William F. Rinaldi is President and CEO of Mark Construction Services, Inc. and founder of Hazleton Creek Properties LLC. Both companies are headquartered in Northeastern Pennsylvania. He has built a successful career and earned a stellar reputation as a developer of complex development projects that encompass large-scale remediation work coupled with the creation or expansion of transportation infrastructure.
Having earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration/Finance and Investments from Marywood University, Rinaldi went on to establish himself as one of the most successful real estate developers and builders in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania over the past two decades. A resident of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Rinaldi chose not only to locate his businesses in the area, but to ensure that his business endeavors directly benefited the people and communities in and around his hometown. Both firms have a strong commitment to providing work opportunities to minority-owned businesses in the region.
Mark Construction Services is a full-service construction management and development company that is dedicated to the investment in and procurement of projects that benefit local educational, institutional and commercial endeavors. The company is committed to using local talent and resources in the design, engineering, and construction of its many development projects.
Mark Construction is widely known and respected for its experience in the development of projects for academic institutions and commercial corporations. The company researches and procures underutilized real estate in urban environments, determines a “best use” for the property, and identifies academic institutions and other business entities that can benefit from expansion into the new area. Mark Construction then provides a variety of services to assist the investor – from standard design/bid/build construction services and project management/administration to full real estate development and planning services.
Among Mark Construction Services’ signature projects are a newly constructed student residence and stunning conversions of existing buildings for student housing, education services and student recreation for Lackawanna College in Scranton, PA. Combined, the five projects were worth nearly $20 million.
The company also recently completed a $5 million conversion of a once blighted single family residence in Scranton into a new Walgreen’s Pharmacy, which has become a linchpin for further development in the formerly depressed and neglected west side of Scranton. The firm recently converted an old, abandoned school into new apartments and townhouses; a project worth $2.5 million.
The mission of Hazleton Creek Properties (HCP), like Mark Construction Services, is to improve the quality of life for residents of the Greater Hazleton community. HCP is currently engaged in a major mine reclamation project that, once completed, will improve the health and safety of Hazleton and enhance the community’s natural beauty. The firm has already completed an important phase of the transportation infrastructure component of the project through the design and construction of a loading and unloading facility with the capacity to handle up to 80 rail cars.
The Hazleton Reclamation site is an abandoned mine site located directly off Interstate 81 and bounded by Routes 924, 309 and Broad Street. The site has been severely impacted by past deep and surface mining practices and encompasses more than 277 acres of un-reclaimed, abandoned mine pits and spoil piles. Portions of the site (approximately 50 acres) were previously used for disposal of municipal and industrial waste in several mine pits. The area is a Brownfield site and has been certified as a Designated Special Industrial Area (SIA) by the Governor of Pennsylvania, giving the site priority attention for remediation. The site has the capacity to accept over 10 million cubic yards of residual materials to complete the site reclamation. HCP is authorized to conduct the site reclamation/remediation using DEP approved residual materials, including regulated fill, clean-fill from construction activities and river dredge.
HCP is committed to protecting the environment, first and foremost. The company is standing behind its commitment through the following initiatives:
- Protecting surrounding environments and preserving natural resources
- Reducing environmental nuisance and preventing pollution risk related to all of its activities
- Complying with all regulatory, legislative, contractual or other obligations, and anticipating them whenever possible
- Striving for outstanding health and safety performance in the workplace
- Identifying and limiting industrial and environmental on-site risks
- Implementing actions aimed at improving the life of local communities
Once the primary site is reclaimed, HCP will engage in a larger effort to reclaim 250 acres of abandoned mine land adjacent to the city of Hazleton upon which the company plans to build the Hazleton Performing Arts Center. The Center will occupy approximately 80 acres in the middle of the site with other commercial development to the north and south. The Performing Arts Center will be a 20,000 seat facility (16,000 fixed, 4,000 lawn) with state-of-the-art offices, crew and dressing / lounge space for artists and their staff.
Additionally, the Center will include 50,000 square feet of vendor/commercial space that is under roof and can be converted to convention space. This new venue will serve as a catalyst for the city of Hazleton for new economic development and increased tourism.
Rinaldi was also the driving force behind the Hudson-Keystone Reclamation Express in Bayonne, New Jersey, a business arrangement with Norfolk Southern Railroad and Duraport Marine & Rail to remove and properly reuse soil material from the Greater New York City and Northern New Jersey metropolitan region via rail to abandoned mine sites in Hazleton, PA, dramatically increase the volume of cargo handled within the existing NY-NJ port properties through increased use of rail and barges, and significantly decrease highway congestion and pollution by eliminating the over-reliance on trucks for the transportation of consumer goods and other materials. The project also promotes partnerships with shipping companies, terminal operators, shippers, intermodal carriers, trucking firms, organized labor unions, and others, leading to greater job creation and economic development for the region.
Rinaldi also serves as President of the Northeastern Economic Development Company of PA-CDC, Inc. (NEDCO), a newly-formed regional non-profit organization dedicated to contributing to the economic development of Pennsylvania communities through affordable loan programs specifically designed for small businesses. The company is a non-profit Community Development Corporations which offers unique new SBA loans to small business owners.
Previously, in his role as a principal of FMRA, Inc., Rinaldi provided design and construction services to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District (CENAP) for a new dredge material transfer facility for trucks and rail lines at the Fort Mifflin Confined Disposal Facility. The project involved the removal of 500,000 cubic yards of dredge materials from the Delaware River within a 12-month period, as well as the configuration of new rail tracks and 50-car unit trains to transport the materials off-site. The design plan featured the added benefit of removing approximately 10,000 trucks from Pennsylvania’s highways. This complex undertaking required an appreciation for and management of the varied interests of numerous stakeholders and governmental agencies.
All of these successful projects have been conceived and executed by William F. “Bill’ Rinaldi, a visionary businessman, philanthropist, and proud member of the Greater Northeastern Pennsylvania community.