Roussin, those experiences pushed him into early independence, leaving school in the 10th grade and working to support himself at a young age.
Even during that period, he recalls discovering an early ability in sales. He explains that one of his first indications came during a school fundraiser when he significantly outsold other students in a door-to-door sales competition. From there, he worked in floor covering crews before eventually moving to California at 21, searching for a different direction in life while still struggling with drugs and alcohol.
Roussin acknowledges that addiction continued following the move. He frames that period as one where he repeatedly lost control of his life emotionally and financially. According to him, recovery became possible only after entering a recovery program in his mid-20s and reconnecting with spirituality. He credits mentorship and structured personal development with changing the trajectory of his future.
“The desire to drink and do drugs was taken away from me by a higher power,” Roussin explains. “That became the core of everything I am and everything I will ever be.”
He also credits a former employer and mentor with introducing him to goal-setting, professional discipline, and personal development. According to Roussin, that mentorship helped him recognize that consistent learning and structured habits could create long-term change regardless of formal education.
Coast to Coast Computer Products began shortly afterward. The company, which supplies printer toner, office products, and technology solutions to businesses across the United States, initially started with a far simpler goal. Roussin explains that the earliest version of the business was largely intended to support his lifestyle and independence after struggling to work within traditional corporate structures. Over time, however, the organization expanded into a longstanding national operation that recently marked 40 years in business.
The company’s culture evolved alongside his recovery journey. According to Roussin, some of the earliest employees were individuals he met through recovery meetings who were also looking for work and stability. As the organization grew, Coast to Coast increasingly became known for hiring people rebuilding their lives after struggling with difficult situations.
Roussin explains that many employees eventually built long-term careers and remained with the company for decades. According to Roussin, the organization collectively represents more than 600 years of sobriety among employees.
“We want to help people become better in every area of life, spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and within their communities,” Roussin says.
In 2019, Roussin sold Coast to Coast through an employee stock ownership plan, transferring ownership to employees rather than private investors. He frames that decision as one of the most meaningful milestones of his career because it preserved the company’s culture and long-term mission.
His current focus has increasingly shifted toward public storytelling through his memoir, Second Chances, and the documentary project God’s Company. According to Roussin, both projects are intended to reach people who feel trapped by addiction, hopelessness, or past mistakes while also encouraging business leaders to rethink how opportunity and rehabilitation can intersect within the workplace.
“The book was written to give hope to the hopeless,” Roussin explains. “No matter how far down the scale somebody may have gone, that does not determine how far up they can still go.”
Media Contact
Name: Rick Roussin
Email: rrr@coastcoast.com
