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All Roads Lead to Real Estate

A Maryland podcast hosted by Matt Rhine

Full Interview · April 19, 2023 · Ep. 8

Jay Rhine: Founder & CEO of Rhine Landscaping and Rhine Pools

From a family dairy farm to two outdoor-living businesses—a brother-to-brother conversation about starting small and planning for what comes next.

Matt Rhine and Jay Rhine in their filmed studio interview
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Rhine Landscaping and Rhine Pools · Sykesville, Maryland

Jay RhineFounder & CEO · Rhine Landscaping and Rhine Pools

Inside the Interview

  • Hear how Jay turned farm-side lawn care into two Sykesville businesses.
  • Follow the shift from mowing to complete outdoor spaces and pools.
  • Learn why a good design should come before construction.
  • See how a larger backyard plan can take shape in stages.
  • Understand why staying local matters to Jay’s project oversight.

Recorded in April 2023. Project timing, pricing, and services may have changed; ask the businesses directly for current details.

Meet the Guest

Jay Rhine

Jay Rhine is the Founder & CEO of both Rhine Landscaping and Rhine Pools, based in Sykesville, Maryland. His story begins on the Rhine family’s Howard County dairy farm, in the family since 1923. After their father died, Jay took on farm operations at 19, working alongside his mother to keep it going.

More about Jay Rhine

He began cutting grass in 1996 to help support the farm. In the recording, he remembers an old truck, a secondhand trailer, one mower, a blower and a weed whacker. Lawn care grew into landscape design and construction; with help from a mentor, Jay later added pools. Rhine Pools is the pool-focused division of the business.

Jay describes a team handling the design, construction, landscaping and pool work while he meets homeowners to understand what they want from their space. His advice is practical: live with a new home for a while, invest in a thoughtful design, and build the plan in stages around what matters most.

  • Founder & CEORhine Landscaping and Rhine Pools
  • Founded in 1996Rhine Landscaping · Rhine Pools grew from its work
  • Sykesville, MDBoth at 12885 Old Frederick Road

Sources: Rhine Landscaping history ↗Rhine Pools location ↗

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Interview highlights

Three conversations worth your time.

Choose a highlight to watch it in the full interview player above.

Jay Rhine in an authentic frame from his filmed studio interview

The Mulch Lesson He Didn’t Forget

Jay remembers learning the landscaping business through an early mulch job and the reality of hiring help.

Jay Rhine in an authentic frame from his filmed studio interview

Design the Whole Backyard. Build It in Stages.

Jay explains the design-first approach and how a backyard project can be built in phases.

Jay Rhine in an authentic frame from his filmed studio interview

Hard Work Still Needs the Right People

Matt and Jay discuss work ethic, leadership and the people who help a business keep going.

From the interview

Questions and answers.

Watch each answer at its matched video timestamp, or read the source transcript.

More questions

What happened when Jay took over the farm?

Matt says Jay took on farm operations as a teenager after their father became ill. Jay describes how the family farm and its side businesses shaped his work.

Watch video from 00:02:02 →Read transcript →
How did pools become part of Jay’s work?

Jay says a mentor helped teach him pool building; he gradually added pools to the landscape work and later focused on complete outdoor spaces.

Watch video from 00:15:20 →Read transcript →
How does Jay oversee different crews?

Jay credits trusted people running the landscaping, construction, and pool sides of the operation; he says he does not need to track every crew every day.

Watch video from 00:32:05 →Read transcript →
Why keep projects close to home?

Jay says staying close to the home base lets managers visit sites often, get supplies, and give the level of service he wants to provide.

Watch video from 00:48:30 →Read transcript →

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